✝
← Bible
ARCBLIVREKJVVBL

Exodus 31

KJV · Chapter 31/40

1And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:

3And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

4To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

5And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

6And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;

7The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,

8And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense,

9And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot,

10And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office,

11And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.

12And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

13Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.

14Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

15Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

16Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

17It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

18And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God appoints Bezalel and Aholiab, craftsmen filled with the Spirit of God, to lead the construction of the tabernacle and its furnishings; the importance of the Sabbath is reaffirmed, and Moses receives the two stone tablets written by God's own finger.

Explanation

This chapter highlights something remarkable: the artistic and technical skill of Bezalel and Aholiab is described as a direct gift of the Spirit of God, showing that creative excellence in craftsmanship and artistry is also a legitimate and valued form of spiritual service, not something separate from faith. This is one of the earliest explicit biblical mentions of the 'Spirit of God' equipping someone for a specific task, broadening our understanding of how God equips different people with varied gifts to fulfill his collective purposes. The renewed emphasis on the Sabbath, right after the extensive instructions for building the tabernacle, serves as a reminder that even the most sacred work should not override the rhythm of rest God established at creation. The chapter closes with the solemn handing over of the stone tablets 'written with the finger of God' (v. 18), a symbolic milestone of the direct, divine authority of the Law that Moses was about to bring to the people — though, as the next chapter will reveal, this handover would tragically coincide with the people's worst moment of unfaithfulness so far.

Fun facts

  • Bezalel, whose name means 'in the shadow (protection) of God,' is the first individual in the Bible explicitly described as 'filled... with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship' (v. 3), setting an important theological precedent for the divine origin of creativity and craftsmanship.
  • The expression that the tablets were written 'with the finger of God' (v. 18) is used in another context by Jesus in Luke 11:20, when he describes his own miracles of deliverance as performed 'with the finger of God,' poetically connecting the authority of the ancient Law to the authority of Jesus' ministry.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Exodus 31:1After all the detailed instructions about construction, God reveals who would actually carry out the work, starting with the name of the chief craftsman.
  2. Exodus 31:2Bezaleel, of the tribe of Judah, is called by name by God to lead the entire work of building the tabernacle and its objects.
  3. Exodus 31:3Bezaleel was the craftsman chosen to lead the building of the tabernacle and its objects. The text describes his technical skill, working gold, silver, stone, and wood, as a gift coming directly from God, not just talent learned on his own.
  4. Exodus 31:4Bezaleel’s skill included devising original designs and precisely working the three metals used in the construction: gold, silver, and bronze.
  5. Exodus 31:5Besides the metals, Bezaleel also mastered the cutting of precious stones and detailed woodwork, covering practically every technique needed.
  6. Exodus 31:6God also appoints a second craftsman, Aholiab, of the tribe of Dan, to work alongside Bezaleel, besides granting skill to other talented craftsmen among the people.
  7. Exodus 31:7Lists the main pieces this team of craftsmen would need to build: the tent, the ark, the mercy seat, and the other utensils of the tabernacle.
  8. Exodus 31:8Continues the list with the table of bread, the lampstand, and the altar of incense, picking up items already detailed in the previous chapters.
  9. Exodus 31:9Completes the list with the altar of sacrifice and the basin for washing, located in the outer area of the tabernacle.
  10. Exodus 31:10Also includes making the priestly garments, both the ones for ordinary use and the special garments of Aaron and his sons.
  11. Exodus 31:11Closes the team’s list of responsibilities with the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, the last two items in this long list of tasks.
  12. Exodus 31:12After the whole extensive list of instructions about construction, God returns to a theme already mentioned before: the importance of keeping the sabbath.
  13. Exodus 31:13The sabbath is presented as a visible sign of the covenant between God and Israel, a weekly reminder that it is God who sanctifies the people.
  14. Exodus 31:14The sabbath, the weekly day of rest, is presented here as a “sign” between God and the people of Israel, something that set them apart from the other nations. The death penalty prescribed for anyone who worked on that day shows how much weight this law carried within the Old Testament’s legal system, even though there is no detailed record of how or how often it was actually applied.
  15. Exodus 31:15Reinforces the seriousness of the sabbath law, repeating the death penalty for anyone who worked on that specific day, even amid the urgency of building the tabernacle.
  16. Exodus 31:16Determines that the observance of the sabbath had to keep being practiced by all of Israel’s future generations, as a permanent part of the covenant.
  17. Exodus 31:17The word used here for “was refreshed” carries the sense of catching one’s breath, breathing a sigh of relief, a very human way of describing God’s rest after creation, as told in Genesis. It is that pause that serves as the model for the weekly rest the people were to follow.
  18. Exodus 31:18The phrase “finger of God” indicates that the Ten Commandments, unlike the other laws given through Moses, were recorded directly, with no intermediary. It is a way of marking the special authority of this particular set of rules.

Chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

App StoreGoogle Play

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.

App StoreGoogle Play