Exodus 40

KJV · Chapter 40/40

¹And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

²On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

³And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.

⁴And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.

⁵And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.

⁶And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

⁷And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.

⁸And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.

⁹And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.

¹⁰And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.

¹¹And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.

¹²And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

¹³And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

¹⁴And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:

¹⁵And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

¹⁶Thus did Moses: according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he.

¹⁷And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.

¹⁸And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.

¹⁹And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁰And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:

²¹And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the Lord commanded Moses.

²²And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.

²³And he set the bread in order upon it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²⁴And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.

²⁵And he lighted the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁶And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:

²⁷And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁸And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.

²⁹And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the Lord commanded Moses.

³⁰And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.

³¹And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:

³²When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses.

³³And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

³⁴Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

³⁵And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

³⁶And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:

³⁷But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

³⁸For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Moses sets up the tabernacle exactly as God had commanded, anoints and consecrates Aaron and his sons as priests, and the glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle in a cloud, guiding the people throughout all their journeys in the wilderness.

Explanation

The final chapter of Exodus brings a deeply satisfying climax to the entire narrative of the book: after months of preparation, construction, and consecration, the tabernacle is finally raised, and God manifests his presence so intensely that 'the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle' (v. 34), to the point that not even Moses could enter. This moment culminates the journey that began with an enslaved people in Egypt, without a sanctuary, without freedom, and without a clear national identity, and ends with that same people having, in the midst of their camp, a visible and active dwelling place of God's presence. The pillar of cloud over the tabernacle by day, becoming fire by night, would continue to guide Israel through every stage of their journey, showing that God's presence was not an isolated event but a constant, dependable companion throughout the people's whole life in the wilderness. The book of Exodus, which began with slavery and despair, ends with the extraordinary fulfilled promise that God would truly dwell in the midst of his people.

Fun facts

The exact date the tabernacle was set up, 'in the first month, on the first day of the month' of the second year after leaving Egypt (v. 17), marks precisely one full year since the first Passover, showing a carefully organized chronological structure running through the entire book of Exodus.
The idea that God's glory was so intense that it kept even Moses from entering the tabernacle (v. 35) would be echoed centuries later at the dedication of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:10-11), where the same glorious cloud would keep the priests from continuing to minister, showing a theological continuity between the mobile tabernacle of the wilderness and the permanent temple in Jerusalem.

Verse-by-verse explanation

Exodus 40:1God gives Moses the last sequence of instructions in the book: how to set up the now-finished tabernacle, piece by piece, on the right day.
Exodus 40:2This time marker places the tabernacle’s final assembly almost exactly one year after the exodus from Egypt, which also took place in the first month of the Israelite calendar. It was, then, about a year of journeying and detailed instructions before the sacred structure finally stood.
Exodus 40:3The ark was to be the first piece placed inside the tabernacle, already covered by the veil that would separate it from the rest of the space.
Exodus 40:4The table of the bread and the lampstand also had specific positions inside the sanctuary, with the lampstand already lit from the initial setup.
Exodus 40:5The incense altar was positioned very close to the ark, and only after all the interior pieces were in place would the entrance curtain be hung.
Exodus 40:6The sacrifice altar, being used outside, was positioned right at the entrance of the tabernacle, even before reaching the tent itself.
Exodus 40:7The washing basin stood between the entrance of the tent and the sacrifice altar, already filled with water for the priests’ ritual use.
Exodus 40:8Finally, the whole courtyard would be set up around the entire structure, with its own entrance curtain hung over it.
Exodus 40:9Anointing with that special oil, prepared in chapter 30, was the act that officially set apart the tabernacle and its objects for the exclusive use of sacred service. After this anointing, those items could no longer be used for any ordinary purpose.
Exodus 40:10The sacrifice altar would also undergo anointing with the sacred oil, becoming, according to the text, a most holy thing.
Exodus 40:11The washing basin, along with its base, would also be anointed and consecrated as part of the tabernacle’s set of sacred objects.
Exodus 40:12Before putting on any priestly garment, Aaron and his sons would go through the same full ritual washing already described in chapter 29.
Exodus 40:13This is the moment when the garments described in detail in chapters 28 and 39 are finally placed on Aaron for the first time, together with the anointing that officially consecrated him as high priest.
Exodus 40:14After Aaron, his sons would also be brought to the entrance of the tent to put on their own priestly tunics.
Exodus 40:15The anointing of Aaron’s sons follows the same pattern as their father’s anointing, establishing the priesthood as something permanent, passed down through the following generations.
Exodus 40:16It confirms that Moses carried out every one of these instructions exactly as God had commanded, without deviating from a single detail.
Exodus 40:17It marks the exact date of the final assembly: the first day of the first month of the second year after the exodus from Egypt, nearly a year of journeying and instructions.
Exodus 40:18Moses personally assembles the tabernacle’s basic structure: he fits the sockets, raises the boards, positions the bars, and sets up the pillars.
Exodus 40:19Over the framework of boards, Moses spreads the covering tent and the outer protective layers, following exactly the pattern given by God.
Exodus 40:20Moses places the tablets of the law inside the ark, fits the carrying poles, and positions the mercy seat on top, completing the most sacred piece.
Exodus 40:21The now-assembled ark is carried into the tabernacle, and the veil is hung to conceal it from the rest of the space, fulfilling the instruction given.
Exodus 40:22The table of the bread is positioned outside the veil, on the north side of the tabernacle, exactly as specified.
Exodus 40:23Moses arranges the loaves on the table, following to the letter the order God had given about how to set out this continual offering.
Exodus 40:24The lampstand is positioned on the opposite side from the table, on the south side of the tabernacle, maintaining the planned spatial balance.
Exodus 40:25Moses lights the lamps of the lampstand, completing the final step in setting up this particular piece.
Exodus 40:26The gold incense altar is placed right in front of the veil, in the intermediate position between the outer area and the most sacred place.
Exodus 40:27Moses burns the fragrant incense on this altar, activating for the first time the ritual function of the newly assembled piece.
Exodus 40:28The entrance curtain of the tent is hung, physically marking the boundary between the sacred interior and the outer area of the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:29The sacrifice altar is positioned at the entrance, and Moses immediately offers the first sacrifice there, inaugurating the altar’s use.
Exodus 40:30The washing basin is set up between the tent and the altar, and Moses fills it with water for the priests’ ritual use.
Exodus 40:31Moses, Aaron, and his sons use this basin to wash their hands and feet, carrying out the purification practice already established before.
Exodus 40:32This washing would become mandatory routine whenever they entered the tent or approached the altar for priestly service.
Exodus 40:33Finally, the whole courtyard is set up around the entire structure, and its entrance curtain is hung, marking the end of all of Moses’s work.
Exodus 40:34As soon as the assembly was finished, a visible cloud covered the tent as a sign of God’s presence now established there. It’s the same kind of cloud that had already accompanied the people since the exodus from Egypt, now concentrated over the new sanctuary.
Exodus 40:35God’s presence, described here as a force filling the space, was so overwhelming at this moment that it kept even Moses from entering. It’s a contrast with the closeness Moses had with God at other times, as in 33:11; here, the intensity of that particular instant surpassed even that.
Exodus 40:36From then on, the movement of the cloud determined when the people were to continue their journey: whenever it rose from the tabernacle, it was time to set out.
Exodus 40:37As long as the cloud stayed still over the tabernacle, the people waited in the same place, without starting a new journey.
Exodus 40:38This is the final pattern that would guide the people from then on throughout their journey across the wilderness: a visible cloud by day and a glow of fire by night over the tabernacle, signaling when to stop and when to move on.

Chapters

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