Exodus Chapter 38

At a Glance

  • The narrative then expands to the court’s enclosure: curtains of fine linen, pillars, sockets, silver fillets, and the organization of the gate.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • Exodus 38 belongs to the same sanctuary-assembly section as chapters 35–40.
  • - Sacrificial order and purifying rites: The altar and laver symbolize cleansing and atonement as prerequisites to approaching God.
  • - Sacred space as boundary and invitation: The court defines safe access to God while preserving holiness.

EXODUS CHAPTER 38

Chapter Overview

Exodus 38 documents the construction of the tabernacle’s outer court and the altar of burnt offering, including the vessels used in sacrificial worship and the arrangement of the court’s fabric and pillars. The chapter begins with the altar of burnt offerings, elaborating its dimensions, horns, lining, and the network grate beneath. Brass vessels accompany the altar, and rings and staves enable its transport and placement. The bronze laver and its stand are described, including the historical note that the laver’s looking-glasses came from the women of the assembly, highlighting a shared life of worship and communal contribution.

The narrative then expands to the court’s enclosure: curtains of fine linen, pillars, sockets, silver fillets, and the organization of the gate. The overall tone emphasizes order, purity, and ritual function. The chapter ends by preserving the construction details and the role of the court as the space where the people approach God through sacrifice. The liturgical architecture here underscores the seriousness of approaching God and the communal responsibility to maintain the ceremonial boundaries that guard the sanctity of worship.

Historical & Literary Context

Exodus 38 belongs to the same sanctuary-assembly section as chapters 35–40. The material culture of the tabernacle becomes more fully developed, with emphasis on the courtyard, altar, laver, and boundary markers. The genre remains documentary-narrative with ceremonial significance, underscoring that the people’s worship is anchored in tangible, shared space. Thematically, the text ties to the idea that sin and impurity must be dealt with through sacrificial systems and ritual purity, while the community’s access to Yahweh is mediated through the altar and court.

Key Themes

- Sacrificial order and purifying rites: The altar and laver symbolize cleansing and atonement as prerequisites to approaching God.

- Sacred space as boundary and invitation: The court defines safe access to God while preserving holiness.

- Communal participation and shared resources: The construction details reflect a community deeply involved in worship through gathered offerings and labor.

Modern Application

Exodus 38 invites modern readers to reflect on how communities establish and maintain spaces for worship and encounter with God. It speaks to the importance of clear boundaries for sacred spaces, the seriousness with which sacrifice and cleansing are treated, and the value of communal contribution to the life of worship. In contemporary churches or faith communities, this could translate into thoughtful design of sanctuaries, a careful approach to rites of passage (baptism, communion, offerings), and shared responsibility for upkeep and stewardship. The chapter also prompts reflection on the relationship between sacrifice and communal life—how personal devotion translates into communal practice.

- Exodus 25–31 (blueprints and sanctification of space)

- Exodus 40 (tabernacle completed; God’s glory fills)

- Leviticus 1–7 (burnt offerings and ritual details)

- Hebrews 9 (course of worship in portable sanctuary)

Recommended Personas

- Moses (leader and organizer): to explore governance, logistics, and worship governance.

- Bezalel and Oholiab (artisans): for insights into craft, artistry, and the role of skilled labor.

- Jesus (fulfillment of sacrificial system): for typological reading of offerings and access to God.

Chapter Text

1

And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof.

2

And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same: and he overlaid it with brass.

3

And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basons, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass.

4

And he made for the altar a brasen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it.

5

And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves.

6

And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with brass.

7

And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards.

8

And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

9

And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits:

10

Their pillars were twenty, and their brasen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.

11

And for the north side the hangings were an hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

12

And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

13

And for the east side eastward fifty cubits.

14

The hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

15

And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

16

All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen.

17

And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.

18

And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court.

19

And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver.

20

And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass.

21

This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest.

22

And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses.

23

And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.

24

All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.

25

And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:

26

A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.

27

And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.

28

And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them.

29

And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.

30

And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brasen altar, and the brasen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar,

31

And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.

Discuss This Chapter with Biblical Personas

Explore Exodus Chapter 38 with Biblical figures who can provide unique perspectives grounded in Scripture.

Ask Apostle PaulAsk MosesAsk King DavidAsk Jesus Christ
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