Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Exodus 38:1 - 38:8

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Exodus 38:1 - 38:8


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The Altar of Burnt Offering

v. 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. There is no top or plate mentioned, and it is probable that the hollow frame-work was filled with earth or stones whenever the altar was in position.

v. 2. And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same,
made of acacia wood; and he overlaid it with brass.

v. 3. And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins,
bowls used for sprinkling and pouring the blood of the sacrifices, and the flesh-hooks, for spearing the meat in the caldrons, 1Sa_2:13, and the fire-pans, for carrying the live coals used in kindling the fires; all the vessels thereof made he of brass, of copper or one of its alloys.

v. 4. And he made for the altar a brazen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it.

v. 5. And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves.

v. 6. And he made the staves of shittim wood and overlaid them with brass.

v. 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.
Cf Exo_27:1-8.

v. 8. And he made the laver of brass and the foot of it of brass, of the looking-glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation.
These were women that served in the court of the Tabernacle, probably by washing and polishing the articles used in the sacred worship. They freely scarified their metal mirrors, otherwise thought indispensable pieces of furniture, for the Sanctuary of the Lord. The laver was a reservoir for the water used in the Sanctuary and in the court, and its base may have contained wash-basins for the prescribed ablutions. Cf Exo_30:17-21.