Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Exodus 38:21 - 38:31

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Exodus 38:21 - 38:31


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The Summary of Gold, Silver, and Brass

v. 21. This is the sum of the Tabernacle, even of the Tabernacle of Testimony, as it was counted,
the enumeration, the summary of the mustered things, the appointments of the Sanctuary, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron, the priest. The duty of counting the amount of metal used was committed to the Levites under the direction of Ithamar.

v. 22. And Bezaleel,
as the master artisan, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses.

v. 23. And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning
(skilful) workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen, an artist in all the various crafts that came into consideration.

v. 24. All the gold that was occupied
(employed, made use of) for the work in all the work of the Holy Place, even the gold of the offering, the gifts which the people brought voluntarily, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the Sanctuary, that is, standard weight. This was 87,730 shekels in gold, or more than $600,000, accepting the lowest estimate, according to which a gold shekel was worth $7. 20. If its value is taken at 9. 60, as some scholars do, the value of the gold used in preparing the Tabernacle was almost $850,000.

v. 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;


v. 26. a bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the Sanctuary, for everyone that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.
So the standard which was afterward fixed served as a guide in estimating the value of the voluntary contributions, the total amount being 301,775 shekels of silver, or almost $200,000.

v. 27. And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the Sanctuary and the sockets of the veil and hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket,
that is, almost 118 pounds Troy.

v. 28. And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them.

v. 29. And the brass of the offering was seventy talents and two thousand and four hundred shekels.

v. 30. And therewith he made,
that is, he made out of the copper which was offered or out of its alloy, bronze, the sockets to the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, the pillars of the entrance to the Holy Place having bronze bases, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar,

v. 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.
The example of the children of Israel in sacrificing for their Sanctuary may well inspire enthusiasm of the right kind in the hearts of the believers of the New Testament, making them willing to contribute for the building and the spreading of the Kingdom.