Bible chapter guide

Exodus 37

Bezalel makes the ark of acacia wood overlaid with gold, the mercy seat with its two cherubim, the table, the lampstand of pure gold with its seven lamps, the altar of incense, and the anointing oil and incense.

Summary written for the Labs; read the chapter itself for the full text.

What happens in this chapter

Bezalel himself is named as maker of the holy furniture, and the chapter runs through it in the same order God gave it in chapter 25: the ark, its gold cover with the two cherubim beaten out of one piece, the table with its dishes, spoons, bowls and pitchers, and the lampstand. One figure stands out: the lampstand and all its tools were made from a single talent of pure gold. Then he makes the golden altar of incense and blends the anointing oil and the incense. Every measurement matches the instructions exactly.

What the lab shows, and where to look

The objects in this chapter are the ones in the notes on Exodus 25 and 30, and the lab builds each of them once, from both accounts. Open the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat to see what Bezalel made; the cherubim's kneeling pose is artistic. The Menorah card counts its 22 almond cups and gives the knobs and flowers by the rabbinic reckoning; its height is speculative, since neither chapter gives one. The Table of Showbread and the Altar of Incense complete the set, and the incense smoke is the lab's own drawing.

Questions people ask

How much gold was in the lampstand?

A talent of pure gold, for the lampstand and all its tools (37:24; 25:39). The sums in Exodus 38 show that a talent was 3,000 shekels, roughly 30–34 kg depending on the weight of the shekel. The text gives the weight but not the height; the lab's 3 cubits comes from rabbinic tradition.

Textually stated

Did Bezalel or Moses make the ark?

Exodus 37:1 says Bezalel made it. In Deuteronomy 10:3, looking back on the time after the calf, Moses says "I made an ark of shittim wood" and put the second tablets in it. Some read this as Moses speaking of what was made at his command; Rashi and others thought of a separate, plainer ark that held the tablets until the tabernacle was finished. The text does not settle it.

Plausible

What were the vessels on the table for?

The text names dishes, spoons, bowls and covers of pure gold "to cover withal" (37:16); the Hebrew of that phrase speaks of pouring out, and many translate the last vessels as jars and pitchers. The dishes are usually taken to hold the bread and the 'spoons', small pans, the frankincense set beside it (Leviticus 24:7); the pitchers point to drink offerings, though none is described being poured in the tent. The lab sets the twelve loaves in two stacks, a plausible reading.

Plausible

See it in the Labs

Also in this chapter

Menorah (Lampstand)Table of Showbread Altar of Incense Ark of the Covenant Mercy Seat and Cherubim

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King James Version (KJV) Chinese Union Version, 1919 (Wikisource)