Albert Barnes Commentary Exodus 38
Albert Barnes Commentary
Exodus 38
Albert Barnes Commentary
Exodus 38
"And he made the altar of burnt-offering of acacia wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof, foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof." — Exodus 38:1 (ASV)
For Exodus 38:1-7 and Exodus 38:9-20, see the notes to Exodus 27.
"And he made the laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, of the mirrors of the ministering women that ministered at the door of the tent of meeting." — Exodus 38:8 (ASV)
See the marginal reference. The women who assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting were most probably devout women who loved the public service of religion. The giving up of their mirrors for the use of the sanctuary was a fit sacrifice for such women to make (Compare to Exodus 35:22 note).
"This is the sum of [the things for] the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest." — Exodus 38:21 (ASV)
This is the sum ... - “This is the reckoning of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony as it was reckoned up according to the commandment of Moses, by the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar,” etc. The weight of the metals was taken by the Levites, under the direction of Ithamar. The tabernacle is called the tabernacle of the testimony, or the depository of the testimony, that is, the tables of the law (Exodus 25:16).
"And with him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skilful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in fine linen." — Exodus 38:23 (ASV)
See Exodus 35:35 note.
"All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary." — Exodus 38:24 (ASV)
Of the holy place - Rather, of the sanctuary. The gold was employed not only in the holy place, but in the most holy place and in the entrance to the tent (Exodus 36:38).
The gold of the offering - The gold of the wave offering.
Talents ... the shekel of the sanctuary - The shekel was the common standard of weight and value with the Hebrews, and is probably to be estimated at 220 English grains (just over half an ounce avoirdupois) and its value in silver as 2s. 7d. The shekel of the sanctuary (or, the holy shekel) would seem to denote no more than an exact shekel, after the king’s weight (2 Samuel 14:26), current money with the merchant (Genesis 23:16).
In the reign of Joash, a collection similar to that here mentioned, apparently at the same rate of capitation, was made for the repairs of the temple (2 Chronicles 24:9). The tax of later times, called didrachma, στατήρ statēr — (Matthew 17:27), was not, like this and that of Joash, a collection for a special occasion, but a yearly tax, for the support of the temple, of a whole shekel. See also (Exodus 30:13).
The talent contained 3,000 shekels, as may be gathered from (Exodus 38:25–26). According to the computation here adopted, the Hebrew talent was 94 2/7 lbs. avoirdupois. The Greek (Aeginetan) talent, from which the Septuagint and most succeeding versions have taken the name “talent,” was 82 1/4 lbs. The original Hebrew word, ככר kı̂kār — would denote a circular mass, and nearly the same word, kerker, was in use among the Egyptians for a mass of metal cast in the form of a massive ring with its weight stamped upon it.
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