Charles Ellicott Commentary Exodus 35:30-35

"And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, Jehovah hath called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And he hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; and to devise skilful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of skilful workmanship. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of workmanship, of the engraver, and of the skilful workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any workmanship, and of those that devise skilful works." — Exodus 35:30-35 (ASV)

BEZALEEL AND AHOLIAB SET OVER THE WORK.

This passage is the sequel to Exodus 31:1-6, where Bezaleel and Aholiab were designated for their respective offices, and follows closely the order, and even the wording, of that passage. The verbal resemblance is even greater in the original than in the Authorized Version. The only additions made are in Exodus 35:34-35.

He hath put in his heart that he may teach. —It was essential that the two master-craftsmen should be able to instruct their subordinates, to whom the actual accomplishment of the works they designed had to be committed. God specially qualified them to act as instructors.

Both he and Aholiab. —Aholiab, though subordinate to Bezaleel, was the director of his own department, that of weaving and embroidery (Exodus 38:23), and had to instruct in it as Bezaleel had in his.

Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart. —See Notes 1 and 2 on Exodus 28:3; and compare Exodus 31:3.

Of the engraver. —Rather, of the artificer. The word used is a generic one, equally applicable to workers in stone, wood, and metal.

Of the cunning workman. —Rather, of the skilful weaver. (See the last Note on Exodus 26:1.) The “skilful weaver” (khoshêb) was the man who wove a patterned fabric. The ordinary “weaver” (’ orêg) wove a plain one. The “embroiderer” (rokêm) adorned a fabric of either kind with the needle.