Charles Ellicott Commentary Exodus 38:17

"And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver; and the overlaying of their capitals, of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver." — Exodus 38:17 (ASV)

The overlaying of their chapiters of silver. —Just as in Exodus 36:38, we are informed that Moses, going beyond the letter of his instructions, overlaid the capitals of the pillars at the door of the Tabernacle itself with gold, so now we find that, without any express orders, he overlaid those at the door of the court with silver. In each case he was probably following his remembrance of the pattern seen in the mount (Exodus 25:9; Exodus 25:40).