John Calvin Commentary Exodus 27:1

"And thou shalt make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits." — Exodus 27:1 (ASV)

And you shall make an altar. The altar of whole burnt offerings (holocaustorum) is described here. It was, however, called this by synecdoche, for not only were entire victims burnt there, but also only parts of them, as we shall see in Leviticus.

The burnt offerings received their name from their ascending,¹⁴⁷ by which the Israelites were reminded that they needed to be purified so that they might ascend to God. At the same time, they were instructed that whatever corruption there might be in the flesh did not prevent the sacrifices from being acceptable and a sweet savor to God.

It is clear that from the very beginning of the human race there were burnt sacrifices, suggested by the secret inspiration of God’s Spirit, since there was no written Law. Nor can we doubt that by this symbol they were taught that the flesh must be burnt by the Spirit, so that people may rightly offer themselves to God. Thus they acknowledged, under this type, that the flesh of Christ must receive this from divine power to become a perfect victim for the propitiation of God. As the Apostle testifies, he offered himself through the Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). Fuller mention of this subject will be made elsewhere.

The altar was constructed so that the sacrifices could be cast upon a grate placed within it, and thus they were covered by its external surface. The ashes were received into a pan so that they would not fall about on the ground and be trodden underfoot, but that reverence might be instilled even toward the very remnants of their holy things.¹⁴⁸

That the victims were bound to the four horns, which stood out from the four corners, is plain from the words of Psalm 118:27: “Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.” This is also the beginning of a proper offering of spiritual sacrifices: that all the lusts of the flesh should be subdued and held captive, as it were, to the obedience of God.

Therefore, even Christ, although in Him there was nothing that was not duly regulated, was nevertheless bound to prove His obedience, as He had said, “Not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39).

The altar was carried on poles to avoid the necessity of having more than one. Otherwise, there would have been a danger of them being compelled by the sheer difficulty of carrying it to leave it behind after it was made, especially if they were embarking on a long journey. This would have been the seed or ground of superstition, as no other altar could be built that was not unauthorized.

¹⁴⁷ C. alludes to their Hebrew name, . alludes to their Hebrew name, עלה, the primary signification of which is mounting upwards. — , the primary signification of which is mounting upwards. — W

¹⁴⁸ “Mais que la sainctete des sacremens,” etc. — etc. — Fr. be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits . be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass. brass.