John Calvin Commentary Exodus 27:9

"And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side:" — Exodus 27:9 (ASV)

And you shall make the court. There were two courts divided from the sanctuary: one for the priests, and the other common to all the people. To the first of these, chambers were attached in which the Levites lived, who were the keepers of the tabernacle. Thus, the courts are sometimes spoken of in the plural, especially in the Psalms (Psalms 64:4; Psalms 84:2; Psalms 92:13; Psalms 96:8).

The court referred to here is the court of the people, where they consecrated the victims, offered their prayers, and were reconciled to God. In this manner, the condition of humankind was shown to the Israelites: they were forbidden to enter the Temple, while at the same time they were reminded that people, although unworthy outcasts, are received by God if only they seek Him with simplicity and due humility, mindful of their own unworthiness.

Hence the consolation in which David gloried:¹⁴⁹ I had rather dwell in the courts of the Lord, than in the splendid tents of the ungodly.

The court was formed by four curtains. Two of these, on the north and south sides, were 100 cubits long and supported by 20 pillars, whose bases were of brass, and their capitals¹⁵⁰ and fillets of silver. On the east and west, each curtain was 50 cubits long, supported by 10 pillars. The length spoken of is not from the ground upwards, but from their opposite corners, for the court was twice as long as it was broad, as is said in Exodus 27:18.

There would appear to be a contradiction in the fact that Moses later speaks of two sides and assigns fifteen cubits to each, if he did not then mention the hanging or curtain that covered the gate of the court, which he sets at twenty cubits. Thus, the measurement will be correct, and the passage will be quite consistent. For after he has said in Exodus 27:13 that the curtain on the east side should consist of fifty cubits, he adds in explanation that there were two curtains at the sides of the door, and a third between them to cover the door, making up the total of fifty cubits.

But the door was covered by the hanging so that the Israelites might reflect, whenever they entered the sanctuary, that it was no profane or common (promiscuum) place. If they came there in purity and chastity, they could be fully assured that they were safe under God’s protection.

Finally, the majesty of holy things was also shown to them in this type, so that they would reverently approach the worship of God. They were reminded of their own unworthiness, so that they would humble themselves more before God, and that fear might produce penitence, while moderation in the desire for knowledge was recommended to them, so that they might not be unduly inquisitive.

The religion of the Gentiles also had its secret shrines with the same aim, but for very different reasons. For it was a brutal religion, for which veneration was sought through darkness and the disguise of ignorance. In contrast, God, while He kept His people in modesty and simplicity, at the same time presented them with the Law, from which they could learn whatever it was right and useful for them to know.

¹⁴⁹ It will be seen that he quotes Psalm 84:10, somewhat parathrastically., somewhat parathrastically.

¹⁵⁰ A. V., hooks.., hooks.