John Calvin Commentary Exodus 35:10

"And let every wise-hearted man among you come, and make all that Jehovah hath commanded:" — Exodus 35:10 (ASV)

And every wise-hearted among you. Thus he denominates the artificers, who excelled in shrewdness of intellect. After having commanded them individually to supply the materials from their private resources, he now exhorts others to contribute their labor and skill for shaping and joining them together. He then briefly enumerates the parts of the Tabernacle, a longer explanation of which can be found in chapter 26.

This is, therefore, a kind of summary of all those things about which he previously spoke more fully, since it was necessary to spur them on anew to perform what they had been clearly instructed to do. For we know that instruction is very often coldly received without the addition of exhortations.

It might indeed seem strange,¹³³ how so much wealth could be possessed by a miserably pillaged people, long driven to servile work. However, it can be inferred from the abundance described here that they were incredibly enriched at their departure from Egypt by the booty God gave them.

The kingdom of Egypt was very wealthy, and its people, as we know, had always been devoted to pleasures and luxuries. What, then, they had accumulated by their rapacity over many years flowed away from them by the secret influence of God, when the Egyptians suddenly became lavish in their giving.

But, just as He had blinded the Egyptians so that they profusely gave all they had, so He now directed the minds and hearts of His people, so that, mindful of so great a benefit, they would willingly expend, at His command, what they had obtained by His mere grace.

¹³³ "Particular stress is laid on the contrast, which the condition of the Israelitish nation at that time presents to the splendor and speedy completion of the tent. That tent was certainly splendid, but, in point of fact, exceedingly simple in its construction. If we compare it with the monuments of Egyptian architecture, its relative simplicity must strike us in a much greater degree. As to the materials that were required for it, it admits of proof that the Israelites might well have been possessed of them at that time. The wilderness even might supply them with many of these things. With respect to other things, the metals, precious stones, etc, we must keep in view the condition of a people that had just come out of Egypt. History describes that country as having mercantile transactions with Asia, even from the earliest times. The people had acquired property, in part at least, in Egypt; the description in "Particular stress is laid on the contrast, which the condition of the Israelitish nation at that time presents to the splendor and speedy completion of the tent. That tent was certainly splendid, but, in point of fact, exceedingly simple in its construction. If we compare it with the monuments of Egyptian architecture, its relative simplicity must strike us in a much greater degree. As to the materials that were required for it, it admits of proof that the Israelites might well have been possessed of them at that time. The wilderness even might supply them with many of these things. With respect to other things, the metals, precious stones, etc, we must keep in view the condition of a people that had just come out of Egypt. History describes that country as having mercantile transactions with Asia, even from the earliest times. The people had acquired property, in part at least, in Egypt; the description in Exodus 32, leaves us no doubt as to the possessions, and even wealth, that they had gained there. They had not gone out of Egypt empty-handed, but richly provided with silver and gold, , leaves us no doubt as to the possessions, and even wealth, that they had gained there. They had not gone out of Egypt empty-handed, but richly provided with silver and gold, 12:36. — “Havernick, Introd. to Pentat. Edin., 1850, pp. 284-285.. — “Havernick, Introd. to Pentat. Edin., 1850, pp. 284-285.