John Calvin Commentary Exodus 35:30

"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." — Exodus 35:30 (ASV)

See, the Lord hath called by name Bezaleel. This was a great stimulus to encourage them, when they clearly saw that God presided over the work. A conspicuous proof of this was the new and extraordinary power with which Bezaleel and Aholiab were endowed. For although they had previously been noble and excellent artisans, there is no doubt that they were further endowed with higher gifts, even to a miracle. Therefore, it is not without reason that he directs the people to pay attention to this unexpected exertion of God’s power, since it was exactly as if He had stretched out His hand from heaven for the advancement of the work. For this reason also, the tribe of each of them is mentioned, because of the conspicuous excellence of the grace, the memory of which was fitting to celebrate in all generations.

Now, as God conferred this honor on the architects of the visible sanctuary, so He declares that their names will be glorious in heaven, who, being equipped with the illustrious gifts of the Spirit, faithfully employ their labors in the building of His spiritual temple (Daniel 12:3).

By “the wisdom of heart,” both in the men and women, which is so often mentioned here, understand activity of mind. For the heart is not only called the seat of the affections, but also the power and faculty of the intellect. Thus, in Deuteronomy 29:4, it is said, Yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to understand.²⁹⁵

²⁹⁵ “To perceive.” — A..V. See . See ante, , vol. 1, p. 390, and , and vol. 2, p. 441..