John Gill Commentary Exodus 26

Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle
Which he was ordered to make before, the pattern of which was shown him in the mount: this was an habitation for God to dwell in, as the word properly signifies, and into which the furniture before described was to be put; this tabernacle was a type both of the human nature of Christ, which is the true tabernacle which God pitched, and not man, the greater and more perfect one, (Hebrews 8:2) (9:11) in which the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily, where the glory of God is seen, in whom he grants his gracious presence to his people, and accepts of them and their sacrifices of prayer and praise; and also of the church of God, (Psalms 43:3) (46:4) (84:1) (Isaiah 33:20) . Here Jehovah dwells, grants his presence to his people, and comes and blesses them; here he is worshipped, and spiritual sacrifices are offered up to him with acceptance: the tabernacle of Moses was made

[with] ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and
scarlet ;
the ground of these curtains was fine linen, twined or doubled: and the Jewish writers, as Maimonides, Ben Gersom, and others, say it was six times doubled, the word "Shesh", here used, signifying six; and this was interwoven with threads of yarn dyed blue, purple, and scarlet; according to Jarchi, the threads of which this tapestry was made were twenty four times doubled: he observes,

This, as applied to the human nature of Christ, the fine linen may denote the purity of it; the various colours the different graces of the Spirit, with which it is adorned; or else the wounds, bruises, bloodshed, sufferings and death he endured in it: as applied to the church, may signify the clothing of the saints with the righteousness of Christ, that fine linen clean and white, and their being washed in his precious blood, and beautified with the graces of his Spirit.

with cherubim of cunning work shall you make them ;
that is, with figures like those of the cherubim on the mercy seat, so disposed by the curious art and contrivance of the weaver, as to appear on both sides of this tapestry; for this was not wrought by a needle, which only shows the figure on one side, but by weaving, as Jarchi observes; and who says, that there was one figure on one side, and another on another; as, for instance, a lion on one side, and an eagle on the other; or, which is more likely, the same figure was seen on both sides, as Maimonides affirms, who says ^F5 , the work called Chosheb (which is what is here spoken of) is that whose figures appear on both sides, before and behind: this in the mystical sense may point either to the ministration of angels to Christ in his human nature, and to his people the heirs of salvation; or else to the service of Gospel ministers, done for the honour and glory of Christ, and the good of his church and people.

Josephus ^F6 thinks these curtains had a mystical meaning in them, and represent the nature of the elements, and so Philo {g}.

FOOTNOTES:

• F5: Hilchot Cele Hamikdash, c. 8. sect. 15.
• F6: Antiqu. l. 3. c. 7. sect. 7.

The length of one curtain shall be twenty eight cubits
Or fourteen yards:

and the breadth of one curtain four cubits ;
or two yards; according to the common notion of a cubit being half a yard; but if, as Dr. Cumberland says, the Jewish and Egyptian cubit was three inches longer, this will make a considerable difference in the length and breadth of those curtains, especially in the former:

and everyone of the curtains shall have one measure ;
be of equal length and breadth.

The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another ,
&c.] Five of the ten curtains were to be sewed together, and make as it were one curtain:

and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another :
the other five were to be joined together in like manner, and so made two large pieces of tapestry of fourteen yards long and ten broad, according to the common account of a cubit, but were much longer and broader.

And you shall make loops of blue upon the edge of the one
curtain
The first large curtain, consisting of five sewed together, at the edge of that:

from the selvedge in the coupling ;
where it was to be coupled with the other great curtain; "loops" or "eyelet holes" ^F8 , were to be made: these were not woven with the curtains, for they were not to be on all of them, only at the two outermost of the largest ones, and therefore were made afterwards, probably with the needle:

and likewise shall you make in the uppermost edge of [another]
curtain, in the coupling of the second ;
loops also were to be made on the outermost edge of another curtain belonging to the second great curtain, where it was to be coupled with the first.

FOOTNOTES:

• F8: (tall) "ocellos", Vatablus.

Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain; In the first great curtain, or in the outermost of the five that were sewed together.

And fifty loops you shall make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; As many also were to be made in the outermost of the second great curtain where it was to be coupled with the first.

That the loops may take hold one of another; Or rather that they might answer to one another in both curtains; for the loops could not take hold of one another, only were made to meet together by the taches, hooks, or clasps put into them, next mentioned.