John Gill Commentary Exodus 27:8

"Hollow with planks shalt thou make it: as it hath been showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it." — Exodus 27:8 (ASV)

Hollow with boards you shall make it
The frame of it being made of boards of shittim wood, there was nothing within side but the grate, which was put within the square, down into the middle of it, and so was light of carriage; though the Targum of Jonathan, and other Jewish writers, represent this hollow as filled up with dust and earth, to answer to the altar of earth Moses was previously told to make; but this seems quite contrary to the present direction.

The hollowness of the altar may denote the emptiness of Christ when he became a sacrifice: he emptied himself, as it were, when he became incarnate, of all his greatness, glory, and riches, and became mean and poor for the sake of his people, that they through his poverty might be made rich, (Philippians 2:7Philippians 2:8) (2 Corinthians 8:9)

as it was shown you in the mount, so shall they make it ;
or, "as he showed you" ^F7 , that is, God. Moses had a model of this altar showed him, and he was to be careful to instruct the workmen, and see to it, that they built it exactly according to the model.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F7: (harh) "fecit videre", Pagninus, Montanus; "ostendit Dominus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius; so Ainsworth.