John Gill Commentary Exodus 40

And the Lord spoke unto Moses
When the tabernacle, and the work of it, were finished, and he had taken a survey of it, and everything belonging to it, which appeared to be done as was ordered: saying ;
as follows.

On the first day of the first month
Which was the month Nisan, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it; which was the month the children of Israel came out of Egypt, out of which they had now been a whole year, excepting fourteen days:

shall you set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation ;
the tabernacle, which had a tent or covering over it, to which the people were gathered at times for religious service.

And you shall put therein the ark of the testimony
The ark or chest where the law was, a testimony of the divine will, and which was to be put into the most holy place of the tabernacle:

and cover the ark with the vail ;
not with the propitiatory or mercy seat, as the Targum of Jonathan; for though that was a covering or lid to the ark, yet not a vail; this was the vail that divided between the holy place and the most holy, and so covered or hid the ark from the sight even of the priests that went into the holy place.

And thou shall bring in the table
The table of shewbread, which was to be set in the holy place:

and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it ;
besides the dishes, spoons, covers, and bowls, there were the twelve loaves of shewbread to be set in two rows:

and thou shall bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps
thereof ;
which was to be brought and set in the same holy place with the shewbread table; and though the lamps were to be lighted by Aaron, the priest of the Lord, he being not yet consecrated, the office was performed by Moses.

And you shall set the altar of gold for the incense before
the ark of the testimony
Not in the most holy place where the ark was, but over against it in the holy place:

and put the hanging of the door of the tabernacle ;
the door of entrance into the holy place, where there were to be no other things set but those now mentioned,the shewbread table, the candlestick, and the altar of incense; and these being brought in, the hanging wasto be put up, which hid the sight of the above things, and forbid the entrance of the people there.