THE GOAT-HAIR “TENT”

THE GOAT-HAIR “TENT” The goat-hair “tent” was a covering not “upon” or over the framework of golden boards, but “upon” or over the tabernacle (cherubim curtains; Exodus 26:1, with v. 7).

DIAGRAM OF ONE GOAT-HAIR CURTAIN, AND ONE CHERUB CURTAIN. FROM MODEL TABERNACLE.

There were eleven curtains made of goat-hair (Exodus 26:7), the usual material for tents in the East. Many of the goats of the East have black hair, but there are some species having fine white silky hair, like that of the Angora goat, and not a few writers are of opinion that it was hair of this goat or of one resembling it that was woven for the goat-hair curtains. Our model curtains are made of hair of the Angora goat. Women were the spinners (Exodus 35:25), and men the weavers (Exodus 36:8).

Size of the curtains.—Each curtain was 30 cubits long and 4 broad (see diagram above), that is two cubits longer than the finer curtains.

Disposition of the curtains.—As they were placed lengthways across the roof and down the side walls, they reached to the ground on both sides, as it was meet they should do, since they constituted the tent. But for their being two cubits longer than the cherubim curtains they would have been entirely concealed within the house, but these two additional cubits in their length allow of a cubit of the tent or goat-hair curtains being left uncovered within the house, and consequently exposed to view at the foot of the cherubim curtains; and if the material was of the fine white, silky nature we have alluded to, it would appear as a beautiful white paneling on both sides of the sacred dwelling, and tend to set off to advantage the gorgeously adorned cherubim curtains, on roof and walls. These two cubits are evidently the two cubits alluded to in Exodus 26:13 : “A cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side, of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle (cherubim curtains, Exodus 26:1, with v. 13), on this side and on that side to cover it,” the space left uncovered by the cherubim curtains.

The eleventh curtain or the sixth of the grand curtain of six (diagram, p. 30), we are told, was doubled up in the forefront of the tabernacle, appearing as a beautiful triangular ornamental forefront. The five remaining ones of the grand curtain of six, spanned the roof and hung down the walls of the holy place, being the exact measure required. The half of the other grand curtain of five single curtains spanned the roof and hung down the south and north walls of the most holy place; and the remaining half of this great curtain 10 cubits long (the half curtain we suppose of Exodus 26:12), hung down the back wall 10 cubits deep, being the exact length required.

If the curtains being suspended within the house had a tendency to slightly incline the boards inward, this tendency could be counterbalanced by pins and cords on the outside of the edifice. Pins and cords are mentioned in connection with the tabernacle as well as with the court (Exodus 35:18).