Exodus 26

God gives Moses exact plans for the tabernacle itself: its layers of curtains, its wooden frames set in silver, and the veil and screen that mark off its inner spaces. Every part is made to be one dwelling, with God’s glory in the center, and every part is built to a pattern Moses was shown. The richest materials lie nearest the place where God meets his people.

Exodus 26:1

The inner covering is ten curtains of fine white linen, woven with blue, purple and scarlet and decorated with cherubim. Anyone standing inside would look up at colors of heaven and royalty, and at guardian figures. The place is made fit for the presence of a King.

BSA: tabernacle (“a sacred dwelling place, the House of God”): The structure is God’s own house among his people, not just a tent for rituals. cherubim (“angelic beings, guardians of God’s throne”): Their images on the curtains say that this tent is the earthly place of the heavenly throne.

Hebrew: מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan, H4908) — “dwelling place.” The word comes from a verb meaning to settle or dwell. God is describing a home where he will live among his people.

See also: Exodus 25:8.

Exodus 26:2

Every curtain is the same size: twenty-eight cubits long and four wide. A cubit was roughly the length of a forearm, so each curtain was about forty feet by six. Because they are identical, they can be joined without any awkward mismatch.

BSA: cubits (“a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm”): God’s plan uses a human-scale measure that ordinary workers could use.

Exodus 26:3

The ten curtains are sewn into two sets of five. Each set becomes one large sheet. The covering is built from parts that are joined into a single piece.

BSA: joined (“united, coupled”): The curtains are coupled to one another, which pictures a people and a dwelling made one.

Exodus 26:4-5

Blue loops are put along the edge of each set, fifty on each, placed exactly opposite each other. Careful matching is needed so the two sheets can be fastened together. Nothing in God’s house is left to guesswork.

BSA: loops (“rings, circular pieces”): These small rings are the hidden points where the whole covering is held together.

Exodus 26:6

Fifty gold clasps fasten the two sets together so that the tabernacle becomes a single whole. The gold links shine where the two halves meet, and the work is unified because God designed it.

BSA: clasps (“hooks, fasteners”): The clasps are small hooks that join the two sheets into one. unit (“one, unified whole”): God wants his dwelling to be one, not two halves side by side.

Hebrew: אֶחָד (echad, H259) — “one.” The text says the tabernacle will be ‘one.’ It is the same word used in ‘The LORD is one’ (Deuteronomy 6:4), so the dwelling reflects God’s own unity.

See also: Exodus 36:13.

Exodus 26:7

A second layer goes over the first: eleven curtains of goat hair. Goat hair was the ordinary tent cloth of desert people. The beautiful linen is therefore covered by a plain, weatherproof sheet, so the glory stays inside.

BSA: tent (“nomad’s home, portable shelter”): The covering is the kind of tent wanderers use, which fits a God who travels with his people.

Exodus 26:8-9

These curtains are a little larger: thirty cubits by four. They are joined as five and six, and the sixth is doubled over at the front of the tent. The extra cloth is used to make the entrance neat and to give the cover more protection.

BSA: fold (“double over, repeat”): The extra curtain is folded back on itself at the front, which makes the covering thicker there.

Exodus 26:10-11

Again fifty loops are made along each edge, but this time the clasps are bronze, not gold. Bronze is hardier and cheaper than gold. The outer covering is a working layer, built to join and to endure the weather.

BSA: bronze (“a base metal”): The metal is a common, tough one, suited to the outer covering rather than the inner glory.

Exodus 26:12-13

The goat-hair cloth is longer than the linen, so it hangs down and covers the tabernacle’s back. It also hangs a cubit lower on each side. In this way the fine inner curtains are fully sheltered.

BSA: cover (“to protect or shield, ləkaśśōṯ”): The aim of the extra length is to protect the inner curtains, not just to decorate the tent.

Exodus 26:14

Two more coverings go on top: ram skins dyed red, and a layer of fine leather. They shield the whole structure from rain and sun. Believers have long seen in the red skins a quiet hint of sacrifice. The text itself simply describes a strong, protective roof.

BSA: fine leather (“badgers’ skins, strong hide”): Translators differ on the exact animal, but the point is a tough, durable weatherproof layer.

Hebrew: תְּחָשִׁים (tachashim, H8476) — “a durable kind of hide.” No one is sure which animal this word names. Some English Bibles say badger, some sea cow, some fine leather. All agree it was a tough outer skin.

Exodus 26:15-16

The walls are upright frames of acacia wood, each ten cubits (about fifteen feet) tall and a cubit and a half wide. Acacia is a hardy desert tree, which makes it a good choice for a building that must travel.

BSA: acacia wood (“shittim wood, a strong and durable tree”): The wood is chosen for strength and durability in the desert.

Hebrew: קְרָשִׁים (qerashim, H7175) — “boards, frames.” The word means solid wooden boards. The walls were upright panels, not a cloth screen.

Exodus 26:17

Each frame has two tenons, or pegs, at its foot. These slot into sockets in the base. All the frames are made to the same pattern so any frame can stand in any place.

BSA: tenons (“handholds, projections”): The tenons act like hands that grip the base and hold the frame upright.

Hebrew: יָדֹת (yadot, H3027) — “hands.” The Hebrew word for these pegs is literally ‘hands.’ The frames are pictured as holding fast to their foundations.

Exodus 26:18-19

The south wall has twenty frames, standing on forty silver bases, two under each frame. The silver sockets keep the wood off the desert ground and hold it firm. Elsewhere we learn the silver came from the half-shekel payment the people gave when counted.

BSA: bases (“sockets, foundations”): The silver sockets are the foundation on which the whole house stands.

See also: Exodus 38:27.

Exodus 26:20-21

The north wall repeats the south: twenty frames on forty silver bases. Both sides match, so the long walls stand firm and balanced.

BSA: north (“Zaphon, towards the colder region”): The Hebrew name for the north side is Zaphon, which also means the direction itself.

Exodus 26:22-25

The back (west) wall has six frames, with two extra frames at the corners, making eight frames and sixteen silver bases. The corner frames are joined top to bottom so the corners are solid. The tent is firmly fixed at every angle.

BSA: coupled (“joined together, united”): The corner frames are fastened together so that the two walls become one firm corner.

Hebrew: טַבַּעַת (tabbaʿat, H2885) — “ring.” The ‘ring’ fitting the corner frames together is the same word used for the rings that hold the bars. It describes something circular that holds things fast.

Exodus 26:26-28

Five bars of acacia wood run along each of the three walls. The middle bar goes the whole length, passing through the frames from end to end. The bars tie the separate frames into one steady wall.

BSA: crossbars (“bars, rods”): These horizontal rods hold the upright boards in line.

Exodus 26:29

The frames and bars are overlaid with gold, and gold rings are made to hold the bars. Inside, the walls would gleam. Plain wood is covered with something far more precious, and it becomes beautiful to look at.

BSA: overlay (“cover with a layer of”): The gold is a covering laid on the wood; it makes the wood glorious without replacing it.

Hebrew: טַבְּעֹת (tabbeʿot, H2885) — “rings.” These rings are the fixed loops through which the bars slide. They show how the bars are held securely in place.

Exodus 26:30

Moses must set up the tabernacle just as it was shown to him on the mountain. He is to copy what God revealed, not to improvise. The New Testament refers to this when it speaks of earthly worship as a copy of heavenly things.

BSA: pattern (“fashion, design”): God shows a design, and Moses is to follow it exactly.

Hebrew: מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, H4941) — “plan, proper manner.” The word is usually translated ‘judgment’ or ‘justice.’ Here it means the proper way things are to be done, as God decided.

See also: Exodus 25:9; Hebrews 8:5.

Exodus 26:31

A veil of blue, purple, scarlet and fine linen, with cherubim worked into it, is to divide the inside. It uses the same materials as the first curtains. It is the barrier before God’s throne room, and the cherubim remind the worshiper that access to him is guarded.

BSA: veil (“of exquisite craftsmanship, with intricate designs”): The veil is a beautiful piece of artistry, made as carefully as the rest of the sanctuary.

Hebrew: פָּרֹכֶת (paroket, H6532) — “veil, screen.” This is the special word for the veil of the inner sanctuary. It hides what lies beyond it and marks a boundary.

See also: Matthew 27:51.

Exodus 26:32

The veil hangs by gold hooks from four acacia posts overlaid with gold. The posts stand on four silver bases. The same pattern of wood, gold and silver found in the walls supports the veil.

BSA: bases (“sockets, a strong foundation”): The posts rest on solid silver sockets, so the veil is firmly supported.

Exodus 26:33

The ark of the Testimony is placed behind the veil. The veil divides the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, where God’s presence rests above the ark. Only a priest may go beyond it, and only once a year.

BSA: Testimony (“covenant, witness”): The ark holds the tablets that witness to God’s covenant with Israel. separate (“divide, set apart”): The veil sets the holiest place apart and makes sure God’s holiness is treated with reverence.

See also: Hebrews 9:3; Leviticus 16:2.

Exodus 26:34

The mercy seat, the golden cover, is set on the ark inside the Most Holy Place. Here, once a year, the high priest brings blood and God meets his people in mercy. The very center of the tabernacle is a place of forgiveness.

BSA: mercy seat (“atonement cover, lid of forgiveness”): The lid is where atonement is made, so the place of God’s throne is also the place of pardon.

Hebrew: כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet, H3727) — “covering of atonement.” The word comes from the verb for making atonement, to cover over sin. The golden lid is the place where sin is covered.

See also: Leviticus 16:14-15.

Exodus 26:35

Outside the veil, in the Holy Place, the table (for the bread of the Presence) stands on the north side, and the lampstand faces it on the south. Bread and light were constantly kept before God. Both were provision for his people’s worship.

BSA: lampstand (“a chandelier”): It is a golden stand holding lamps, which gave the only light in the Holy Place.

See also: Exodus 25:30-31.

Exodus 26:36-37

The entrance has its own screen, embroidered in the same colors. Five acacia posts overlaid with gold hold it, set on bronze bases. The door is beautiful but is less costly than the inner veil. Bronze, not silver, marks the approach from the courtyard.

BSA: curtain (“hanging, screen”): The entrance is covered by a hanging screen rather than a solid door. bases (“sockets, foundations”): The posts stand in bronze sockets that carry the weight of the screen.

Hebrew: מָסָךְ (masak, H4539) — “screen, covering.” This word is used for the entrance screen, different from the word for the inner veil. The entrance and the inner veil have different roles.