Exodus 37

Bezalel now builds the sacred furniture God had described on the mountain: the ark with its mercy seat, the table, the lampstand and the altar of incense. Each piece is made exactly to the pattern, and each is gold or gold-covered. Together they show a God who is holy, who dwells among His people, and who makes a way for them to come near.

Exodus 37:1

Bezalel begins with the ark, the most sacred object, a wooden chest about three and three-quarter feet long. The ark held the tablets of the covenant, so it stood for God’s rule over His people. Everything else in the tent centered on it.

BSA: Bezalel (“in the shadow of God”): His very name pictures a man who works under God’s covering and guidance.

Hebrew: אָרוֹן (ʾaron, H727) — “chest, box.” The word is plain: a chest. Its holiness came not from its shape but from what God placed in it and where He met His people over it.

See also: Exodus 25:10-11; Exodus 31:1-5.

Exodus 37:2

The acacia wood was covered with gold inside and out, and a gold rim ran around the top. Even the hidden inner surfaces were made beautiful. God’s holy things are good all the way through, and nothing is only for show.

BSA: pure (“clean, ceremonially spotless”): The gold is not only costly but also unmixed and fit for God’s presence.

Exodus 37:3-5

Four gold rings and two gold-covered poles let the ark be carried without being touched. This kept the holy object from careless handling. It also showed that God’s presence was not fixed to one spot but traveled with His people.

See also: Numbers 4:5-6; Numbers 7:9.

Exodus 37:6

The mercy seat was a solid gold lid for the ark. It was the place where God met His people, and where the blood of atonement was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement. Forgiveness and God’s presence came together here.

BSA: mercy seat (“atonement cover”): It was a lid that covered the law inside, and the blood sprinkled on it covered the people’s sin.

Hebrew: כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet, H3727) — “covering, atonement lid.” It comes from a verb meaning to cover or make atonement. The lid sat over the tablets of the law, and blood made atonement there.

See also: Leviticus 16:14-15; Romans 3:25.

Exodus 37:7-8

Two winged figures, cherubim, were hammered out of the same gold as the lid. They were not added on, but were one piece with it. Cherubim in Scripture guard what is holy, and here they stand watch over the place of God’s meeting with His people.

BSA: cherubim (“angelic beings, guardians of God’s throne”): These figures picture the heavenly attendants who surround God’s throne.

Hebrew: כְּרֻבִים (kerubim, H3742) — “cherubim, winged heavenly guardians.” The same word names the cherubim stationed at Eden’s gate, so these golden figures echo guarding the way to God.

See also: Genesis 3:24.

Exodus 37:9

The cherubim stretched their wings upward and spread them over the lid. They faced each other and looked down toward it. Their attention was fixed on the place of atonement, as if even angels marvel at God’s mercy.

BSA: overshadowing (“covering, protecting”): Their wings form a shelter over the mercy seat, as though guarding the throne of God.

Hebrew: סֹכְכִים (sokhekhim, H5526) — “covering over, shielding.” The word means to screen or cover as with a canopy. It paints the picture of wings forming a roof over God’s meeting place.

See also: 1 Peter 1:12; Psalm 91:4.

Exodus 37:10-12

The table was a gold-covered wooden table about three feet long. It had a gold rim and a raised edge a handbreadth wide, which kept what lay on it from slipping off. It held the bread set out before God.

BSA: handbreadth (“the width of a hand, about 3-4 inches”): A small, hand-sized border to keep everything on the table secure.

Hebrew: שֻׁלְחָן (shulchan, H7979) — “table.” This is an ordinary word for a table where a meal is served. Here it pictures a meal laid out in God’s own house.

See also: Exodus 25:23-24.

Exodus 37:13-15

The table has rings at its legs and gold-covered poles, just like the ark. It too was made to be carried on the journey. God’s people were on the move, and His provision traveled with them.

BSA: table (“a place of communion”): The table is a place of fellowship, where God and His people share a meal.

Exodus 37:16

All the table’s utensils were pure gold: plates, dishes, bowls and pitchers for pouring out drink offerings. These held the bread and wine set apart for God. Everything needed for fellowship with Him was provided and fitted to the table.

BSA: drink offerings (“libations, sacrifices”): Wine was poured out as an offering to God, a sign of giving back what He has given.

See also: Exodus 25:29-30.

Exodus 37:17

The lampstand was made of a single piece of beaten gold, and it was shaped like a flowering tree. Its base, shaft, cups, buds and petals were all part of one whole. It gave light in the tent, the only light in that holy place.

BSA: lampstand (“candlestick, chandelier”): It was a stand bearing many lamps, not a single candle.

Hebrew: מִקְשָׁה (miqshah, H4749) — “hammered work, beaten work.” The whole lampstand was beaten from one lump of gold, with no joins. It was a single, unbroken work made by the craftsman.

See also: Exodus 25:31.

Exodus 37:18-19

Six branches came out of the central shaft, three on each side. Each branch was decorated with cups shaped like almond blossoms, with buds and petals. The metal was made to look like a living, blossoming tree.

See also: Exodus 25:32-34.

Exodus 37:20-22

The central shaft had four almond-blossom cups of its own. A bud sat under each pair of branches, joining them to the shaft. All of it, buds, branches and shaft, was a single piece of hammered gold, so the branches belonged to the stem.

See also: John 15:5.

Exodus 37:23-24

Seven lamps sat on the lampstand, with wick trimmers and trays for the burnt wicks, all of pure gold. The whole set was made from one talent of gold, about seventy-five pounds. The cost was great, but the light it gave was for God’s house.

BSA: lamps (“devices for holding a flame, providing spiritual guidance”): The lamps held the flame that lit the holy place, and so they came to picture guidance and light from God.

Hebrew: כִּכָּר (kikkar, H3603) — “talent, a round weight.” The word means a round disc or loaf. It was the largest unit of weight, so the whole lampstand was made from a very large amount of gold.

See also: Exodus 27:20-21.

Exodus 37:25-28

The altar of incense was a small square altar of gold-covered acacia wood, about eighteen inches on each side and three feet high. Its horns were one piece with it, and it had rings and poles for carrying. Incense rose from it before God, a picture of prayer.

BSA: horns (“a horn; a hill or peak”): The horns were projections at the four corners, and they were symbols of strength and a place of refuge.

Hebrew: קְטֹרֶת (qetoret, H7004) — “incense, rising smoke.” The word comes from a verb meaning to make smoke rise. Incense is smoke that goes up before God, and Scripture often uses it as a picture of prayer.

See also: Psalm 141:2; Revelation 8:3-4.

Exodus 37:29

Bezalel also prepared the holy anointing oil and the pure, sweet-smelling incense. The incense was made by a skilled perfumer, so even the scent in God’s house was made with great care. These were used only for holy purposes, never for ordinary ones.

BSA: sacred (“holy, set apart”): The oil was set apart for God alone and could not be used for common purposes.

See also: Exodus 30:22-25; Exodus 30:34-35.