Exodus 25

Introduction

Exodus 25 marks a dramatic shift in the book of Exodus. After the thundering theophany at Sinai and the giving of the covenant law in chapters 19-24, God now turns to a different kind of revelation: detailed instructions for building a dwelling place where he will live among his people. The chapter opens with God's call for a freewill offering of materials and then provides blueprints for three sacred objects -- the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of the Bread of the Presence, and the golden Lampstand (Menorah). The overarching theme is stated in verse 8: "Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." This is the goal toward which the entire exodus has been moving -- not merely liberation from Egypt, but the restoration of God's presence among his people.

The theological significance of this chapter is immense. The tabernacle is, in a sense, a portable Eden -- a sacred space where God and humanity meet, guarded by cherubim (just as Eden was, Genesis 3:24), filled with symbols of life and light, and designed according to a heavenly pattern (Hebrews 8:5). Every detail -- the gold overlay, the mercy seat, the perpetual bread, the seven-branched lamp -- points beyond itself to the character of the God who dwells there and the kind of relationship he desires with his people. The chapter emphasizes that this sanctuary is not a human invention but a divine blueprint: "according to the pattern I show you" (v. 9) and "according to the pattern shown you on the mountain" (v. 40). The writer of Hebrews will later interpret this as evidence that the earthly tabernacle was a copy of heavenly realities (Hebrews 8:5, Hebrews 9:23-24).

The Offering for the Tabernacle (vv. 1-9)

Notes

• תְּרוּמָה ("contribution/offering") -- This is the key word of the opening section, appearing three times in verse 2 alone. The noun comes from the root רוּם ("to raise, lift up"), and literally means "something lifted up" or "something set apart." It refers to a contribution that is separated from one's possessions and dedicated to God. The term is distinct from sacrificial offerings; it designates a voluntary gift of materials. The ESV translates it as "contribution," which captures the sense well. The crucial qualifier is that this offering comes from those "whose heart moves him" (אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ) -- the verb נָדַב means "to impel, move willingly." God does not command a tax; he invites a gift from willing hearts. This principle of cheerful, voluntary giving is echoed in 2 Corinthians 9:7.

• The list of materials in verses 3-7 is carefully ordered, moving from the most precious (gold) to the more common. The metals -- זָהָב ("gold"), כֶּסֶף ("silver"), and נְחֹשֶׁת ("bronze" or "copper") -- will be used in decreasing order of sanctity: gold for the innermost furnishings, silver for the sockets of the tabernacle frame, and bronze for the outer courtyard. The colored yarns -- תְּכֵלֶת ("blue"), אַרְגָּמָן ("purple"), and תּוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי ("scarlet yarn," literally "worm of scarlet," referring to the crimson dye derived from the cochineal insect) -- were expensive dyes in the ancient world, associated with royalty and prestige.

• עֹרֹת תְּחָשִׁים ("fine leather") -- The identity of תְּחָשׁ is one of the most debated translation questions in Exodus. The KJV renders it "badgers' skins," the BSB "fine leather," and the ESV "goatskins." Suggestions include dolphin or dugong hides (based on the Arabic cognate tuchas), seal skins, or simply high-quality tanned leather. The Septuagint renders it with a color term (hyacinth-colored skins). What is clear is that this was a durable, water-resistant material used for the outermost covering of the tabernacle.

• עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים ("acacia wood") -- Acacia trees are one of the few trees that grow in the Sinai wilderness, making them a natural building material for the tabernacle. The wood is hard, dense, and resistant to decay -- qualities that made it suitable for sacred furniture that would endure years of wilderness travel. The KJV renders this "shittim wood," a transliteration of the Hebrew.

• וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם ("Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them") -- This is the theological heart of the chapter and arguably of the entire tabernacle narrative. The word מִקְדָּשׁ ("sanctuary") comes from קָדַשׁ ("to be holy, set apart") -- it is a "holy place," a place set apart for God's presence. The verb שָׁכַן ("to dwell, tabernacle") is the root from which מִשְׁכָּן ("tabernacle") is derived. God's desire is not a building for its own sake but a means of dwelling בְּתוֹכָם ("in their midst"). Notably, the text does not say "that I may dwell in it" but "that I may dwell among them" -- the goal is relational presence, not architectural achievement. This theme of God dwelling among his people runs from Eden (Genesis 3:8) through the tabernacle and temple to the incarnation ("the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us," John 1:14) and on to the new creation ("Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man," Revelation 21:3).

• תַּבְנִית ("pattern") -- God shows Moses a תַּבְנִית on the mountain. This word means "pattern, model, plan" and comes from the root בָּנָה ("to build"). The implication is that the earthly tabernacle is a copy of something -- a heavenly original that Moses saw on the mountain. The writer of Hebrews quotes this verse directly: "See that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain" (Hebrews 8:5), and interprets the earthly tabernacle as "a copy and shadow of the heavenly things." This understanding also appears in Acts 7:44, where Stephen references the pattern Moses received. The emphasis on the divinely given pattern is repeated at the end of the chapter (v. 40), forming a frame around the entire set of instructions.

Interpretations

The nature of the "pattern" (תַּבְנִית) shown to Moses on the mountain has been understood in different ways. Some interpreters, following the book of Hebrews, understand it as a vision of the heavenly sanctuary itself -- the true dwelling of God, of which the tabernacle is a material copy. Others, particularly in Jewish tradition, understand it as a detailed architectural blueprint or model, without necessarily implying an existing heavenly structure. Still others see it as a theological vision: God showed Moses the meaning and purpose of each element, which Moses then translated into physical form. The Platonic overtones of the Hebrews interpretation (earthly copy of heavenly reality) have led some scholars to see Hellenistic influence on the author of Hebrews, while others argue that the concept of a heavenly temple is native to ancient Near Eastern and Israelite thought (cf. Isaiah 6:1, Psalm 11:4).

The Ark of the Covenant (vv. 10-22)

Notes

• אֲרוֹן ("ark") -- The word simply means "chest" or "box." It is the same word used for the coffin of Joseph in Genesis 50:26. The ark was a rectangular chest approximately 3.75 feet long, 2.25 feet wide, and 2.25 feet high. What made it sacred was not its form but its function: it held the Testimony (the tablets of the covenant law) and served as the throne-footstool of God's invisible presence. In the ancient Near East, important documents such as treaties were stored at the feet of the deity -- the ark served this function, holding the covenant between God and Israel.

• זֵר זָהָב ("a rim/molding of gold") -- The word זֵר denotes a decorative border or crown-like molding running around the top edge. The same term is used for the gold molding on the table (v. 24). This gives the ark the appearance of a royal or divine throne, reinforcing the concept that the ark is the footstool of God's heavenly throne (cf. 1 Chronicles 28:2, Psalm 132:7-8).

• The instruction that the poles must never be removed (v. 15) is striking. Unlike the table and lampstand, whose poles were presumably removable for transport, the ark's poles remained permanently in place. This may reflect the supreme sanctity of the ark -- it must always be ready to move at God's command, and no one should need to touch the ark itself to prepare it for transport. The fatal consequence of touching the ark is illustrated dramatically in 2 Samuel 6:6-7.

• הָעֵדֻת ("the Testimony") -- The word עֵדוּת means "testimony, witness" and here refers to the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. The tablets are called "testimony" because they bear witness to the covenant terms between God and Israel. The ark is thus fundamentally a covenant chest -- its primary purpose is to house the document that defines the relationship between God and his people.

• כַפֹּרֶת ("mercy seat / atonement cover") -- This is one of the most theologically loaded words in the chapter. The noun derives from the root כָּפַר ("to cover, make atonement"), the same root behind כִּפֻּרִים ("atonement," as in Yom Kippur). The כַפֹּרֶת is the gold slab that sits on top of the ark, flanked by the two cherubim. It is the place where, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest sprinkles the blood of the sin offering (Leviticus 16:14-15). The traditional English rendering "mercy seat" goes back to William Tyndale and was adopted by the KJV; it captures the function (the place where God shows mercy) but obscures the connection to atonement. My translation uses "atonement cover" to preserve the link to כָּפַר. Paul likely alludes to the כַפֹּרֶת in Romans 3:25, where he says God put forward Christ as a ἱλαστήριον ("propitiation" / "mercy seat") -- the same word the Septuagint uses to translate כַפֹּרֶת.

• כְּרֻבִים ("cherubim") -- The cherubim are not the chubby infants of Renaissance art. In the ancient Near East, cherubim were composite creatures -- typically winged, with features of humans, lions, eagles, or bulls -- that served as throne guardians of deity. In the Bible, cherubim guard the entrance to Eden (Genesis 3:24), support the throne of God (Ezekiel 1, Ezekiel 10), and are woven into the curtains of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:1). Here they stand on the atonement cover with wings spread upward, facing each other and looking down toward the cover. The space between the cherubim is the place where God promises to meet with Moses (v. 22) -- it is, in effect, an empty throne. God sits enthroned between the cherubim (1 Samuel 4:4, 2 Samuel 6:2, Psalm 80:1), but there is no image of God there. The invisible God rules from an invisible throne.

• מִקְשָׁה ("hammered work") -- The cherubim are to be made מִקְשָׁה, meaning hammered out of a single piece of gold rather than cast separately and attached. This same technique is specified for the lampstand (v. 31). The one-piece construction may emphasize the unity of the whole -- the cherubim are not additions to the atonement cover but integral to it.

• וְנוֹעַדְתִּי לְךָ שָׁם ("I will meet with you there") -- The verb יָעַד in the Niphal means "to meet by appointment, to keep an appointment." This is not a chance encounter but a scheduled, intentional meeting. God appoints the space above the atonement cover, between the cherubim, as the specific location where he will meet with Moses and communicate his commands for Israel. The ark is thus not merely a container for sacred objects; it is the focal point of divine-human communication. The tabernacle is, at its core, a place for conversation between God and his people.

Interpretations

The relationship between the ark of the covenant and the presence of God has been understood differently across traditions. Reformed theology emphasizes that the ark was a sacramental sign -- God was truly present at the ark, but not confined to it, and his presence was mediated through the covenant (the tablets inside). The ark pointed forward to Christ, in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9). Some dispensational interpreters emphasize the ark as belonging specifically to Israel's covenant administration, distinct from the church's relationship to God. Catholic and Orthodox traditions see in the ark a type of the Virgin Mary (the "Ark of the New Covenant"), who bore within herself the Word of God made flesh, drawing on parallels between the ark narrative in 2 Samuel 6 and the visitation account in Luke 1:39-56. The cherubim guarding the atonement cover are also connected to the cherubim guarding Eden (Genesis 3:24): what was lost in the garden -- open access to God's presence -- is being symbolically restored through the tabernacle system, though still mediated through sacrifice and priestly intercession.

The Table of the Bread of the Presence (vv. 23-30)

Notes

• שֻׁלְחָן ("table") -- The table was approximately 3 feet long, 1.5 feet wide, and 2.25 feet high -- roughly the size of a modern side table. Like the ark, it was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, with gold rings and carrying poles. The table stood in the Holy Place (the outer room of the tabernacle), across from the lampstand.

• מִסְגֶּרֶת ("frame/rim") -- This term refers to a border or frame around the table, about a טֹפַח ("handbreadth," approximately 3 inches) wide. The exact construction is debated: it may be a raised edge to keep the bread from falling off, or a shelf-like frame connecting the legs. The gold molding on the frame adds an additional decorative element, echoing the molding on the ark.

• The utensils listed in verse 29 served the table ritual: קְעָרֹת ("plates/dishes") for the bread, כַּפֹּת ("ladles/cups," literally "palms"), קְשׂוֹת ("jars/pitchers"), and מְנַקִּיֹּת ("bowls" for pouring). The phrase אֲשֶׁר יֻסַּךְ בָּהֵן ("with which it is poured out") comes from the root נָסַךְ ("to pour out"), indicating these bowls were used for drink offerings (libations) that accompanied the bread.

• לֶחֶם פָּנִים ("Bread of the Presence," literally "bread of faces/presence") -- This is one of the most evocative phrases in the tabernacle instructions. The word פָּנִים means "face, presence," so the bread is literally "bread of the face" -- bread set before the face of God. Twelve loaves were placed on the table every Sabbath, representing the twelve tribes of Israel (Leviticus 24:5-9). The bread that was removed was eaten by the priests. The theological symbolism is rich: Israel is perpetually "before God's face," represented by bread -- the most basic sustenance of life. God's people are always in his presence, and he provides for them. The KJV renders this "showbread" (from the German Schaubrot, used by Luther). Jesus references the showbread when defending his disciples' Sabbath-day grain-picking (Matthew 12:3-4, Mark 2:25-26), and he later identifies himself as "the bread of life" (John 6:35).

• The instruction לְפָנַי תָּמִיד ("before me always") -- The bread is to be on the table תָּמִיד ("continually, perpetually"). This word will recur throughout the tabernacle instructions: the lamps burn תָּמִיד, the incense rises תָּמִיד. The tabernacle is not a place for intermittent worship but for perpetual communion. There is never a moment when Israel is not represented before God.

The Golden Lampstand (vv. 31-40)

Notes

• מְנֹרָה ("lampstand") -- The menorah is one of the most iconic symbols of Israelite worship and later of Judaism itself. The word comes from נֵר ("lamp"), so מְנֹרָה is literally "lamp-bearer" or "lamp-holder." Unlike the ark and the table, which were wood overlaid with gold, the lampstand was solid gold -- a single piece of מִקְשָׁה ("hammered work") weighing one talent (approximately 75 pounds / 34 kilograms). The technical skill required to hammer that much gold into an intricate, branching, flower-adorned form was extraordinary.

• The menorah's design draws extensively on botanical imagery. The גְּבִעִים ("cups") are shaped like מְשֻׁקָּדִים ("almond blossoms"). The word שָׁקַד means both "almond" and "to watch, be wakeful" -- the almond tree was called the "watcher tree" because it is the first tree to bloom in spring, as if watching for the end of winter. God uses this wordplay in Jeremiah 1:11-12: "I see a branch of an almond tree (שָׁקֵד). ... I am watching (שֹׁקֵד) over my word to perform it." The lampstand, decorated with almond blossoms, thus evokes God's watchful faithfulness. The כַּפְתֹּר ("bud" or "calyx") and פֶּרַח ("blossom, flower") further the botanical motif. The entire lampstand looks like a stylized tree -- a golden tree of light, which many scholars connect to the tree of life in Eden (Genesis 2:9).

• יְרֵכָהּ ("its base," literally "its thigh/side") and קָנָהּ ("its shaft/stem," literally "its reed/stalk") -- The lampstand has a central shaft (the קָנֶה) with six branches (קָנִים, the same word in plural) extending from it, three on each side. The total of seven lamps -- one on the central shaft and six on the branches -- has been interpreted symbolically: seven is the number of completeness and of creation (the seven days of Genesis 1-Genesis 2:3). The lampstand may represent God's creative and sustaining light that fills the tabernacle-cosmos.

• וְהֵאִיר עַל עֵבֶר פָּנֶיהָ ("to give light on the area in front of it") -- The seven lamps were oriented to cast light forward, illuminating the Holy Place where the table of bread stood. In a windowless sanctuary, the lampstand was the sole source of light. The image is both practical and profound: without the lampstand, the priests would minister in darkness. Light in the tabernacle is entirely God-given. Jesus declares, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12), and the book of Revelation envisions seven golden lampstands representing the churches (Revelation 1:12-20) and a heavenly city that needs no lamp because "the Lord God will be their light" (Revelation 22:5).

• מַלְקָחֶיהָ ("its wick trimmers") and מַחְתֹּתֶיהָ ("its trays") -- The wick trimmers (literally "tongs" or "snuffers") were used to trim the charred wicks, and the trays caught the trimmed material. Even these small maintenance tools were to be made of pure gold. Nothing in God's house is utilitarian in a merely secular sense; every implement is consecrated.

• כִּכָּר זָהָב טָהוֹר ("a talent of pure gold") -- A כִּכָּר (talent) was the largest unit of weight in ancient Israel, approximately 75 pounds. At current gold prices, this would be worth millions of dollars, but the value was equally staggering in the ancient world. The sheer weight of gold devoted to a single piece of furniture communicates the lavish worth of God's dwelling place. The fact that recently enslaved people could produce such an offering points back to the "plundering of Egypt" (Exodus 12:35-36) -- the wealth of the oppressor is redirected to the worship of the liberator.

• וּרְאֵה וַעֲשֵׂה בְּתַבְנִיתָם אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה מָרְאֶה בָּהָר ("See and make according to the pattern which you are being shown on the mountain") -- The chapter ends as it began: with the emphasis on the heavenly pattern. The verb מָרְאֶה is a Hophal participle of רָאָה ("to see") -- Moses is "being caused to see," that is, God is actively showing him something. The passive construction emphasizes that the revelation comes from God, not from Moses' imagination. The framing of the chapter with this instruction (v. 9 and v. 40) underscores the fundamental principle: the tabernacle and all its furnishings originate in the mind of God, not in human creativity. Israel's worship is to be shaped by divine revelation, not human invention.

Interpretations

The symbolic meaning of the menorah has been interpreted in various ways. Jewish tradition often sees the seven lamps as representing the seven days of creation or the totality of divine wisdom. Some Christian interpreters, following the imagery in Revelation 1:12-20, understand the lampstand as a type of the church, which is called to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Others see the almond-blossom motif as pointing to Aaron's budding rod (Numbers 17:8), which also sprouted almond blossoms as a sign of God's chosen priesthood, and by extension to the resurrection (life springing from what appears dead). The connection between the lampstand and the tree of life has been developed extensively in recent scholarship: the menorah as a golden tree, bearing light instead of fruit, placed in the tabernacle-Eden as a sign that God's life-giving presence has not been extinguished by human sin but continues to burn -- never consumed, like the bush on Sinai (Exodus 3:2).