Exodus 27

Introduction

Exodus 27 concludes the first cycle of tabernacle instructions that began in Exodus 25. After the detailed descriptions of the ark, the table, the lampstand (chapter 25), the tabernacle structure and curtains (chapter 26), and before the priestly garments (chapter 28), this chapter moves outward from the holy of holies to the surrounding courtyard. It covers three subjects: the bronze altar of burnt offering where sacrifices will be made, the linen-walled courtyard that encloses the entire sacred complex, and the oil for the lampstand that must burn perpetually. The movement from the interior of the tabernacle outward to the courtyard traces a deliberate gradient of holiness, reflected in the metals used: gold dominates the interior furnishings, silver marks the boundary posts, and bronze characterizes the courtyard and its altar.

The chapter reveals important theological realities about Israel's worship. The bronze altar, standing in the courtyard as the first thing a worshiper encounters, establishes that approach to God requires sacrifice and atonement. The courtyard walls create a boundary between sacred and common space, defining who may draw near and under what conditions. And the perpetual lamp — tended by Aaron and his sons from evening to morning — symbolizes God's unceasing presence among his people and the priestly responsibility to maintain it. The closing instruction that this is a חֻקַּת עוֹלָם ("permanent statute") underscores that these are not temporary arrangements but expressions of enduring theological truths about the relationship between God and his people.

The Bronze Altar of Burnt Offering (vv. 1-8)

Notes

• מִזְבֵּחַ ("altar") — This is the altar of burnt offering, distinct from the golden altar of incense described in Exodus 30:1-10. The word comes from the root זָבַח ("to slaughter, sacrifice"), so מִזְבֵּחַ literally means "a place of slaughter." This altar stands in the courtyard, the first major object a worshiper encounters when entering the sacred precinct. Its placement establishes a fundamental principle of Israelite worship: no one approaches God's dwelling without first passing through the place of sacrifice. The New Testament identifies Christ as the fulfillment of this sacrificial system (Hebrews 13:10-12).

• עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים ("acacia wood") — The same material used for the ark (Exodus 25:10), the table of showbread (Exodus 25:23), and the tabernacle frames (Exodus 26:15). Acacia is a hard, dense wood resistant to insects and decay, and it grows in the Sinai wilderness, making it locally available. However, a wooden altar overlaid with bronze and used for burning sacrifices raises a practical question: how does the wood survive the fire? The instruction that the altar is נְבוּב לֻחֹת ("hollow, with boards") in v. 8 may suggest that the altar was filled with earth or stones when set up, consistent with the earlier instruction in Exodus 20:24-25 about earthen and stone altars. The wood-and-bronze frame would thus be a portable shell.

• קַרְנֹתָיו ("its horns") — The four horns projecting from the altar's corners are one of its most distinctive features. The Hebrew קֶרֶן ("horn") symbolizes strength and power throughout the Old Testament (1 Samuel 2:1, Psalm 75:4-5). The horns served several practical and ritual functions: sacrificial blood was applied to them during certain offerings (Exodus 29:12, Leviticus 4:7), and a person seeking asylum could grasp the horns of the altar for refuge (1 Kings 1:50-51, 1 Kings 2:28). The phrase מִמֶּנּוּ תִּהְיֶיןָ קַרְנֹתָיו ("its horns shall be of one piece with it") indicates that the horns are not attached separately but are integral extensions of the altar structure itself — the power of the altar is inherent, not added on.

• נְחֹשֶׁת ("bronze") — This word dominates the chapter, appearing repeatedly for the altar overlay, utensils, grating, rings, poles, and courtyard bases. The term can refer to bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) or copper itself. Bronze is the metal of the outer court, in contrast to the silver of the courtyard posts and the gold of the interior furnishings. This metal gradient — bronze, silver, gold — corresponds to increasing proximity to God's presence. Bronze is durable and functional, associated with strength and judgment. The bronze serpent Moses will later raise in the wilderness (Numbers 21:9) and the bronze altar itself both point to the place where sin is confronted and dealt with.

• The five utensils listed in v. 3 each serve a specific function in the sacrificial process. סִּירֹתָיו ("its pots") are ash-removal containers, from דָּשַׁן ("to remove fat/ashes"). יָעָיו ("its shovels") are used for clearing ash. מִזְרְקֹתָיו ("its sprinkling bowls") are for catching and tossing blood against the altar. מִזְלְגֹתָיו ("its forks") are for arranging meat on the fire. מַחְתֹּתָיו ("its firepans") are for carrying coals. Every detail of the sacrificial process has been anticipated and provided for.

• מִכְבָּר מַעֲשֵׂה רֶשֶׁת נְחֹשֶׁת ("a grating, a work of bronze mesh") — The מִכְבָּר ("grating") comes from the root כָּבַר, which may relate to interweaving. The mesh grating was positioned inside the altar beneath the כַּרְכֹּב ("ledge" or "rim"), reaching to the altar's midpoint. Its precise function is debated — it may have supported the fuel and sacrificial animals, allowed ash to fall through, or facilitated airflow for combustion. The four bronze rings at its corners provided attachment points for the carrying poles.

• נְבוּב לֻחֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתוֹ ("Hollow, with boards, you shall make it") — The Qal passive participle נְבוּב ("hollow") from the root נָבַב indicates the altar is not a solid block but a hollow frame made of planks (לֻחֹת, "boards/planks"). This makes it portable — essential for a people on the move through the wilderness. The same word לֻחֹת is used for the stone tablets of the covenant (Exodus 31:18), though in a different sense.

• כַּאֲשֶׁר הֶרְאָה אֹתְךָ בָּהָר כֵּן יַעֲשׂוּ ("As he showed you on the mountain, so they shall make it") — This closing formula echoes Exodus 25:9 and Exodus 25:40, reaffirming that the tabernacle and its furnishings are not human inventions but copies of a heavenly pattern. The Hiphil of רָאָה ("to cause to see, to show") implies that Moses received a vision of the heavenly original. The book of Hebrews develops this idea extensively, arguing that the earthly tabernacle is a "copy and shadow of the heavenly things" (Hebrews 8:5). The shift from second person singular ("he showed you") to third person plural ("they shall make it") indicates that while Moses received the vision, the community will carry out the construction.

The Courtyard of the Tabernacle (vv. 9-19)

Notes

• חֲצַר הַמִּשְׁכָּן ("the courtyard of the tabernacle") — The word חָצֵר ("courtyard, enclosure") denotes an open area surrounded by a boundary. It comes from a root possibly related to enclosing or surrounding. The courtyard creates defined sacred space around the tabernacle. In ancient Near Eastern temples, the courtyard was the area accessible to ordinary worshipers, while the inner sanctuary was restricted to priests. Israel's courtyard serves the same function: the people may enter the courtyard to bring offerings to the altar, but only the priests may enter the tabernacle itself, and only the high priest may enter the holy of holies, once a year (Leviticus 16:2).

• קְלָעִים ("hangings/curtains") — This term is distinct from יְרִיעֹת ("curtains") used for the tabernacle coverings in Exodus 26. The קְלָעִים are hanging screens or drapes, likely from a root meaning "to sling" or "to weave." They create the walls of the courtyard but are not structural in the same way as the tabernacle curtains. At five cubits (approximately 7.5 feet / 2.3 meters) high, they would block the view of those outside from seeing into the courtyard, maintaining the boundary between sacred and common space.

• שֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר ("fine twisted linen") — The courtyard hangings are made of שֵׁשׁ ("fine linen," possibly Egyptian-origin loanword) that is מָשְׁזָר ("twisted, twined"), a Hophal participle of שָׁזַר. This is the same high-quality material used throughout the tabernacle. White linen symbolizes purity and righteousness in biblical imagery (Revelation 19:8). The white linen walls surrounding the courtyard visually represented the holiness required to approach God.

• The dimensions of the courtyard form a precise rectangle: 100 cubits long (north and south sides) by 50 cubits wide (east and west sides), approximately 150 by 75 feet (46 by 23 meters). The tabernacle itself, at 30 by 10 cubits, would sit within this space, likely toward the western end, with the altar of burnt offering positioned between the entrance and the tabernacle door. The 2:1 ratio of the courtyard mirrors the proportions of the tabernacle itself (the holy place being twice the length of the holy of holies).

• The metal distribution in the courtyard is carefully patterned. The אֲדָנִים ("bases/sockets") that anchor the posts into the ground are נְחֹשֶׁת ("bronze"), while the וָוִים ("hooks") and חֲשֻׁקִים ("bands/fillets") are כֶּסֶף ("silver"). Bronze contacts the earth; silver adorns the upper portions. This layering of metals reflects the vertical movement from earthly to heavenly. Inside the tabernacle, the bases are silver (Exodus 26:19) and the furnishings are gold — the closer to God's presence, the more precious the metal.

• לִפְאַת נֶגֶב תֵּימָנָה ("for the south side, toward the Negev") — The Hebrew text uses two terms for "south": נֶגֶב (the dry southern region of Canaan, used as a directional term) and תֵּימָנָה (from יָמִין, "right hand," since facing east the right hand points south). The doubling of directional terms ensures absolute clarity. Similarly, the east side is described with two terms in v. 13: קֵדְמָה ("front/east") and מִזְרָחָה ("toward sunrise"). The entrance faces east, toward the rising sun — the worshiper enters the courtyard moving westward, toward the holy of holies, moving symbolically from light into the deeper mystery of God's hidden presence.

• The gate on the east side (v. 16) receives special treatment. While the rest of the courtyard walls are plain white linen, the gate screen (מָסָךְ, "screen, covering") is made of תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר ("blue and purple and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen") — the same four materials used for the tabernacle entrance screen (Exodus 26:36) and the inner veil (Exodus 26:31). The gate is described as מַעֲשֵׂה רֹקֵם ("the work of an embroiderer"), the same craft designation used for the tabernacle door. This colorful, embroidered entrance stands out against the white linen walls, marking the point of entry into sacred space. The gate is twenty cubits wide — the same width as the tabernacle itself.

• The east side totals fifty cubits: fifteen cubits of plain linen on each side of the gate (30 cubits), plus the twenty-cubit gate screen itself. The flanking sections each have three posts and three bases; the gate has four posts and four bases. The total number of posts around the courtyard is sixty: twenty on the south, twenty on the north, ten on the west, and ten on the east (3 + 4 + 3). Some interpreters note that the gate, flanked by equal curtain sections, creates a visual frame that draws the eye and the worshiper inward.

• יְתֵדֹת ("tent pegs") — Verse 19 mentions tent pegs for both the tabernacle and the courtyard, all of bronze. These are the stakes driven into the ground to anchor the guy ropes that held the curtain walls and tent coverings taut. Though a small detail, they are essential to the structure's stability. Everything that touches the ground in the courtyard is bronze.

Oil for the Lampstand (vv. 20-21)

Notes

• שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית ("pure, pressed olive oil") — The specifications are precise. שֶׁמֶן ("oil") from זַיִת ("olive") that is זָךְ ("pure, clear") and כָּתִית ("beaten, pressed"). The adjective זָךְ means free from sediment or impurity. The term כָּתִית indicates oil obtained by crushing or pounding olives in a mortar rather than by the more common method of treading in a press. The first pressing yields the finest, clearest oil with the least sediment, producing a steadier, brighter flame with less smoke. This is not cooking oil but the highest grade available — only the best is acceptable for the light before God. The same specification appears in Leviticus 24:2.

• לַמָּאוֹר ("for the light") — The word מָאוֹר ("light, luminary") is the same word used for the sun and moon in Genesis 1:14-16. The lampstand in the tabernacle functions as a kind of sacred luminary within God's dwelling. This instruction connects back to the lampstand (מְנוֹרָה) described in Exodus 25:31-40, but here the focus is not on the lampstand's construction but on the perpetual supply of fuel. The physical object was described earlier; now the ongoing responsibility for maintaining its light is established.

• לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד ("to keep a lamp burning continually") — The Hiphil infinitive of עָלָה ("to go up") with נֵר ("lamp") literally means "to cause the lamp to go up" — that is, to make the flame ascend. The word תָּמִיד ("continually, perpetually") does not necessarily mean the lamp burned 24 hours without interruption but rather that it was maintained as a regular, ongoing practice. Verse 21 clarifies the schedule: מֵעֶרֶב עַד בֹּקֶר ("from evening until morning"). The lamps were lit at twilight and burned through the night until morning. The נֵר תָּמִיד ("perpetual lamp") became a central symbol in later Jewish tradition and remains so in synagogues today, where an eternal light burns above the Torah ark.

• בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד מִחוּץ לַפָּרֹכֶת אֲשֶׁר עַל הָעֵדֻת ("in the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony") — The location is specified with precision. The lampstand stands in the holy place (אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, "tent of meeting"), on the outer side of the פָּרֹכֶת ("veil, curtain") that separates the holy place from the holy of holies. The veil is described as being עַל הָעֵדֻת ("before the testimony"), referring to the stone tablets of the covenant housed in the ark. The lampstand thus illuminates the space just outside the most sacred point — it casts its light toward the veil, toward the hidden presence of God behind it.

• יַעֲרֹךְ אֹתוֹ אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו ("Aaron and his sons shall arrange it") — The verb עָרַךְ ("to arrange, set in order") implies careful, regular tending — trimming wicks, refilling oil, ensuring the lamps are properly positioned. This is priestly work, assigned specifically to Aaron and his sons. The task may seem humble — maintaining oil lamps — but it carries profound symbolic weight. The priests are responsible for ensuring that God's light never goes out in his dwelling. The continuity of the light depends on human faithfulness carried out in the context of divine command.

• חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתָם מֵאֵת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל ("a permanent statute throughout their generations, from the sons of Israel") — The phrase חֻקַּת עוֹלָם ("statute of perpetuity") marks this as a binding, ongoing obligation, not a one-time instruction. The word חֻקָּה comes from חָקַק ("to engrave, inscribe"), suggesting something carved in stone — an unalterable decree. The preposition מֵאֵת ("from") indicates that the oil is to come from the community — the people supply the fuel, the priests tend the flame. Worship is a communal responsibility.

• The placement of this brief section at the end of chapter 27 is noteworthy. After the detailed architectural instructions for the altar and courtyard — hardware, dimensions, metals — the chapter closes with something organic and perishable: olive oil, a flame, human hands tending it through the night. The tabernacle is not just a structure to be built; it is a living sacred space to be maintained. The shift from construction to ongoing service anticipates the transition in chapter 28 to the priesthood, the people who will inhabit and maintain this space.

Interpretations

The נֵר תָּמִיד has generated rich theological reflection across traditions. In Jewish tradition, the perpetual lamp became the basis for the נֵר תָּמִיד that hangs in every synagogue, symbolizing God's eternal presence and the light of Torah. Christian interpreters have often seen the lampstand and its oil as pointing to Christ, the light of the world (John 8:12), and to the Holy Spirit, symbolized by oil throughout Scripture (1 Samuel 16:13, Acts 10:38). The requirement that the people provide the oil while the priests tend the flame has been read as an image of the church: the community supplies the resources, and those set apart for ministry maintain the witness. Some Reformation commentators emphasized that the light burned "before the LORD" — its purpose was not to illuminate the space for human convenience but to burn as an act of worship directed toward God himself.