Exodus 37
Introduction
Exodus 37 records the actual construction of the tabernacle's interior furniture by Bezalel, the master craftsman whom God filled with his Spirit for this work (Exodus 31:1-5). The chapter closely parallels the divine instructions given in Exodus 25 and Exodus 30, but the shift from "you shall make" to "he made" is theologically significant: what God commanded has now been faithfully carried out, down to the last detail. The narrator's careful repetition underscores Israel's obedience after the catastrophic failure of the golden calf in Exodus 32. The same hands that might have been tainted by idolatry are now directed by the Spirit to build a dwelling for the living God.
Each piece of furniture described here carries deep symbolic and theological weight. The ark is God's throne on earth; the mercy seat is the place where atonement is made; the table of showbread represents God's provision and covenant fellowship; the lampstand is the light of God's presence; and the altar of incense symbolizes the prayers of God's people ascending before him. Together they form the sacred interior of the tabernacle where heaven and earth meet. The New Testament writers will see in each of these objects a shadow pointing forward to Christ: he is the true mercy seat (Romans 3:25), the bread of life (John 6:35), the light of the world (John 8:12), and the one through whom our prayers ascend to the Father (Hebrews 7:25).
The Ark of the Covenant (vv. 1-5)
1 Bezalel went on to construct the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. 2 He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it. 3 And he cast four gold rings for its four feet, two rings on one side and two on the other. 4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 He inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry it.
1 And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood — two and a half cubits its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 2 He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and he made a rim of gold around it. 3 He cast for it four rings of gold on its four feet — two rings on one side of it and two rings on the other side. 4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, for carrying the ark.
Notes
וַיַּעַשׂ בְּצַלְאֵל ("And Bezalel made") — The chapter opens by naming Bezalel as the craftsman. His name means "in the shadow of God" (from בְּצֵל אֵל), a fitting name for the one who constructs the place where God's shadow — his presence — will dwell. Bezalel was from the tribe of Judah (Exodus 31:2), the tribe through which the Messiah would come. The verb עָשָׂה ("to make") dominates this chapter, appearing in nearly every verse, emphasizing the act of faithful construction.
הָאָרֹן ("the ark") — The word אָרוֹן simply means "box" or "chest." The same word is used for Joseph's coffin in Genesis 50:26. Its sacred significance comes entirely from its function: it is the container for the tablets of the covenant (Exodus 25:16) and the footstool of God's throne (1 Chronicles 28:2, Psalm 132:7-8). The ark is the single most important object in the tabernacle — it defines the Most Holy Place and is the point where God meets with his people (Exodus 25:22).
עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים ("acacia wood") — Acacia is a hard, durable wood native to the Sinai desert. It resists decay and insects, making it ideal for long-lasting construction. The combination of perishable wood overlaid with imperishable gold is itself suggestive: something common and earthly becomes the vessel for the divine presence. Several patristic and later Christian interpreters have seen in this a foreshadowing of the incarnation — the divine nature (gold) united with human nature (wood).
זֵר זָהָב סָבִיב ("a rim of gold all around") — The זֵר is a decorative border or crown-like molding. The same term is used for the molding on the table (v. 11) and the altar of incense (v. 26). Three pieces of furniture receive this golden crown: the ark (representing God's kingship), the table (representing God's provision), and the incense altar (representing priestly mediation). Some interpreters see in these three crowns a foreshadowing of Christ's threefold office as King, Provider, and Priest.
בַּדִּים ("poles") — The poles were never to be removed from the ark (Exodus 25:15), a detail that emphasizes the ark's readiness to move with God's people. God is not stationary; his presence travels with Israel. The poles also ensured that no human hand directly touched the ark — a safeguard of holiness underscored by the tragic incident with Uzzah in 2 Samuel 6:6-7.
The dimensions — two and a half by one and a half by one and a half cubits (roughly 3.75 by 2.25 by 2.25 feet or 1.15 by 0.7 by 0.7 meters) — make this a relatively small chest. The God of the universe chooses to localize his presence in a modest container carried on the shoulders of priests. This pattern of divine humility — infinite God dwelling in finite space — reaches its fullest expression in the incarnation (John 1:14).
The Mercy Seat and Cherubim (vv. 6-9)
6 He constructed a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 7 He made two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat, 8 one cherub on one end and one on the other, all made from one piece of gold. 9 And the cherubim had wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the mercy seat.
6 And he made the mercy seat of pure gold — two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width. 7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work, from the two ends of the mercy seat — 8 one cherub from one end and one cherub from the other end. From the mercy seat he made the cherubim, from its two ends. 9 The cherubim were spreading their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.
Notes
כַּפֹּרֶת ("mercy seat") — This is one of the most theologically loaded words in the Hebrew Bible. It derives from the root כָּפַר ("to cover, to atone, to make propitiation"). The כַּפֹּרֶת is not merely a lid for the ark but the place of atonement — the surface upon which the high priest sprinkled the blood of the sin offering on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:14-15). The Septuagint translates it as ἱλαστήριον ("place of propitiation"), and Paul uses this exact word in Romans 3:25 to describe Christ: God set him forth as a ἱλαστήριον, a mercy seat, through faith in his blood. The mercy seat is where God's justice and mercy meet — where the penalty for sin is satisfied and reconciliation is achieved.
כְרֻבִים ("cherubim") — Cherubim are heavenly beings associated with God's throne and the guarding of sacred space. They first appear in Genesis 3:24, stationed at the entrance to Eden with a flaming sword. Their presence on the mercy seat signals that the tabernacle is a restored Eden — a place where God dwells with his people once more, with the cherubim now guarding not against entry but framing the throne of grace. In Ezekiel's vision (Ezekiel 1:5-14, Ezekiel 10:1-22), the cherubim are the living throne-bearers of God's glory.
מִקְשָׁה ("hammered work") — The cherubim were not cast separately and attached; they were hammered out from the same single piece of gold as the mercy seat. The unity of the piece — mercy seat and cherubim formed from one mass of gold — emphasizes that the throne of God and his heavenly attendants belong together as a single reality. The craftsmanship required to hammer two detailed winged figures from a single sheet of gold is extraordinary, underscoring the Spirit-empowered skill of Bezalel (Exodus 31:3).
וּפְנֵיהֶם אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו ("their faces toward one another") — The cherubim face each other, but their gaze is directed downward toward the mercy seat. The phrase אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו (literally "a man to his brother") is an idiom for mutual orientation. Their posture combines two attitudes: they face one another in symmetry, and they look toward the mercy seat — the place where blood will be sprinkled. Even the heavenly beings direct their attention to the mystery of atonement. The author of Hebrews identifies the cherubim as "cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat" (Hebrews 9:5) and then moves immediately to the blood that enters this sacred space.
The Table of Showbread (vv. 10-16)
10 He also made the table of acacia wood two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high. 11 He overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding around it. 12 And he made a rim around it a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. 13 He cast four gold rings for the table and fastened them to the four corners at its four legs. 14 The rings were placed close to the rim, to serve as holders for the poles used to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood for carrying the table and overlaid them with gold. 16 He also made the utensils for the table out of pure gold: its plates and dishes, as well as its bowls and pitchers for pouring drink offerings.
10 Then he made the table of acacia wood — two cubits its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 He overlaid it with pure gold and made a rim of gold around it. 12 He made a frame for it a handbreadth wide all around, and he made a rim of gold for its frame all around. 13 He cast for it four rings of gold and placed the rings at the four corners that were at its four legs. 14 Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, for carrying the table. 16 And he made the vessels that were on the table — its plates and its dishes, its bowls and its pitchers for pouring out drink offerings — of pure gold.
Notes
הַשֻּׁלְחָן ("the table") — The table held the "bread of the Presence" (לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים, literally "bread of the face"), twelve loaves representing the twelve tribes of Israel set before God's face continually (Exodus 25:30, Leviticus 24:5-9). The table stood in the Holy Place, on the north side of the tabernacle. It was a table of fellowship — God provides bread, and his people are symbolically his guests. Jesus identifies himself as "the bread of life" (John 6:35) and institutes his memorial meal around a table with bread (Luke 22:19).
מִסְגֶּרֶת ("frame" or "rim") — This is a border or guard-rail around the table, a handbreadth (טֹפַח, roughly 3 inches or 7.5 cm) wide. The word comes from the root סָגַר ("to shut, close, enclose"), suggesting something that encloses or contains. Its practical function was to prevent items from sliding off, but the detail also reflects the care with which sacred objects are bounded and protected.
קְעָרֹתָיו וְכַּפֹּתָיו וּמְנַקִּיֹּתָיו וְהַקְּשָׂוֹת ("its plates and dishes, its bowls and pitchers") — Four types of vessels are listed. The קְעָרֹת ("plates") were likely large dishes for the bread. The כַּפֹּת ("dishes" or "spoons," literally "palms") may have held the frankincense placed with the bread (Leviticus 24:7). The מְנַקִּיֹּת ("bowls") and קְשָׂוֹת ("pitchers") were used for the drink offerings (יֻסַּךְ, "poured out" — a Hophal of נָסַךְ, "to pour a libation"). Every utensil was pure gold, reinforcing the holiness of even the secondary implements of worship.
The table, like the ark, had poles for carrying. This mobility is a recurring feature of the tabernacle furniture — everything is designed to travel. God's provision for his people is not confined to a single location. The table's gold overlaying on acacia wood mirrors the ark's construction, using the same combination of earthly material and heavenly covering.
The Lampstand (vv. 17-24)
17 Then he made the lampstand out of pure hammered gold, all of one piece: its base and shaft, its cups, and its buds and petals. 18 Six branches extended from the sides, three on one side and three on the other. 19 There were three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the first branch, each with buds and petals, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches that extended from the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals. 21 A bud was under the first pair of branches that extended from the lampstand, a bud under the second pair, and a bud under the third pair. 22 The buds and branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold. 23 He also made its seven lamps, its wick trimmers, and trays of pure gold. 24 He made the lampstand and all its utensils from a talent of pure gold.
17 Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work — its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms were of one piece with it. 18 Six branches went out from its sides — three branches of the lampstand from one side and three branches of the lampstand from the other side. 19 Three cups shaped like almond blossoms were on one branch, with bud and flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the next branch, with bud and flower — so for all six branches going out from the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand itself were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, with their buds and blossoms. 21 A bud under the first pair of branches coming from it, a bud under the second pair of branches coming from it, and a bud under the third pair of branches coming from it — for the six branches going out from it. 22 Their buds and their branches were of one piece with it, all of it one piece of hammered work of pure gold. 23 He made its seven lamps, its wick trimmers, and its trays of pure gold. 24 He made it and all its utensils from a talent of pure gold.
Notes
הַמְּנֹרָה ("the lampstand") — The menorah is perhaps the most recognizable symbol of the tabernacle. Unlike the ark and the table, which were wood overlaid with gold, the lampstand was made entirely of pure gold — no wood at all. It was the only source of light in the Holy Place, where there were no windows. Without it, the priests would minister in total darkness. The symbolism is direct: God's presence is light, and apart from him there is only darkness. Jesus declares, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12), and the book of Revelation pictures seven golden lampstands representing the churches (Revelation 1:12-20).
מִקְשָׁה ("hammered work") — As with the cherubim on the mercy seat, the entire lampstand — base, shaft, branches, cups, buds, and flowers — was hammered from a single mass of gold. No pieces were cast separately and welded together. The unity of the lampstand from one piece emphasizes that the light of God's presence is an undivided whole. The skill required to produce this intricate, branching, flower-adorned structure from a single piece of metal by hammering alone testifies to the extraordinary gifting of the Spirit (Exodus 31:3-5).
גְּבִעִים מְשֻׁקָּדִים ("cups shaped like almond blossoms") — The Pual participle מְשֻׁקָּדִים ("almond-shaped") comes from שָׁקַד, which also means "to watch, to be alert." There is a deliberate wordplay here that the prophet Jeremiah exploits: when God shows Jeremiah an almond branch (מַקֵּל שָׁקֵד), he says, "I am watching (שֹׁקֵד) over my word to perform it" (Jeremiah 1:11-12). The almond tree is the first to blossom in Israel's spring, a watchful tree. The lampstand, decorated with almond blossoms, is thus not merely ornamental but a statement: God is watching, alert, awake. His light does not sleep.
כַּפְתֹּר ("bud" or "knob") and פֶּרַח ("blossom" or "flower") — The lampstand is designed to look like a living, flowering tree. The central shaft has four almond-blossom cups, and each of the six branches has three. The buds appear at the junction points where branches emerge from the shaft. The overall effect is of a golden tree ablaze with light — a deliberate echo of the tree of life in Eden (Genesis 2:9). The tabernacle, guarded by cherubim and lit by a golden tree, is a symbolic return to the garden of God's presence.
כִּכָּר זָהָב טָהוֹר ("a talent of pure gold") — A talent weighed approximately 75 pounds (34 kg). At modern gold prices this would represent an enormous sum, but even in the ancient world it was a staggering quantity of gold for a single object. The entire lampstand with all its utensils — seven lamps, wick trimmers, and fire pans — came from this one talent. The weight specification serves as a guarantor of the object's value and a testimony to the generosity of the people who contributed materials (Exodus 35:21-29).
נֵרֹת ("lamps") — The seven lamps sat atop the seven branches (six side branches plus the central shaft). Seven in the Hebrew Bible is the number of completeness and divine fullness. Seven lamps provide complete illumination of the Holy Place. The prophet Zechariah sees a vision of a golden lampstand with seven lamps and is told, "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:2-6) — connecting the lampstand's light directly to the work of God's Spirit. The מַלְקָחַיִם ("wick trimmers" or "tongs") and מַחְתֹּת ("trays" or "fire pans") were the maintenance tools for keeping the lamps burning, part of the priest's daily duty (Exodus 27:20-21).
The Altar of Incense (vv. 25-28)
25 He made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns were of one piece. 26 And he overlaid with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns. Then he made a molding of gold around it. 27 He made two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it. 28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
25 Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood — a cubit its length, a cubit its width (it was square), and two cubits its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. 26 He overlaid it with pure gold — its top, its walls all around, and its horns. And he made a rim of gold around it. 27 He made two rings of gold for it below its rim, on its two sides, on its two opposite sides, as holders for the poles with which to carry it. 28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
Notes
מִזְבַּח הַקְּטֹרֶת ("the altar of incense") — The incense altar stood in the Holy Place, directly in front of the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Its position is theologically significant: it is as close to God's throne (the mercy seat) as one can get without passing through the veil. The incense altar's instructions were originally given in Exodus 30:1-10, separated from the other furniture instructions in Exodus 25. Some scholars suggest this separation indicates that the incense altar mediates between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, belonging in a sense to both.
קְטֹרֶת ("incense") — From the root קָטַר ("to burn, to send up in smoke"), incense in the biblical world served as a symbol of prayer ascending to God. The psalmist makes this connection explicit: "Let my prayer be set before you as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering" (Psalm 141:2). In Revelation 5:8 and Revelation 8:3-4, the incense before God's throne is identified with "the prayers of the saints." The burning of incense was exclusively a priestly act, and unauthorized incense led to severe consequences (Leviticus 10:1-2, Numbers 16:35, 2 Chronicles 26:16-21).
קַרְנֹתָיו ("its horns") — Like the burnt offering altar (Exodus 27:2), the incense altar had four horns projecting from its corners. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest applied blood from the sin offering to these horns (Exodus 30:10). Horns in the ancient Near East symbolize power and authority. The horns of the altar represent the efficacy of the prayers and atonement made there. That they were מִמֶּנּוּ הָיוּ ("of one piece with it") — literally "from it they were" — means the horns grew organically from the altar itself, not as appendages but as an integral part of its structure.
The incense altar is smaller than the other furniture: one cubit square and two cubits high (roughly 1.5 feet square and 3 feet tall, or about 0.5 by 0.5 by 1 meter). Its modest size reflects its function — it was not for large offerings but for the delicate, fragrant smoke of incense. Yet its construction is identical in quality to the grander pieces: acacia wood, pure gold overlay, gold crown-molding, gold rings, and gold-covered carrying poles. No piece of the tabernacle's furniture, however small, is treated as less worthy of the finest materials and craftsmanship.
The Anointing Oil and Incense (v. 29)
29 He also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.
29 And he made the holy anointing oil and the pure spice incense, the work of a perfumer.
Notes
שֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה קֹדֶשׁ ("the holy anointing oil") — The recipe for this oil was given in Exodus 30:22-33, consisting of myrrh, cinnamon, fragrant cane, cassia, and olive oil. It was to be used exclusively for anointing the tabernacle, its furniture, and the priests. To reproduce it for common use was a capital offense (Exodus 30:33). The word מִשְׁחָה ("anointing") is related to מָשִׁיחַ ("anointed one," "Messiah"). Every application of this oil pointed forward to the ultimate Anointed One — the Christ — who would be anointed not with oil but with the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 61:1, Acts 10:38).
קְטֹרֶת הַסַּמִּים טָהוֹר ("the pure spice incense") — The recipe for the incense was given in Exodus 30:34-38: stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense in equal parts. Like the anointing oil, it was sacred and could not be replicated for personal use. The adjective טָהוֹר ("pure") — the same word used repeatedly for the gold in this chapter — applies to the incense itself. Purity is the governing requirement for everything that enters God's presence.
מַעֲשֵׂה רֹקֵחַ ("the work of a perfumer") — The רֹקֵחַ is a specialist in blending spices and fragrances, what we might call an apothecary or perfumer. This single verse compresses what must have been careful, skilled labor into a brief summary. The chapter thus moves from large-scale construction (the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altar) to the preparation of sacred substances. Every element of worship — structural, visual, and aromatic — is deliberately and skillfully crafted. The sense of smell, often overlooked, is drawn into the worship of God: his dwelling is not only glorious to see but fragrant to inhale, a space that engages every sense in the experience of holiness.
This verse concludes the account of the tabernacle's interior furnishings. The chapter as a whole follows the order of the original instructions: ark and mercy seat (Exodus 25:10-22), table (Exodus 25:23-30), lampstand (Exodus 25:31-40), incense altar (Exodus 30:1-10), anointing oil (Exodus 30:22-33), and incense (Exodus 30:34-38). The faithful correspondence between command and execution is a central theme of Exodus 35-40 and will culminate in the declaration that Moses inspected the work and found it done "just as the LORD had commanded" (Exodus 39:43).