Exodus 27
Big idea: Outside the tent: the altar where the sacrifice happens, the courtyard that fences the holy off from the ordinary camp, and a lamp that must never go out. The altar is bronze — five cubits square, hollow with planks, with horns at its four corners of one piece with it, a grating halfway down, and poles for carrying. The court is a hundred cubits by fifty, hung with fine linen on bronze-socketed pillars with silver hooks, with a twenty-cubit embroidered screen for the gate. And the chapter ends with an instruction addressed to the whole people: bring pure beaten olive oil, so that Aaron and his sons can keep a lamp burning in the tent from evening to morning, before Yahweh — a statute forever throughout their generations.
Chapter 27 finishes the structure and asks the people for oil to keep a light burning. Chapter 28 turns to the men who will tend it — and to garments made for glory and beauty.
27:1–8 — The bronze altar
An altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five wide — square — and three cubits high. Its horns are on its four corners, of one piece with it, and the whole thing overlaid with bronze. Its pots for ashes, shovels, basins, forks and fire pans are all bronze. A grating of bronze network with four bronze rings at its corners is set under the ledge, halfway up. Poles of acacia overlaid with bronze go through the rings on the two sides for carrying it. Make it hollow with planks — as it was shown to you on the mountain, so shall they make it.
1 “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide. The altar shall be square. Its height shall be three cubits. 2 You shall make its horns on its four corners. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with bronze. 3 You shall make its pots to take away its ashes; and its shovels, its basins, its meat hooks, and its fire pans. You shall make all its vessels of bronze. 4 You shall make a grating for it of network of bronze. On the net you shall make four bronze rings in its four corners. 5 You shall put it under the ledge around the altar beneath, that the net may reach halfway up the altar. 6 You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. 7 Its poles shall be put into the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar when carrying it. 8 You shall make it hollow with planks. They shall make it as it has been shown you on the mountain.
27:9–19 — The courtyard
The court of the tabernacle: for the south side, hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long, with twenty pillars on twenty bronze sockets, their hooks and fillets of silver. The same for the north. For the west side, fifty cubits of hangings with ten pillars and ten sockets. The east side is fifty cubits wide, with fifteen cubits of hangings on each side of the gate, and the gate itself a screen of twenty cubits of blue, purple, scarlet and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer, on four pillars. All the pillars of the court are filleted with silver, their hooks silver and their sockets bronze. The court is a hundred cubits long, fifty wide, five high, of fine twined linen with bronze sockets. And all the instruments of the tabernacle in all its service, and all its pegs and the pegs of the court, are bronze.
9 “You shall make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen one hundred cubits long for one side. 10 Its pillars shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. 11 Likewise for the length of the north side, there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, and its pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of bronze; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver. 12 For the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. 13 The width of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. 14 The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. 15 For the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. 16 For the gate of the court shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; their pillars four, and their sockets four. 17 All the pillars of the court around shall be filleted with silver; their hooks of silver, and their sockets of bronze. 18 The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, of fine twined linen, and their sockets of bronze. 19 All the instruments of the tabernacle in all its service, and all its pins, and all the pins of the court, shall be of bronze.
27:20–21 — A lamp that never goes out
Command the children of Israel to bring pure olive oil, beaten, for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the covenant, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Yahweh — a statute forever throughout their generations, on behalf of the children of Israel.
20 “You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. 21 In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the covenant, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Yahweh: it shall be a statute forever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).