Exodus 37
Big idea: Bezalel makes the furniture, and the chapter is written almost entirely with him as its subject: he made, he overlaid, he cast, he beat. The ark of acacia, gold inside and out, with its rings and poles; the mercy seat with two cherubim of beaten gold, wings spread above it, faces toward one another and toward the mercy seat. The table with its gold molding, rim, rings, poles and vessels. The lampstand of pure gold — base, shaft, cups, buds and flowers all of one hammered piece, with six branches, almond-blossom cups, seven lamps, snuffers and dishes, out of a talent of pure gold. And the incense altar, square, gold-overlaid, with its rings and poles — and the holy anointing oil and the pure sweet incense, after the art of the perfumer.
Chapter 37 finishes what goes inside the tent. Chapter 38 goes outside — the bronze altar, the basin, the courtyard, and an audit of everything the offering came to.
37:1–9 — The ark and the cherubim
Bezalel makes the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide and high. He overlays it with pure gold inside and outside and makes a gold molding around it. He casts four rings of gold for its four feet, two on one side and two on the other, makes poles of acacia overlaid with gold, and puts them into the rings to carry it. He makes a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits by a cubit and a half, and two cherubim of gold — of beaten work, at the two ends of the mercy seat, one at each end, of one piece with it. The cherubim spread out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, their faces toward one another and toward the mercy seat.
1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Its length was two and a half cubits, and its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height. 2 He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold for it around it. 3 He cast four rings of gold for it in its four feet—two rings on its one side, and two rings on its other side. 4 He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. 6 He made a mercy seat of pure gold. Its length was two and a half cubits, and a cubit and a half its width. 7 He made two cherubim of gold. He made them of beaten work, at the two ends of the mercy seat: 8 one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. He made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. 9 The cherubim spread out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.
37:10–24 — The table and the lampstand
He makes the table of acacia wood, two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high, overlaid with pure gold with a gold molding around it. He makes a border of a handbreadth around it and a gold molding on the border, casts four gold rings and puts them in the four corners by the four feet, close to the border, as places for the poles; the poles are acacia overlaid with gold. He makes the vessels on the table — its dishes, spoons, bowls and pitchers for pouring out — of pure gold. Then the lampstand of pure gold, of beaten work: its base, shaft, cups, buds and flowers of one piece. Six branches go out of its sides, three on each, each with three almond-blossom cups with a bud and a flower; the lampstand itself has four such cups, with buds under the pairs of branches, all of one piece, one beaten work of pure gold. He makes its seven lamps, its snuffers and its snuff dishes of pure gold — made of a talent of pure gold with all its vessels.
10 He made the table of acacia wood. Its length was two cubits, and its width was a cubit, and its height was a cubit and a half. 11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it. 12 He made a border of a hand’s width around it, and made a golden molding on its border around it. 13 He cast four rings of gold for it, and put the rings in the four corners that were on its four feet. 14 The rings were close by the border, the places for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 16 He made the vessels which were on the table, its dishes, its spoons, its bowls, and its pitchers with which to pour out, of pure gold. 17 He made the lamp stand of pure gold. He made the lamp stand of beaten work. Its base, its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its flowers were of one piece with it. 18 There were six branches going out of its sides: three branches of the lamp stand out of its one side, and three branches of the lamp stand out of its other side: 19 three cups made like almond blossoms in one branch, a bud and a flower, and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bud and a flower; so for the six branches going out of the lamp stand. 20 In the lamp stand were four cups made like almond blossoms, its buds and its flowers; 21 and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of it. 22 Their buds and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole thing was one beaten work of pure gold. 23 He made its seven lamps, and its snuffers, and its snuff dishes, of pure gold. 24 He made it of a talent of pure gold, with all its vessels.
37:25–29 — The incense altar, the oil, the incense
He makes the altar of incense of acacia wood, square — a cubit long and a cubit wide — and two cubits high, its horns of one piece with it. He overlays it with pure gold: its top, its sides around it, and its horns, and makes a gold molding around it. He makes two golden rings for it under its molding crown, on its two ribs, on its two sides, as places for poles to carry it; and he makes the poles of acacia wood and overlays them with gold. And he makes the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.
25 He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. It was square: its length was a cubit, and its width a cubit. Its height was two cubits. Its horns were of one piece with it. 26 He overlaid it with pure gold: its top, its sides around it, and its horns. He made a gold molding around it. 27 He made two golden rings for it under its molding crown, on its two ribs, on its two sides, for places for poles with which to carry it. 28 He made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. 29 He made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).