Exodus 40
Big idea: On the first day of the first month of the second year, the tabernacle is raised. God gives the order of assembly and Moses carries it out piece by piece, and after each one the narrator writes the same seven words: as Yahweh commanded Moses. The ark goes in and the veil is set up; the table is set in order, the lamps are lit, the incense burned, the screen hung, the altar and basin set in place, the court raised around it. And when Moses has finished the work, the cloud covers the Tent of Meeting and Yahweh's glory fills the tabernacle — so full that Moses himself cannot enter. The book ends with a people who follow a cloud: when it lifts they travel, when it stays they stay, with fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
Exodus ends with God at home in the middle of the camp and Moses unable to enter for the glory. Leviticus opens with the answer to that problem: Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him out of the Tent of Meeting.
40:1–16 — On the first day of the first month
Yahweh tells Moses: on the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. Put the ark of the covenant in it and screen the ark with the veil. Bring in the table and set in order the things on it; bring in the lampstand and light its lamps. Set the golden altar for incense before the ark and put up the screen of the door. Set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle, and the basin between the tent and the altar, and put water in it. Set up the court around it and hang the screen at its gate. Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it, and sanctify it and all its furniture, that it may be holy; anoint the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels and sanctify it, that it may be most holy; anoint the basin and its base. Bring Aaron and his sons to the door and wash them with water; put the holy garments on Aaron, anoint him and sanctify him, and clothe and anoint his sons, that they may minister as priests — their anointing shall be for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. Moses did so; according to all that Yahweh commanded him, so he did.
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. 3 You shall put the ark of the covenant in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. 4 You shall bring in the table, and set in order the things that are on it. You shall bring in the lamp stand, and light its lamps. 5 You shall set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the covenant, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. 6 “You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. 7 You shall set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and shall put water therein. 8 You shall set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court. 9 “You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture, and it will be holy. 10 You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar, and the altar will be most holy. 11 You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it. 12 “You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water. 13 You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. 14 You shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them. 15 You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.” 16 Moses did so. According to all that Yahweh commanded him, so he did.
40:17–33 — As Yahweh commanded Moses
In the first month in the second year, on the first day, the tabernacle is raised up. Moses lays its sockets, sets up its boards, puts in its bars and raises its pillars. He spreads the covering over the tent and puts the roof above it, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He takes the covenant and puts it into the ark, sets the poles on it and puts the mercy seat on top; brings the ark into the tabernacle and sets up the veil of the screen and screens the ark of the covenant, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He puts the table in the tent on the north side outside the veil and sets the bread in order on it before Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He puts the lampstand opposite the table on the south side and lights the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He puts the golden altar before the veil and burns sweet incense on it, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He puts up the screen of the door; sets the altar of burnt offering at the door and offers on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He sets the basin between the tent and the altar and puts water in it to wash with, and Moses, Aaron and his sons wash their hands and feet there whenever they go in or come near the altar, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He raises up the court around the tabernacle and the altar and sets up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.
17 In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was raised up. 18 Moses raised up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up its boards, and put in its bars, and raised up its pillars. 19 He spread the covering over the tent, and put the roof of the tabernacle above on it, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 20 He took and put the covenant into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark. 21 He brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the covenant, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 22 He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside of the veil. 23 He set the bread in order on it before Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 24 He put the lamp stand in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. 25 He lit the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 26 He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting before the veil; 27 and he burned incense of sweet spices on it, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 28 He put up the screen of the door to the tabernacle. 29 He set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 30 He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water therein, with which to wash. 31 Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there. 32 When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near to the altar, they washed, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 33 He raised up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.
40:34–38 — The glory filled the tabernacle
Then the cloud covers the Tent of Meeting, and Yahweh's glory fills the tabernacle. Moses is not able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stays on it and Yahweh's glory fills the tabernacle. When the cloud is taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel go onward, throughout all their journeys; but if the cloud is not taken up, then they do not travel until the day that it is taken up. For the cloud of Yahweh is on the tabernacle by day, and there is fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and Yahweh’s glory filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses wasn’t able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and Yahweh’s glory filled the tabernacle. 36 When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys; 37 but if the cloud wasn’t taken up, then they didn’t travel until the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of Yahweh was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).