Exodus 35

1. And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.

Here we read that Moses gathered the congregation of the children of Israel together. The word for gathered is the Hebrew qahal, a verb that means to assemble in qahel or a representative gathering. The congregation is the Hebrew ‘edah, meaning an assembly. In this case the assembly was of the qahel, the representative leaders of the people. The “children of Israel” is in Hebrew the sons of Israel, sons meaning their representative men. All these words used here speak of an assembly of representative leaders.

Moses now speaks to the convened assembly of the representatives of Israel. He presents to them the words that the LORD gave in charge for them to do. This will summarize some of the things we read in previous chapters, as we will see in the following verses.

2. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.

Six days they may perform their labor, but the seventh day is to be considered holy or set apart from all the other days as a Shabath of rest for them. The word is an intensive form of shavath, which means rest. Then, the word translated rest is shabathon, and we might make this “a sabbath of sabbatizing to Jehovah.” As in Exodus 31:14, they are commanded to execute any Israelite who would dare to conduct business of any kind on this day.

The Sabbath was of the utmost importance to the people of Israel. It was a thing that God gave to them, and one of the things that made them a different nation. No other nation had the Sabbath but the nation of Israel. It was to be a sign between Israel and God of their relationship. It was rather like a wedding ring, a sign of an agreement between two parties. For them to violate it was like a woman dishonoring her wedding ring. It would be to scorn the relationship. This was not to be allowed. Anyone who did it was to die.

Bullinger points out that the repetition of this command is placed here in anticipation of the next command to commence the work on the Tabernacle. By this, they are reminded of the commandment as to the six days and the seventh in order to apply this command even to the making of the tent that was to become the movable house of Jehovah.

3. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.

This command was a strict one, and yet not so strict in their environment. Truly keeping the Sabbath could only be done in the land of Israel, and even then only when Israel has her autonomy, her own government, and is not under the control of others. They must also be their own people and not contaminated with other nations. Imagine if Israel today decided to stone to death any Christians or Muslims in their land who chose to work on the Sabbath day! Yet in ancient Israel no work of any kind was done on the Sabbath day by anyone, Israelite or foreigner. No whisp of smoke would come up from any shop or from any house. If a fire went out, they left it out, because no one could kindle a fire on the Sabbath day. Yet Israel was in had a very mild climate. It rarely got below freezing, though if the temperature got down to about forty degrees Fahrenheit you would want a fire. But Israel were a people used to hardship. They could take more cold than we would like to take, and they would take more heat than we would like to take. If they had to be chilly for a while at night in the wintertime, they could handle that. It was not a great burden.

Yet what if we wanted to keep the Sabbath in our more extreme climates today? There are places in the United States where the temperature can get down to forty degrees below zero Fahrenheit, and that is very cold. You could not survive without a fire at that temperature. If you had a sick person or a child in your house at even close to that temperature, you would have to rekindle the fire. But in Israel it was not so. In Israel they could live with the slight discomfort of not starting a fire on the Sabbath day. Yet what of those who claim they are keeping the Sabbath by going to church? Do they not start a fire when they turn the key and start the ignitions of their vehicles? This is not keeping the Sabbath at all!

4. And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,

Moses again speaks to the ‘edah or assembly of the sons of Israel, and again passes on to them Yahweh’s commands. These words mark out moving on to a new issue. The topic of Sabbath keeping was presented by itself as a separate and very important issue. As Bullinger pointed out, the point is that it is not to be violated, even in the building of the important Tabernacle for Yahweh. That work is not so important that they can ignore the Sabbath.

5. Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,

These representatives are to take from among those they represented an offering for Yehovah. This is a so-called “heave offering” or a contribution offering for Yehovah. This contribution is to be voluntary, and those who donate are to do so from a willing heart. The heart in the Hebrew figure is not the seat of emotions, as it is with us, but the inner being, where all true motivations are found. So they are to contribute willingly for their own reasons, and not by compunction. These people who did the giving could know that they had a definite part and made a definite contribution to the building of this tabernacle.

The first things to be donated are the three chief metals that were to be used in the building of the tabernacle. Gold was specified as part of the offering to be taken back in Exodus 25:3. It was then specified for use in building the Tabernacle and its articles in Exodus 25, 26, 28, and 30. Silver was also specified for the offering in Exodus 25:3, and its use was explained in Exodus 26 and 27. Brass, perhaps more accurately copper or bronze, was the third metal to be collected according to Exodus 25:13, and was specified for the building in Exodus 26, 27, and 30. Notice the figure Polysyndeton or Many Ands used through this list. These ands are to emphasize the fifteen articles to be offered in verses five to nine.

6. And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,

The blue, the purple, and the worm-scarlet were all specified for this offering back in Exodus 25:4, and how these three were to be used for the building was explained per Exodus 26, 27, and 28. These colors were cloths, and not a dye, just like the fine linen, which was set forth in the same chapters. Finally was the goat’s hair. The Hebrew is just the word for a female goat, so we might wonder if the idea is actually of goats’ skins, if it were not for Exodus 35:26, which specifies that this goats’ hair was to be spun, making it sound like hair was indeed the idea, and was to be woven into a cloth-like material as well. The hair of a she-goat was specified as part of the offering back in Exodus 25:4, and the use of it was explained in Exodus 26, though not in the two chapters after that.

7. And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,

Rams’ skins dyed red and badgers’ skins were both listed as part of the offering to be taken in Exodus 25:5, and their use as the covering for the tent of the Tabernacle was specified in Exodus 26:14. As for the shittim wood, as near as we can tell these were the choicest of trees found in the wilderness lands through which they traveled, and are probably what are today called the acacia trees. This was a hard, tough wood that they could make into boards. It was the wood used in the important wooden items made for the tabernacle, including the ark in Exodus 25, the boards and pillars of the tabernacle in Exodus 26, the altar of burnt offering in Exodus 27, and the altar of incense in Exodus 30.

8. And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,

Oil for the light in the Tabernacle was specified as part of the offering in Exodus 25:6, and its use was explained in Exodus 27:20. Spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense were commanded to be collected in Exodus 25:6 as well. Which spices were to be used for the anointing oil and how they were to be combined was explained in Exodus 30:23-25. Which spices were to be used for the sweet incense and how they were to be combined was explained in Exodus 30:34-36.

9. And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.

That onyx stones and other stones were to be donated for the building of the Tabernacle was set forth in Exodus 25:7. The setting of the stones in the efod was explained in Exodus 28:9-10, and the setting of the stones in the breastplate was specified in Exodus 28:17-21.

10. And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded;

Once this contribution offering is made, everyone who is wise or skillful and learned in heart is to come to help in the making of all that the LORD commanded. The heart is the Hebrew lev, meaning the inner being. One wise in heart about these things already has knowledge of such craft-work, in other words.

11. The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,

The building of the Tabernacle was explained in Exodus 26. The tent that was to cover the tabernacle was described in Exodus 26:7-13, with the covering of the tent specifically in Exodus 26:14. Taches were hooks or pins, and were also described in Exodus 26. The boards of the Tabernacle were set forth in Exodus 26:15-25. The bars of the Tabernacle were explained in Exodus 26:26-29. The pillars for the tabernacle were described in Exodus 26:32-37, and the pillars for the outer court around the Tabernacle in Exodus 27:10-17. The sockets for the boards were described in Exodus 26:19-25, for the pillars in Exodus 26:32-37, and for the outer court in Exodus 27:10-18.

Bullinger points out there are forty-two items enumerated in verses eleven to nineteen. There are many ands used in this portion, but there is not an and between each element of the list, so it is not the Hebrew figure Polysyndeton or Many Ands.

12. The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering,

The building of the ark is described in Exodus 25:10-22. The staves of the ark specifically were portrayed in Exodus 25:13-15. The making of the mercy seat was depicted in Exodus 25:17-22. The mercy seat was commanded to be placed on the ark as its cover in Exodus 26:34. The vail of the covering (usually spelled in modern English as veil) was explained in Exodus 26:31-35. It was called “of the covering” because it was to hang as a screen between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle.

13. The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread,

The making of the table was commanded in Exodus 25:23-30, and its placement in the Tabernacle was commanded in Exodus 26:35. The holy anointing oil was to be sprinkled on the table per Exodus 30:27, and the building of it by Bezaleel was commanded in Exodus 31:8. The staves or poles for carrying the table were described in Exodus 25:27-28. Vessels for the tabernacle were described in Exodus 25, 27, 30, and 31, though vessels specifically for the ark was mentioned perhaps only in Exodus 31:7. Shewbread or “Bread of the Presence” that was to be before God’s face was commanded for the table of shewbread in Exodus 25:30.

14. The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,

The menorah or lampstand for the light was commanded to be made in Exodus 25:31-35. Its placement in the Tabernacle was specified in Exodus 26:35. Its sprinkling with holy oil was to take place as explained in Exodus 30:27, and its making by Bezaleel was commanded in Exodus 31:8. The furniture or vessels for the lampstand were commanded to be made in Exodus 25:39. They were to be anointed with the holy oil per Exodus 30:27, and were to be made by Bezaleel per Exodus 31:8. The seven lamps of the lampstand were to be made according to Exodus 25:37. Olive oil was to be used to light them per Exodus 27:20. Aaron was to tend the lights in the morning and light them again in the evening per Exodus 30:7-8. Oil for the light was already mentioned in Exodus 35:8.

15. And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle,

The incense altar was introduced back in Exodus 30:1-9. The fact that Bezaleel was going to be the one to make it, along with his skilled craftsmen, was explained in Exodus 31:8. The staves for bearing the incense altar were specifically described in Exodus 30:4-5. Spices for making the anointing oil were to be collected according to Exodus 25:6. The anointing oil was commanded to be made in Exodus 30:22-33. It was to be used for anointing Aaron and his sons per Exodus 29:1-9, and it was to be made by Bezaleel and his craftsmen per Exodus 31:11. Spices for the sweet or spiced incense were collected according to Exodus 25:6, and it was to be burned on the altar of incense per Exodus 30:7. The making of the incense was described in Exodus 30:34-38, and Bezeleel and his craftsmen were to make it according to Exodus 31:11. The hanging or screen for the door of the tabernacle was commanded to be made in Exodus 26:36-37. The door here, the Hebrew petach, means an entrance, and refers to the entrance to the Tabernacle.

16. The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,

The altar of the burnt offering or ascension offering (because of the smoke that would ascend from it) was described in Exodus 27:1-8. The sacrifices that were to be performed on this altar were described in Exodus 29:10-30. The sanctifying of the altar was commanded in Exodus 29:38-46. That Bezaleel and his craftsmen were to make it was explained in Exodus 31:9. The bronze grate on the altar was described in Exodus 27:4, its staves in Exodus 27:6-7, and its vessels or utensils in Exodus 27:3. The bronze laver with its foot or base was explained in Exodus 30:18-21. That Bezeleel and his craftsmen were to build it was commanded in Exodus 31:9.

17. The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court,

The hangings of the court of the Tabernacle were commanded and described in Exodus 27:9-19. The pillars of the court are described in the same passage, along with its sockets. The hanging or screen for the door of the court was delineated in Exodus 27:16. The door here, the Hebrew sha‘ar, means a gate, so refers to the gate of the Tabernacle court.

18. The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords,

We would call the pins of the Tabernacle its tent pegs, for of course the Tabernacle was truly a tent. Both the pegs of the Tabernacle and of its court are mentioned only briefly in Exodus 27:19 as being made of brass. This is the first time the word cords appears, though certainly we would expect plenty of cords or ropes to be used in the putting together of a great tent like the Tabernacle.

19. The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.

God commanded and described the holy garments to be made for Aaron and his sons in Exodus 28. In Exodus 29, describing the consecration of the priests, told how these garments were to be put on them, and that they were to have the blood of the sacrifices given at the time of the priests’ installation sprinkled on them. In Exodus 31, these clothes of service were explained to be one of the things made by Bezaleel and his craftsmen. The words “of service” really mean of braided work, and they were called this before in Exodus 31:10. These clothes were to be worn when the priests did service in the holy place. These clothes of service include the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons. They were to be worn while they served as priests. This is actually a single word in Hebrew which we cannot duplicate, since we do not have a word that means “to act like a priest” in English. The nearest we could come would be to coin a term, “while they priest it.”

20. And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.

Moses has now finished commanding the assembly of Israel in keeping the Sabbath, in giving an offering for the building of the Tabernacle, and in supplying workmen for the crafting of all the holy articles needed for completing the Tabernacle God commanded. Now, the congregation of the sons of Israel is dismissed. This shows us that the Hebrew ‘edah, the congregation, did not mean the entire nation, but only the assembly of the representative men. These representative people were what is called in the Old Testament the qahel, and in the New Testament the ekklesia. Now they all leave the presence of Moses in order to carry Jehovah’s orders out to the entire nation. We will see how the nation responds in the next verse.