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Exodus 31

God equips workers for his dwelling, commands Israel’s Sabbath rest, and gives Moses the written tablets of the covenant.

On Mount Sinai, YHWH names Bezalel and Oholiab to make the Tent of Meeting and its furnishings, along with the priestly garments. God equips the craftsmen with wisdom and skill to carry out his commands. He then tells Moses to charge Israel with keeping the Sabbath as a covenant sign, attaching the death penalty to its violation. When God finishes speaking, he gives Moses two stone tablets of the covenant, written with God’s finger.

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2“Behold, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
3I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship,
4to devise skillful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze,
6Behold, I myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all who are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you:
7the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat that is on it, all the furniture of the Tent,
8the table and its vessels, the pure lamp stand with all its vessels, the altar of incense,
9the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels, the basin and its base,
10the finely worked garments—the holy garments for Aaron the priest, the garments of his sons to minister in the priest’s office—
11the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded you they shall do.”
13“Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Most certainly you shall keep my Sabbaths; for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
14You shall keep the Sabbath therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
15Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death.
16Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.’”
18When he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave Moses the two tablets of the covenant, stone tablets, written with God’s finger.
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Key verses
Exodus 31:13The Sabbath marks Israel’s covenant relationship with YHWH and identifies him as the one who makes them holy.
Exodus 31:18The stone tablets close God’s speech to Moses with a written covenant whose source is God himself.
Exodus 31:3Bezalel’s craftsmanship comes from God’s Spirit, who supplies the wisdom and skill needed to carry out God’s commands.
Where this chapter reaches

Genesis supplies the creation pattern echoed in the Sabbath command: six days of making heaven and earth followed by rest on the seventh. Ezekiel shares the language of Sabbath as a sign that YHWH sanctifies Israel, while Deuteronomy recounts Moses receiving the stone tablets written by God.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What do you notice about the kinds of work God equips Bezalel to do?

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How does the Sabbath command shape your reading of the instructions to build God’s dwelling?

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Questions people ask about Exodus 31

Who are Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus 31?

Bezalel is a craftsman from Judah whom God calls by name and fills with his Spirit for skilled work. Oholiab, from Dan, is appointed to work with him. Alongside other workers given wisdom by God, they are to make the Tent of Meeting, its furnishings, and the priestly garments.

Why does Exodus 31 prescribe death for breaking the Sabbath?

The chapter identifies the Sabbath as holy and as a covenant sign between YHWH and Israel. Working on it therefore violates an explicit covenant command, for which the text prescribes death. The passage stresses the seriousness of that violation without giving a fuller explanation of the penalty’s severity.

What does “written with God’s finger” mean in Exodus 31:18?

The phrase attributes the writing on the stone tablets to God himself. Moses receives the tablets when God finishes speaking on Mount Sinai. The text does not explain the physical process of inscription; its emphasis is that the covenant tablets come from God and carry his authority.

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Exodus · 40 chapters
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).