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Exodus 35

Exodus 35 places the tabernacle work under God’s command, joining Sabbath rest with willing gifts and God-given skill.

Moses gathers Israel and begins with YHWH’s command to keep the Sabbath, including a ban on kindling fire and a death penalty for work. He then calls for willing offerings and skilled workers to make the tabernacle and its furnishings. Men and women bring materials, and skilled women spin yarn. Moses names Bezalel and Oholiab as craftsmen whom God has equipped for the work and for teaching others.

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1Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said to them, “These are the words which the LORD has commanded, that you should do them.
2‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of solemn rest to the LORD: whoever does any work in it shall be put to death.
3You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations on the Sabbath day.’”
5‘Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD’s offering: gold, silver, bronze,
6blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair,
8oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense,
9onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate.
10“‘Let every wise-hearted man among you come, and make all that the LORD has commanded:
11the tabernacle, its outer covering, its roof, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets;
12the ark, and its poles, the mercy seat, the veil of the screen;
13the table with its poles and all its vessels, and the show bread;
14the lamp stand also for the light, with its vessels, its lamps, and the oil for the light;
15and the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle;
16the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its vessels, the basin and its base;
17the hangings of the court, its pillars, their sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court;
18the pins of the tabernacle, the pins of the court, and their cords;
19the finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place—the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons—to minister in the priest’s office.’”
21They came, everyone whose heart stirred him up, and everyone whom his spirit made willing, and brought the LORD’s offering for the work of the Tent of Meeting, and for all of its service, and for the holy garments.
22They came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought brooches, earrings, signet rings, and armlets, all jewels of gold; even every man who offered an offering of gold to the LORD.
23Everyone with whom was found blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, and sea cow hides, brought them.
25All the women who were wise-hearted spun with their hands, and brought that which they had spun: the blue, the purple, the scarlet, and the fine linen.
26All the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats’ hair.
27The rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate;
29The children of Israel brought a free will offering to the LORD; every man and woman whose heart made them willing to bring for all the work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by Moses.
30Moses said to the children of Israel, “Behold, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
31He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship;
34He has put in his heart that he may teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
35He has filled them with wisdom of heart to work all kinds of workmanship, of the engraver, of the skillful workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of those who do any workmanship, and of those who make skillful works.
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Key verses
Exodus 35:2The Sabbath command comes before the building instructions, establishing that even work for the tabernacle must respect God’s appointed rest.
Exodus 35:5The call for offerings makes a willing heart central to providing the materials for God’s dwelling.
Exodus 35:29This verse gathers the people’s varied contributions into one free will offering for the work God commanded.
Where this chapter reaches

Exodus 35 shares with 2 Corinthians an emphasis on willingness in giving, and with 1 Chronicles the event of people bringing gifts for a place of worship. Its account of God equipping craftsmen also connects with 1 Corinthians through the theme of God-given gifts serving a shared purpose.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What do you notice about the Sabbath command coming before the call to build the tabernacle?

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How does the attention to both donated materials and skilled labor shape your view of service?

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Questions people ask about Exodus 35

Why does Exodus 35 forbid lighting a fire on the Sabbath?

The ban on kindling fire is part of the command to keep the seventh day as holy rest to YHWH. The chapter also assigns death as the penalty for Sabbath work. It does not explain why fire is singled out or describe how the penalty was administered.

Were the offerings in Exodus 35 required or voluntary?

YHWH commands Moses to call for an offering, while the contributions come from those whose hearts are willing. Verse 29 calls their giving a “free will offering to the LORD”. The chapter sets out what the work needs without assigning each person a fixed amount.

Who are Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus 35?

Bezalel is a craftsman from Judah whom YHWH calls by name and fills with the Spirit of God for skilled work. Oholiab is from Dan. God gives both men wisdom for craftsmanship and the ability to teach others, preparing them for the tabernacle work.

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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).