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Exodus 36

Exodus 36 records how God-given skill and willing gifts supply the work of building the sanctuary according to YHWH’s commands.

Moses calls Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other willing craftsmen whom YHWH has equipped with wisdom to build the sanctuary. Israel’s offerings arrive each morning until the workers report that they have more than enough, and Moses orders the giving to stop. The account then follows the construction of the tabernacle’s curtains and coverings, its wooden framework, and its veil and entrance screen. Measurements and materials record the work in detail.

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1“Bezalel and Oholiab shall work with every wise-hearted man, in whom the LORD has put wisdom and understanding to know how to do all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD has commanded.”
2Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to the work to do it.
3They received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, with which to make it. They kept bringing free will offerings to him every morning.
4All the wise men, who performed all the work of the sanctuary, each came from his work which he did.
5They spoke to Moses, saying, “The people have brought much more than enough for the service of the work which the LORD commanded to make.”
8All the wise-hearted men among those who did the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, blue, purple, and scarlet. They made them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman.
10He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another.
13He made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains to one another with the clasps: so the tabernacle was a unit.
20He made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up.
29They were double beneath, and in the same way they were all the way to its top to one ring. He did this to both of them in the two corners.
31He made bars of acacia wood: five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
35He made the veil of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cherubim. He made it the work of a skillful workman.
36He made four pillars of acacia for it, and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold. He cast four sockets of silver for them.
37He made a screen for the door of the tent, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer;
38and the five pillars of it with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals and their fillets with gold, and their five sockets were of bronze.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Exodus 36:1The opening verse identifies YHWH as the source of the workers’ skill and the authority governing their work.
Exodus 36:8The first construction report turns from gathering gifts to making the tabernacle, beginning with its embroidered linen curtains.
Exodus 36:2Moses calls workers whose God-given wisdom is joined with a willingness to undertake the sanctuary’s construction.
Where this chapter reaches

Exodus 36 shares with 2 Chronicles the account of skilled workers using fine materials to build a place for YHWH’s worship. Ephesians and 1 Corinthians share its theme of God supplying gifts to different people for work that serves the whole community.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What do you notice about the workers’ report and Moses’ decision to stop the offerings?

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How does the detailed construction account shape your understanding of the wisdom God gives these workers?

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Questions people ask about Exodus 36

Why did Moses stop the people from giving in Exodus 36?

The craftsmen reported that the people had brought more than the sanctuary’s construction required. Moses then announced throughout the camp that no man or woman should make anything else for the offering. Verse 7 explains the reason: the materials already supplied were sufficient for all the work, with a surplus.

What does “wise-hearted” mean in Exodus 36?

The chapter describes these workers as people to whom YHWH had given wisdom and understanding for the sanctuary’s construction. Their wisdom includes practical skill, shown in the weaving and woodwork that follow. Verse 2 also describes their willingness to come and do the work Moses assigned.

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What the Bible says about worship →

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).