Five of these curtains were joined together to make one long curtain, and the other five were joined to make a second long curtain.
Parallel translations
- WEB He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another.
- KJV And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another.
- BSB And he joined five of the curtains together, and the other five he joined as well.
- NKJV And he coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another.
- NASB He joined five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he joined to one another.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The curtains are joined into two sets of five each.
Overview
The ten curtains are coupled into two larger panels, following the divine blueprint exactly. Each step of assembly shows meticulous obedience to God's instructions. The joining of many curtains into one tabernacle quietly pictures how God unites many into one dwelling place for Himself (Ephesians 2:21-22).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ps 122:3Jerusalem, that is built as a city that is compact together;
- 1 Cor 1:10Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
- Exod 26:3Five curtains shall be coupled together to one another; and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.
- Phil 3:15Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to you.
- Eph 4:2–6with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love;
- Phil 2:2make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind;
- 1 Cor 12:20But now they are many members, but one body.
- Zeph 3:9For then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that they may all call on Yahweh’s name, to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
- Acts 2:1Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place.
- Eph 1:23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
- Ps 133:1A Song of Ascents. By David. See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!
- Eph 2:21–22in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
- 1 Cor 12:27Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 36:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.