And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
Parallel translations
- WEB He made bars of acacia wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
- BSB He also made five crossbars of acacia wood for the frames on one side of the tabernacle,
- NKJV And he made bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle,
- NASB Then he made bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle,
- NLT Then he made crossbars of acacia wood to link the frames, five crossbars for the north side of the Tabernacle
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
Acacia-wood crossbars were made to brace the wall frames, five for one side. These bars held the upright boards together horizontally.
Overview
The bars locked the standing boards into a unified, rigid wall, much as the curtains were made into 'a unit.' Together the boards and bars formed a stable, portable house for God's presence. The construction matches Exodus 26:26.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Exod 26:26–29And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
- Exod 30:5And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
- Exod 25:28And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.
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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 36:31 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
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