All the tent pegs used in the Tabernacle and courtyard were made of bronze.
Parallel translations
- WEB All the pins of the tabernacle, and around the court, were of brass.
- KJV And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass.
- BSB All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the surrounding courtyard were bronze.
- NKJV All the pegs of the tabernacle, and of the court all around, were bronze.
- NASB All the pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard all around were of bronze.
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
Even the lowly tent pegs of the tabernacle and its courtyard were made of bronze. Every detail, however humble, was crafted according to God's design.
Overview
This closes the description of the tabernacle's framework by noting that all the pins (pegs) anchoring the structure were of bronze. The mention of such a minor item underscores that nothing in God's dwelling was left to chance or human preference; everything followed the pattern God gave. Faithfulness shows itself in small, unseen details as well as in great ones.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Col 2:19and not holding firmly to the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and ligaments, grows with God’s growth.
- 2 Chr 3:9The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He overlaid the upper rooms with gold.
- Eccl 12:11The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
- Exod 27:19All the instruments of the tabernacle in all its service, and all its pins, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
- Isa 22:23I will fasten him like a nail in a sure place. He will be for a throne of glory to his father’s house.
- Eph 2:21–22in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
- Isa 33:20Look at Zion, the city of our appointed festivals. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tent that won’t be removed. Its stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.
- Ezra 9:8Now for a little moment grace has been shown from Yahweh our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and revived us a little in our bondage.
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 38:20 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.