He made its horns on its four corners; the horns were of one piece with it. And he overlaid it with bronze.
Parallel translations
- WEB He made its horns on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with brass.
- KJV And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same: and he overlaid it with brass.
- BSB He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze.
- NASB And he made its horns on its four corners, its horns being of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.
- NLT He made horns for each of its four corners so that the horns and altar were all one piece. He overlaid the altar with 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
Horns were made at the altar's four corners, of one piece with it, and the whole was overlaid with bronze. The horns marked it as a place of atonement and refuge.
Overview
Blood was applied to the horns in sacrifices, and fugitives could grasp them seeking mercy (1 Kings 1:50). The bronze overlay suited an altar exposed to fire and the outer court. The horns and blood point to the atonement secured in Christ, our refuge. The work follows Exodus 27:2.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
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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 38:2 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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