Then he constructed the courtyard. The south side of the courtyard was a hundred cubits long and had curtains of finely spun linen,
Parallel translations
- WEB He made the court: for the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, one hundred cubits;
- KJV And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits:
- NKJV Then he made the court on the south side; the hangings of the court were of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long.
- NASB Then he made the courtyard: for the south side the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, a hundred cubits;
- NLT Then Bezalel made the courtyard, which was enclosed with curtains made of finely woven linen. On the south side the curtains were 150 feet long.
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 courtyard was enclosed, with the south side curtained in fine linen one hundred cubits long. This marked off the sacred space around the tabernacle.
Overview
The linen hangings formed a boundary separating the holy courtyard from the common camp, controlling how people approached God. The fine white linen suggests purity required to draw near. The construction follows Exodus 27:9.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Exod 27:9–19You are also to make a courtyard for the tabernacle. On the south side of the courtyard make curtains of finely spun linen, a hundred cubits long on one side,
- Ps 89:7In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him.
- Exod 40:33And Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar, and he hung the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.
- 1 Kgs 6:36Solomon built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and one row of trimmed cedar beams.
- Ps 92:13Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
- Ps 100:4Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name.
- Ps 84:10For better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
- Ps 84:2My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
- Exod 40:8Set up the surrounding courtyard and hang the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard.
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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 38:9 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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