Exodus 39

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¹The craftsmen made beautiful sacred garments of blue, purple, and scarlet cloth—clothing for Aaron to wear while ministering in the Holy Place, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ✦ ²Bezalel made the ephod of finely woven linen and embroidered it with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. ✦ ³He made gold thread by hammering out thin sheets of gold and cutting it into fine strands. With great skill and care, he worked it into the fine linen with the blue, purple, and scarlet thread. ✦ ⁴The ephod consisted of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders with two shoulder-pieces. ⁵The decorative sash was made of the same materials: finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ✦ ⁶They mounted the two onyx stones in settings of gold filigree. The stones were engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel, just as a seal is engraved. ✦ ⁷He fastened these stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod as a reminder that the priest represents the people of Israel. All this was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ✦ ⁸Bezalel made the chestpiece with great skill and care. He made it to match the ephod, using finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. ✦ ⁹He made the chestpiece of a single piece of cloth folded to form a pouch nine inches square. ¹⁰They mounted four rows of gemstones on it. The first row contained a red carnelian, a pale-green peridot, and an emerald. ✦ ¹¹The second row contained a turquoise, a blue lapis lazuli, and a white moonstone. ✦ ¹²The third row contained an orange jacinth, an agate, and a purple amethyst. ¹³The fourth row contained a blue-green beryl, an onyx, and a green jasper. All these stones were set in gold filigree. ¹⁴Each stone represented one of the twelve sons of Israel, and the name of that tribe was engraved on it like a seal. ✦ ¹⁵To attach the chestpiece to the ephod, they made braided cords of pure gold thread. ✦ ¹⁶They also made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings and attached them to the top corners of the chestpiece. ✦ ¹⁷They tied the two gold cords to the rings on the chestpiece. ¹⁸They tied the other ends of the cords to the gold settings on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod. ✦ ¹⁹Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the inside edges of the chestpiece next to the ephod. ²⁰Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the front of the ephod, below the shoulder-pieces, just above the knot where the decorative sash was fastened to the ephod. ✦ ²¹They attached the bottom rings of the chestpiece to the rings on the ephod with blue cords. In this way, the chestpiece was held securely to the ephod above the decorative sash. All this was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ✦ ²²Bezalel made the robe that is worn with the ephod from a single piece of blue woven cloth, ✦ ²³with an opening for Aaron’s head in the middle of it. The opening was reinforced with a woven collar so it would not tear. ²⁴They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and attached them to the hem of the robe. ✦ ²⁵They also made bells of pure gold and placed them between the pomegranates along the hem of the robe, ✦ ²⁶with bells and pomegranates alternating all around the hem. This robe was to be worn whenever the priest ministered before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ✦ ²⁷They made tunics for Aaron and his sons from fine linen cloth. ✦ ²⁸The turban and the special head coverings were made of fine linen, and the undergarments were also made of finely woven linen. ✦ ²⁹The sashes were made of finely woven linen and embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ✦ ³⁰Finally, they made the sacred medallion—the badge of holiness—of pure gold. They engraved it like a seal with these words: Holy to the Lord. ✦ ³¹They attached the medallion with a blue cord to Aaron’s turban, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³²And so at last the Tabernacle was finished. The Israelites had done everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ✦ ³³And they brought the entire Tabernacle to Moses: the sacred tent with all its furnishings, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases; ✦ ³⁴the tent coverings of tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather; the inner curtain to shield the Ark; ³⁵the Ark of the Covenant and its carrying poles; the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement; ✦ ³⁶the table and all its utensils; the Bread of the Presence; ✦ ³⁷the pure gold lampstand with its symmetrical lamp cups, all its accessories, and the olive oil for lighting; ✦ ³⁸the gold altar; the anointing oil and fragrant incense; the curtain for the entrance of the sacred tent; ✦ ³⁹the bronze altar; the bronze grating and its carrying poles and utensils; the washbasin with its stand; ✦ ⁴⁰the curtains for the walls of the courtyard; the posts and their bases; the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the ropes and tent pegs; all the furnishings to be used in worship at the Tabernacle; ✦ ⁴¹the beautifully stitched garments for the priests to wear while ministering in the Holy Place—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests. ✦ ⁴²So the people of Israel followed all of the Lord’s instructions to Moses. ✦ ⁴³Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the Lord had commanded him, he blessed them. ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

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.

Where this chapter connects

Exod 28 ·24 Exod 25 ·13 Exod 35 ·7 Lev 8 ·5 Exod 39 ·5 Exod 26 ·4 Heb 9 ·4 Exod 31 ·4

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 39 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.

Resources, by level

Lay

★ Start hereDocumentaryExpedition BibleJoel Kramer · Free · evangelical
On-location biblical archaeology from a credentialed archaeologist (M.A., excavated in Israel) — the best free place to start on "did it really happen?"
★ Start hereVideoBibleProject — video overviews & word studiesBibleProject · 5–10 min · Free · evangelical
Free animated overviews of every book of the Bible, plus themes and Hebrew/Greek word studies — the best visual on-ramp to any book. (Biblical-theology, broadly evangelical, not distinctly Reformed.)
★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical
A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.
VideoSpoken GospelSpoken Gospel · Free · evangelical
Short, gospel-centered videos and spoken-word poems showing how each passage points to Jesus — especially strong on the Old Testament.
DocumentaryPatterns of Evidence: The ExodusTim Mahoney · Paid · evangelical
Investigates the archaeological evidence for the Exodus. Note: it advances a minority biblical chronology that mainstream scholars dispute — engaging, but weigh its conclusions critically.

Pastoral

★ Start hereCommentaryExodus (New American Commentary)Douglas K. Stuart · Paid · evangelical
The best evangelical, semi-technical commentary on Exodus — accessible to pastors and serious students.
DocumentaryThat the World May KnowRay Vander Laan · Paid · evangelical
Ray Vander Laan's on-location series immersing you in the Bible's historical and cultural world. (Mostly paid via Focus on the Family; some free clips.)
SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical
Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Commentaries & study tools

VideoBibleProject — Exodus videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
VideoWatch teaching on Exodus 39YouTube · Lay · Free
Sermons and chapter teaching from across YouTube.
CommentaryEnduring Word — Exodus 39David Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical
Readable, verse-by-verse exposition of the whole chapter.
CommentaryMatthew Henry on ExodusMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
ReferenceBlue Letter Bible — Exodus 39Blue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free
Interlinear, lexicon, and study tools across the chapter.

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