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📖 Exodus introduction

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1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3You shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen off the ark with the veil. 4Then you shall bring in the table and arrange what belongs on it; and you shall bring in the lampstand and mount its lamps. 5You shall also set the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the testimony, and set up the curtain for the doorway to the tabernacle. 6And you shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7Then you shall set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 8You shall also set up the courtyard all around and hang up the curtain for the gate of the courtyard. 9Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furnishings; and it shall be holy. 10You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, and the altar shall be most holy. 11And you shall anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it. 12Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13And you shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, so that he may serve as a priest to Me. 14You shall also bring his sons and put tunics on them; 15and you shall anoint them just as you have anointed their father, so that they may serve as priests to Me; and their anointing will qualify them for a permanent priesthood throughout their generations.” 16So Moses did these things; according to all that the Lord had commanded him, so he did. 17Now in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. 18Moses erected the tabernacle and laid its bases, and set up its boards, and inserted its bars, and erected its pillars. 19And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20Then he took the testimony and put it into the ark, and attached the poles to the ark, and put the atoning cover on top of the ark. 21He then brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up a veil for the covering, and screened off the ark of the testimony, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22He also put the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. 23And he set the arrangement of bread in order on it before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24Then he placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. 25And he lighted the lamps before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 26Then he placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the veil; 27and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 28Then he set up the curtain for the doorway of the tabernacle. 29And he set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing. 31From it Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. 32When they entered the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33And he erected the courtyard all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the curtain for the gate of the courtyard. So Moses finished the work. 34Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36Throughout their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; 37but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up. 38For throughout their journeys, the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.

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

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

Where this chapter connects

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 40 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 40YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and chapter teaching from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — Exodus 40David 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 40Blue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Interlinear, lexicon, and study tools across the chapter.