And the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers’ skins, and the vail of the covering,
Exodus 39:34 records the making of the outer roof coverings of the wilderness tabernacle and its inner veil, with rams' skins dyed red forming the third covering and badgers' skins, also understood as seal or porpoise skins, forming the fourth and outermost covering over the walls, while the vail of the covering hung between the two apartments. It was made in exact obedience to the directions given in Exodus 25-31 according to the pattern shown in the mount, and when the finished work was brought to Moses it was found to be a true pattern that brought blessing and glory. The coverings were fashioned from the willing offerings of Israel after the Exodus from Egypt so that God might dwell among them and reveal His love more fully, by workmen specially endowed by God. That sanctuary with its two apartments, summarized in Hebrews 9:1-5, was God's dwelling place through the wilderness and until Solomon's temple, centering on the most holy place holding the ark of the covenant with God's law beneath the mercy seat. With the rest of the sanctuary it stands as a great object-lesson of the plan of salvation and a type or shadow of the temple of God in heaven and Christ's priestly service there as High Priest, whose study gives clearer views of God's way and the Saviour's work for men.
Construction and Coverings
Exodus 39:34 belongs to the last six chapters of Exodus, which relate the preparation and fitting of the tabernacle, which was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year from the Exodus. In chronological order, the building and setting up in Exodus 33-40 came immediately after the instruction concerning the sanctuary given in the mount in Exodus 25-31, following the events of Exodus 19-32. It belongs to the very minute description in Exodus 25 to 40 of the sanctuary Moses was instructed to make exactly according to the pattern shown him in the mount.
That sanctuary was composed of two apartments separated by a veil, the first called the holy place twenty cubits long, ten cubits wide, and ten cubits high, and the second called the most holy place ten cubits in each dimension and therefore just half as large as the holy place. Its sides and west end were made of acacia boards overlaid with gold secured below by tenons fitted into silver sockets weighing a talent each and above by bars through rings attached to the boards. The outer coverings were rams' skins dyed red forming the third covering, and badgers' skins, also identified as seal or porpoise skins, forming the fourth and outermost covering. These coverings formed the tent roof over the sanctuary walls and reached down along both sides of the structure, while a veil separated its two apartments and an embroidered curtain enclosed the east entrance.
The curtain before the most holy place is called the vail of the covering, joining the Hebrew terms for hanging or covering and for vail. It is the third hanging of the tabernacle, after the hanging before the entrance to the court and the hanging before the door of the tabernacle. The same Hebrew word and the same Greek word katapetasma are applied both to the hanging at the outer entrance and to this inner vail, proving the covering of the outer entrance was a vail as well as the curtain before the most holy place.
The making of the covering of rams' skins dyed red and the covering of badgers' skins and the vail of the covering was in exact obedience to God's explicit directions for the sanctuary given in Exodus 25 to 31. The completed work described in Exodus 39:32-43 was submitted to Moses, who found it made as God had commanded, a true pattern. Its faithful completion, as part of the ark built with all its furniture and equipment centered on the holy of holies holding the ark of the covenant containing God's holy law written on tables of stone, brought blessing and glory down upon the congregation and the building. The account's building details are historically credible, since skilled craftsmanship and the working of materials such as fine linen and gold existed long before the Exodus.
Pattern and Sacred Purpose
The coverings of rams' skins dyed red and badgers' skins were made from the willing and free-will offerings of Israel in gold, silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats' hair, shittim wood, oil for light, spices, and stones for the ephod and breastplate, given to make a sanctuary for God to dwell among them. God asked Israel to make that sanctuary after leading them out of Egypt so He might dwell among them to reveal His great love more fully. It carried forward the unfolding plan of redemption beyond the simple service from Eden to the Exodus of offering a lamb for sin on an altar of rough stones with the father of each family acting as priest. It was built by workmen specially endowed by God according to the divine pattern given to Moses in the mount. That sanctuary, summarized in Hebrews 9:1-5, was God's dwelling place in the wilderness and through the time of the judges, Samuel, Saul, and David, until Solomon built the temple after the same pattern, which from its dedication when the glory of the Lord filled it was God's dwelling place among Israel.
Its worship and its ark with all its furniture centered on the holy of holies holding the ark of the covenant containing God's holy law written on tables of stone beneath the mercy seat. The verse belongs to the laws of Moses recorded in Exodus 20-40, which include ceremonial laws and types as well as moral laws. These laws preserve the offerings and sacrifices that serve as shadows from which the substance of the new dispensation can be traced. The marvelously beautiful sanctuary structure was a great, multiple object-lesson that by various forms and rites comprehended the teaching of the great plan of salvation for Israel after deliverance from Egyptian bondage. The completed tabernacle erected by Moses after his forty days' inspection of what was shown on the mount proves Moses built exactly according to the pattern shown him.
The earthly tabernacle with its two holy places, to which its covering and veil belonged, was a correct pattern or model of the heavenly sanctuary, which likewise has two holy places. If the earthly had two and the great original had only one, there would be perfect dissimilarity instead of likeness. With the rest of the earthly sanctuary and its service, the verse is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness to make the man of God perfect, and was written for learning to give patience, comfort, and hope. It is an impressive object-lesson and type or shadow of the temple of God in heaven and Christ's priestly service there as High Priest and Minister of the true sanctuary, whose rites taught His power to forgive sin and transform character, so that studying it gives clearer views of God's way, power, and glory and of the Saviour and His work for men. With Christ's sacrifice the earthly sanctuary's typical service passed away. The record shows the tabernacle with its coverings and veil finished and erected, then anointed with oil in preparation for the appointed priestly service carried forward day by day in the court and the first apartment through the year until the tenth day of the seventh month.
Exodus 39:34 records the making of the outer roof coverings of the wilderness tabernacle and its inner veil, with rams' skins dyed red forming the third covering and badgers' skins, also understood as seal or porpoise skins, forming the fourth and outermost covering over the walls, while the vail of the covering hung between the two apartments. It was made in exact obedience to the directions given in Exodus 25-31 according to the pattern shown in the mount, and when the finished work was brought to Moses it was found to be a true pattern that brought blessing and glory. The coverings were fashioned from the willing offerings of Israel after the Exodus from Egypt so that God might dwell among them and reveal His love more fully, by workmen specially endowed by God. That sanctuary with its two apartments, summarized in Hebrews 9:1-5, was God's dwelling place through the wilderness and until Solomon's temple, centering on the most holy place holding the ark of the covenant with God's law beneath the mercy seat. With the rest of the sanctuary it stands as a great object-lesson of the plan of salvation and a type or shadow of the temple of God in heaven and Christ's priestly service there as High Priest, whose study gives clearer views of God's way and the Saviour's work for men.
Construction and Coverings
Exodus 39:34 belongs to the last six chapters of Exodus, which relate the preparation and fitting of the tabernacle, which was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year from the Exodus. In chronological order, the building and setting up in Exodus 33-40 came immediately after the instruction concerning the sanctuary given in the mount in Exodus 25-31, following the events of Exodus 19-32. It belongs to the very minute description in Exodus 25 to 40 of the sanctuary Moses was instructed to make exactly according to the pattern shown him in the mount.
That sanctuary was composed of two apartments separated by a veil, the first called the holy place twenty cubits long, ten cubits wide, and ten cubits high, and the second called the most holy place ten cubits in each dimension and therefore just half as large as the holy place. Its sides and west end were made of acacia boards overlaid with gold secured below by tenons fitted into silver sockets weighing a talent each and above by bars through rings attached to the boards. The outer coverings were rams' skins dyed red forming the third covering, and badgers' skins, also identified as seal or porpoise skins, forming the fourth and outermost covering. These coverings formed the tent roof over the sanctuary walls and reached down along both sides of the structure, while a veil separated its two apartments and an embroidered curtain enclosed the east entrance.
The curtain before the most holy place is called the vail of the covering, joining the Hebrew terms for hanging or covering and for vail. It is the third hanging of the tabernacle, after the hanging before the entrance to the court and the hanging before the door of the tabernacle. The same Hebrew word and the same Greek word katapetasma are applied both to the hanging at the outer entrance and to this inner vail, proving the covering of the outer entrance was a vail as well as the curtain before the most holy place.
The making of the covering of rams' skins dyed red and the covering of badgers' skins and the vail of the covering was in exact obedience to God's explicit directions for the sanctuary given in Exodus 25 to 31. The completed work described in Exodus 39:32-43 was submitted to Moses, who found it made as God had commanded, a true pattern. Its faithful completion, as part of the ark built with all its furniture and equipment centered on the holy of holies holding the ark of the covenant containing God's holy law written on tables of stone, brought blessing and glory down upon the congregation and the building. The account's building details are historically credible, since skilled craftsmanship and the working of materials such as fine linen and gold existed long before the Exodus.
Pattern and Sacred Purpose
The coverings of rams' skins dyed red and badgers' skins were made from the willing and free-will offerings of Israel in gold, silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats' hair, shittim wood, oil for light, spices, and stones for the ephod and breastplate, given to make a sanctuary for God to dwell among them. God asked Israel to make that sanctuary after leading them out of Egypt so He might dwell among them to reveal His great love more fully. It carried forward the unfolding plan of redemption beyond the simple service from Eden to the Exodus of offering a lamb for sin on an altar of rough stones with the father of each family acting as priest. It was built by workmen specially endowed by God according to the divine pattern given to Moses in the mount. That sanctuary, summarized in Hebrews 9:1-5, was God's dwelling place in the wilderness and through the time of the judges, Samuel, Saul, and David, until Solomon built the temple after the same pattern, which from its dedication when the glory of the Lord filled it was God's dwelling place among Israel.
Its worship and its ark with all its furniture centered on the holy of holies holding the ark of the covenant containing God's holy law written on tables of stone beneath the mercy seat. The verse belongs to the laws of Moses recorded in Exodus 20-40, which include ceremonial laws and types as well as moral laws. These laws preserve the offerings and sacrifices that serve as shadows from which the substance of the new dispensation can be traced. The marvelously beautiful sanctuary structure was a great, multiple object-lesson that by various forms and rites comprehended the teaching of the great plan of salvation for Israel after deliverance from Egyptian bondage. The completed tabernacle erected by Moses after his forty days' inspection of what was shown on the mount proves Moses built exactly according to the pattern shown him.
The earthly tabernacle with its two holy places, to which its covering and veil belonged, was a correct pattern or model of the heavenly sanctuary, which likewise has two holy places. If the earthly had two and the great original had only one, there would be perfect dissimilarity instead of likeness. With the rest of the earthly sanctuary and its service, the verse is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness to make the man of God perfect, and was written for learning to give patience, comfort, and hope. It is an impressive object-lesson and type or shadow of the temple of God in heaven and Christ's priestly service there as High Priest and Minister of the true sanctuary, whose rites taught His power to forgive sin and transform character, so that studying it gives clearer views of God's way, power, and glory and of the Saviour and His work for men. With Christ's sacrifice the earthly sanctuary's typical service passed away. The record shows the tabernacle with its coverings and veil finished and erected, then anointed with oil in preparation for the appointed priestly service carried forward day by day in the court and the first apartment through the year until the tenth day of the seventh month.