Year of the Bible
Exodus 27
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Commentary on the Book of Exodus, Chapter 27:
This is the final of three chapters where God explains the material items used in worship. He has already described the Tabernacle structure and its furnishings; now He moves to the Courtyard surrounding the Tabernacle. A key component of ancient Jewish sacrifice is the burning of grain and animal offerings. The altar for this ritual takes the primary position in the Courtyard. We also learn about the curtains that will form the walls of the Courtyard and the intricate gate at the entrance. Finally, God explains how to produce the high-quality oil that will be burned in the Lampstand in the Tabernacle.
The Book of Exodus, Chapter 27:
The Altar of Burnt Offering
27 “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. 2 And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. 3 You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and firepans; all its utensils you shall make of bronze. 4 You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze; and upon the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. 5 And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net shall extend half way down the altar. 6 And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze; 7 and the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles shall be upon the two sides of the altar, when it is carried. 8 You shall make it hollow, with boards; as it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made.
The Court and Its Hangings
9 “You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side; 10 their pillars shall be twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. 11 And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, their pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. 12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases. 13 The breadth of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits. 14 The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with three pillars and three bases. 15 On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with three pillars and three bases. 16 For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet stuff and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework; it shall have four pillars and with them four bases. 17 All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze. 18 The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze. 19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.
The Oil for the Lamp
20 “And you shall command the sons of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may be set up to burn continually. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the covenant, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute for ever to be observed throughout their generations by the sons of Israel.
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
God gives very specific instructions about the crafting of the altar and the tabernacle. He is a God who cares about the details. God, what details about my life right now are you wanting to speak into?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc or online.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this.
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Construirás el altar de madera
de acacia, de cinco codos de
largo y cinco codos de ancho; será cuadrado
y tendrá tres codos de alto. 2 Harás
unos cuernos en las cuatro esquinas
formando un solo cuerpo con el altar,
y lo recubrirás de bronce. 3 Harás recipientes
para la ceniza, paletas, calderos,
trinchantes y badiles; todos estos utensilios
serán de bronce. 4 Harás para el altar
un enrejado de bronce en forma de
red, colocando en sus cuatro extremos
cuatro anillas también de bronce. 5 Lo
sujetarás debajo del reborde del altar
de modo que la red llegue hasta la mitad
del altar. 6 Harás para el altar varales
de madera de acacia y los recubrirás
de bronce; 7 éstos se introducirán por las
anillas, a ambos lados del altar, cuando
haya que transportarlo. 8 Lo harás hueco,
con tablas, según se te ha mostrado
en la montaña.
9 »Levantarás también el atrio del
Tabernáculo. Por el lado del Négueb, al
sur, tendrá un cortinaje de lino torzal
de una longitud de cien codos a lo largo
de ese lado. 10 Sus veinte columnas y sus
veinte basas serán de bronce; los ganchos
de las columnas y sus aros, de plata.
11 Lo mismo en el lado norte: habrá
un cortinaje de cien codos de longitud,
con veinte columnas y veinte basas de
bronce; los ganchos de las columnas y
sus aros, de plata. 12 A lo ancho del atrio,
en el lado occidental, habrá un cortinaje
de cincuenta codos, con diez columnas
y diez basas. 13 En el lado oriental la anchura
será también de cincuenta codos;
14 en él habrá quince codos de cortinaje
con sus columnas y sus basas desde un
extremo; 15 y desde el otro extremo, también
quince codos de cortinaje con sus
columnas y sus basas. 16 A la entrada del
atrio habrá una cortina de veinte codos
de púrpura violácea, púrpura escarlata
y carmesí, y lino torzal, artísticamente
recamada con sus cuatro columnas y
sus cuatro basas. 17 Todas las columnas
que rodean el atrio tendrán aros de plata,
sus ganchos serán también de plata y
sus basas de bronce.
18 »La longitud del atrio será de cien
codos, la anchura de cincuenta por ambos
lados y la altura de cinco codos;
todo de lino torzal, y las basas de bron
ce. 19 Todos los utensilios del Tabernáculo
para todos los servicios con todos sus
clavos y todos los clavos del atrio serán
de bronce.
20 »Ordenarás además a los hijos de
Israel que traigan aceite puro de oliva
molida para alimentar permanentemente
las lámparas. 21 Aarón y sus hijos las
mantendrán a punto para que ardan de
la noche a la mañana delante del Señor,
en la Tienda de la Reunión, fuera del
velo que cuelga delante del Testimonio.
»Es ley perpetua para los hijos de Israel,
de generación en generación.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).