Exodus 37:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it.

NIV: They made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long and a cubit wide and two cubits high —its horns of one piece with it.

NASB: Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit long and a cubit wide, square, and two cubits high; its horns were of one piece with it.

CSB: He made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide; it was thirty-six inches high. Its horns were of one piece with it.

NLT: Then Bezalel made the incense altar of acacia wood. It was 18 inches square and 36 inches high, with horns at the corners carved from the same piece of wood as the altar itself.

KJV: And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same.

NKJV: He made the incense altar of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit and its width a cubit— it was square—and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it.

Exodus 37:25–29 record that Israel closely followed God's designs for a sacred incense altar. The description of the altar exactly follows the instructions in Exodus 30:1–10. Unlike the other tabernacle parts, this section does not duplicate earlier instructions about how to compound incense and anointing oil (Exodus 30:22–38). It merely notes that Bezalel (Exodus 35:30) makes them.

Bezalel (Exodus 35:30) follows God's instructions to make multiple items for the tabernacle. Most of these are described in Exodus 25. He constructs the ark, table, lampstand, and altar of incense. All of these will be kept inside the main tabernacle building. The text deliberately reproduces the phrasing of God's earlier command to stress Israel's exact obedience to His will.

Moses relays God's instructions for building the tabernacle (Exodus 25—31). The people respond generously (Exodus 35) and follow the Lord's directions exactly (Exodus 36). This pattern continues in chapter 37 as Bezalel (Exodus 35:30) completes designs mostly seen in chapter 25. Other items are depicted in chapter 30. The next two chapters (Exodus 38—39) are more of the same: describing the Israelites carrying out God's design as it was given.

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.