Exodus 38:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. Five cubits was its length, and five cubits its breadth. It was square, and three cubits was its height.

NIV: They built the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, three cubits high; it was square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.

NASB: Then he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide, square, and three cubits high.

CSB: Bezalel constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, 7½ feet long and 7½ feet wide, and was 4½ feet high.

NLT: Next Bezalel used acacia wood to construct the square altar of burnt offering. It was 7 1/2 feet wide, 7 1/2 feet long, and 4 1/2 feet high.

KJV: And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof.

NKJV: He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood; five cubits was its length and five cubits its width— it was square—and its height was three cubits.

Exodus 38:1–7 refers to Bezalel (Exodus 35:30) following God's design for an altar of burnt sacrifice. This closely repeats the instructions of Exodus 27:1–8. The altar will stand in the tabernacle courtyard (Exodus 27:9). The Lord gave these instructions to Moses (Exodus 25—31), who passes them along to the Israelites. The same pattern is followed for a basin used in ceremonial washing (Exodus 30:17–21), though the details are not repeated here.

God's assigned manager, Bezalel, oversees construction of more items for the Lord's sanctuary (Exodus 25:8–9). This chapter focuses on the components seen in the tabernacle courtyard, including the sacrificial altar and a washbasin. Scripture also records the quantity of metal donated to tabernacle construction. The total is several tons of silver, gold, and bronze.

Under the supervision of Bezalel (Exodus 35:30), Israel has followed God's exact plans for constructing the sanctuary. The Lord gave designs to Moses (Exodus 25—31). Most of the text in this long section is a near-duplication of those same words (Exodus 35—37). This emphasizes the care which Israel used to obey the Lord in this project. Final items are made in the next chapter (Exodus 39) before being assembled into the finished sanctuary (Exodus 40).

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.

Accessed 9/15/2025 7:10:26 PM