EXO 26

Exodus 26:3

WEB

Five curtains shall be coupled together to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.

BSB

Five of the curtains are to be joined together, and the other five joined as well.

KJV

The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.

Matthew Henry

Verses 1–6

Exodus 26:1–6

I. The house must be a tabernacle or tent, such as soldiers now use in the camp, which was both a mean dwelling and a movable one; and yet the ark of God had not better, till Solomon built the temple 480 years after this, Kg1 6:1. God manifested his presence among them thus in a tabernacle, 1. In compliance with their present condition in the wilderness, that they might have him with them wherever they went. Note, God suits the tokens of his favour, and the gifts of his grace, to his people's wants and necessities, according as they are, accommodating his mercy to their state, prosperous or adverse, settled or unsettled. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, Isa 43:2. 2. That it might represent the state of God's church in this world, it is a tabernacle-state, Psa 15:1. We have here no continuing city; being strangers in this world, and travellers towards a better, we shall never be fixed till we come to heaven. Church-privileges are movable goods, from one place to another; the gospel is not tied to any place; the candlestick is in a tent, and may easily be taken away, Rev 2:5. If we make much of the tabernacle, and improve the privilege of it, wherever we go it will accompany us; but, if we neglect and disgrace it, wherever we stay it will forsake us. What hath my beloved to do in my house? Jer 11:15.

II. The curtains of the tabernacle must correspond to a divine pattern. 1. They were to be very rich, the best of the kind, fine twined linen; and colours very pleasing, blue, and purple, and scarlet. 2. They were to be embroidered with cherubim (Exo 26:1), to intimate that the angels of God pitch their tents round about the church, Psa 34:7. As there were cherubim over the mercy-seat, so there were round the tabernacle; for we find the angels compassing, not only the throne, but the elders; see Rev 5:11. 3. There were to be two hangings, five breadths in each, sewed together, and the two hangings coupled together with golden clasps, or tacks, so that it might be all one tabernacle, Exo 26:6. Thus the churches of Christ and the saints, though they are many, are yet one, being fitly joined together in holy love, and by the unity of the Spirit, so growing into one holy temple in the Lord, Eph 2:21, Eph 2:22; Eph 4:16. This tabernacle was very strait and narrow; but, at the preaching of the gospel, the church is bidden to enlarge the place of her tent, and to stretch forth her curtains, Isa 54:2.

Cross-references: 1Kgs 6:1 · Isa 43:2 · Ps 15:1 · Rev 2:5 · Jer 11:15 · Exod 26:1 · Ps 34:7 · Rev 5:11 · Exod 26:6 · Eph 2:21 · Eph 2:22 · Eph 4:16 · Isa 54:2

Hebrew interlinear

H2568

חָמֵשׁchâmêsh/khaw-maysh'/

n — five

Derivation: masculine חֲמִשָּׁה; a primitive numeral;

five

KJV: fif(-teen), fifth, five (× apiece).

חָמֵשׁ

n.m — five

חָמֵשׁ, חֲמִשָּׁה 342 n.m. and f. five

H3407

יְרִיעָהyᵉrîyʻâh/yer-ee-aw'/

n-f — hanging, tremulous

Derivation: from 3415;

a hanging (as tremulous)

KJV: curtain.

יְרִיעָה

n.f — curtain

יְרִיעָה 54 n.f. curtain

H1961

הָיָהhâyâh/haw-yaw/

v — exist, be, become, come to pass

Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.

הָיָה

vb — fall out

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

I.

1.

a. Fall out, happen

b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

a.

(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

II. Come into being, become

1.

a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

b. sq. prep.

2. become

a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

b. sq. pred. adj.

c. become like

d. sq. pred. לְ pers.

e. sq. לְ pred.

f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

g. with עַל and לְ

h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

1. exist, be in existence

2. abide, remain, continue

3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.

5. periphrastic conjug.

Niph.

1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass

2. be done, finished, gone

H2266

חָבַרchâbar/khaw-bar'/

v — join, fascinate

Derivation: a primitive root;

to join (literally or figuratively); specifically (by means of spells) to fascinate

KJV: charm(-er), be compact, couple (together), have fellowship with, heap up, join (self, together), league.

חָבַר

vb — unite

[חָבַר] vb. unite (usu. intr.), be joined, tie a magic knot or spell, charm

Qal

1. unite, be joined

2. tie magic knots, charm

Pi.

1. make an ally of, unite one with

2. unite, join (trans.)

Pu.

1.

a. be allied with

b. be united to = be one of

2. be joined together

Hiph. I could make a joining with words

Hithp. join oneself to, make an alliance with

H802

אִשָּׁהʼishshâh/ish-shaw'/

n-f — woman

Derivation: feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, נָשִׁים;(used in the same wide sense as 582)

a woman

KJV: (adulter) ess, each, every, female, × many, none, one, together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.

אִשָּׁה

n.f — woman

אִשָּׁה 773 n.f. woman, wife, female

1. woman

2. Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)

3. Female of animals

4. With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one

H413

אֵלʼêl/ale/

prep — near, with, among, to

Derivation: (but only used in the shortened constructive form אֶל ); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e.

near, with or among; often in general, to

KJV: about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, × hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).

אֶל

prep — motion to

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).

1. of motion to or unto a person or place

2. Where the limit is actually entered, into

3. Of direction towards anything

4. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

5. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

6. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

7. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

8. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

9. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

H269

אָחוֹתʼâchôwth/aw-khoth'/

n-f — sister

Derivation: irregular feminine of 251;

a sister (used very widely [like 251], literally and figuratively)

KJV: (an-) other, sister, together.

אָחוֹת

n.f — sister

אָחוֹת 114 n.f. sister

1. sister

2. = beloved

3. symbol. of Judah, Samaria, Sodom & Jerusalem

4. fig. of intimate connection

5. another

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