EXO 38

Exodus 38:3

WEB

He made all the vessels of the altar: the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its vessels of bronze.

BSB

He made all the altar’s utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans.

KJV

And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basons, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass.

Matthew Henry

Verses 1–8

Exodus 38:1–8

Bezaleel having finished the gold-work, which, though the richest, yet was ordered to lie most out of sight, in the tabernacle itself, here goes on to prepare the court, which lay open to the view of all. Two things the court was furnished with, and both made of brass: -

I. An altar of burnt-offering, Exo 38:1-7. On this all their sacrifices were offered, and it was this which, being sanctified itself for this purpose by the divine appointment, sanctified the gift that was in faith offered on it. Christ was himself the altar to his own sacrifice of atonement, and so he is to all our sacrifices of acknowledgment. We must have an eye to him in offering them, as God has in accepting them.

II. A laver, to hold water for the priests to wash in when they went in to minister, Exo 38:8. This signified the provision that is made in the gospel of Christ for the cleansing of our souls from the moral pollution of sin by the merit and grace of Christ, that we may be fit to serve the holy God in holy duties. This is here said to be made of the looking-glasses (or mirrors) of the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle.

1. It should seem these women were eminent and exemplary for devotion, attending more frequently and seriously at the place of public worship than others did; and notice is here taken of it to their honour. Anna was such a one long afterwards, who departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day, Luk 2:37. It seems in every age of the church there have been some who have thus distinguished themselves by their serious zealous piety, and they have thereby distinguished themselves; for devout women are really honourable women (Act 13:50), and not the less so for their being called, by the scoffers of the latter days, silly women. Probably these women were such as showed their zeal upon this occasion, by assisting in the work that was now going on for the service of the tabernacle. They assembled by troops, so the word is; a blessed sight, to see so many, and those so zealous and so unanimous, in this good work.

2. These women parted with their mirrors (which were of the finest brass, burnished for that purpose) for the use of the tabernacle. Those women that admire their own beauty, are in love with their own shadow, and make the putting on of apparel their chief adorning by which they value and recommend themselves, can but ill spare their looking-glasses; yet these women offered them to God, either, (1.) In token of their repentance for the former abuse of them, to the support of their pride and vanity; now that they were convinced of their folly, and had devoted themselves to the service of God at the door of the tabernacle, they thus threw away that which, though lawful and useful in itself, yet had been an occasion of sin to them. Thus Mary Magdalene, who had been a sinner, when she became a penitent wiped Christ's feet with her hair. Or, (2.) In token of their great zeal for the work of the tabernacle; rather than the workmen should want brass, or not have of the best, they would part with their mirrors, though they could not do well without them. God's service and glory must always be preferred by us before any satisfactions or accommodations of our own. Let us never complain of the want of that which we may honour God by parting with.

3. These mirrors were used for the making of the laver. Either they were artfully joined together, or else molten down and cast anew; but it is probable that the laver was so brightly burnished that the sides of it still served for mirrors, that the priests, when they came to wash, might there see their faces, and so discover the spots, to wash them clean. Note, In the washing of repentance, there is need of the looking-glass of self-examination. The word of God is a glass, in which we may see our own faces (see Jam 1:23); and with it we must compare our own hearts and lives, that, finding out our blemishes, we may wash with particular sorrow, and application of the blood of Christ to our souls. Usually the more particular we are in the confession of sin the more comfort we have in the sense of the pardon.

Cross-references: Exod 38:1 · Exod 38:8 · Luke 2:37 · Acts 13:50 · Jas 1:23

Hebrew interlinear

H6213

עָשָׂהʻâsâh/aw-saw'/

v — do, make

Derivation: a primitive root;

to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application

KJV: accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, × certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, feast, (fight-) ing man, finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, hinder, hold (a feast), × indeed, be industrious, journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, × sacrifice, serve, set, shew, × sin, spend, × surely, take, × thoroughly, trim, × very, vex, be (warr-) ior, work(-man), yield, use.

עָשָׂה

vb — do

עָשָׂה 2622 vb. do, make

Qal 2524

I.

1. do (1560 t.)

2. deal with

3. oft. in phr. do kindness with

4. abs. act, act with effect

II.

1. make (670 t.)

2. produce, yield

3. prepare, esp. of dressing and cooking food

4. make offering

5. attend to, put in order

6. observe, celebrate, religious festival

7. acquire property of various kinds

8. appoint priests

9. bring about of י׳’s effecting a deliverance

10. use

11. spend, pass, days of life

Niph. 97

1. be done

2.

a. be made, of concr. things

b. be produced from vine

c. be prepared, of food

d. be offered

e. be observed, passover

f. be used

Pu. I was made

עָשָׂה

vb — press

[עָשָׂה] vb. Pi. press, squeeze

H853

אֵתʼêth/ayth/

prt — self, even, namely

Derivation: apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity;

properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)

KJV: [as such unrepresented in English].

אֵת

mark of the accusative

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

H3605

כֹּלkôl/kole/

n-m — whole, all, any, every

Derivation: or (Jeremiah 33:8) כּוֹל; from 3634;

properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)

KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).

כֹּל

n.m — the whole

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

1. with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

2. Absolutely:

a. without the art., all things, all

b. with the art. הַכֹּל

(a). where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

(b). in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

H3627

כְּלִיkᵉlîy/kel-ee'/

n-m — prepared, apparatus

Derivation: from 3615;

something prepared, i.e. any apparatus (as an implement, utensil, dress, vessel or weapon)

KJV: armour(-bearer), artillery, bag, carriage, furnish, furniture, instrument, jewel, that is made of, × one from another, that which pertaineth, pot, psaltery, sack, stuff, thing, tool, vessel, ware, weapon, whatsoever.

כְּלִי

n.m — article

כְּלִי 324 n.m. article, utensil, vessel

H4196

מִזְבֵּחַmizbêach/miz-bay'-akh/

n-m — altar

Derivation: from 2076;

an altar

KJV: altar.

מִזְבֵּחַ

n.m — altar

מִזְבֵּחַ 401 n.m. altar

H5518

סִירçîyr/seer/

n-m — pot, thorn, hook

Derivation: or (feminine) סִירָה; or סִרָה; (Jeremiah 52:18), from a primitive root meaning to boil up;

a pot; also a thorn (as springing up rapidly); by implication, a hook

KJV: caldron, fishhook, pan, (wash-)pot, thorn.

סִיר

n.[m.] — thorn

[סִיר] n.[m.] thorn, hook

סִיר

n.m — pot

סִיר n.m. et f. pot

H3257

יָעyâʻ/yaw/

n-m — shovel

Derivation: from 3261;

a shovel

KJV: shovel.

יָע

n.[m.] — shovel

[יָע] n.[m.] shovel

H4219

מִזְרָקmizrâq/miz-rawk'/

n-m — bowl

Derivation: from 2236;

a bowl (as if for sprinkling)

KJV: bason, bowl.

מִזְרָק

n.m — bowl

מִזְרָק n.m. bowl, bason (prop. vessel for throwing or tossing a liquid)

H4207

מַזְלֵגmazlêg/maz-layg'/

n-m — fork

Derivation: or (feminine) מִזְלָגָה; from an unused root meaning to draw up;

a fork

KJV: fleshhook.

מַזְלֵג

n.m — fork

מַזְלֵג n.m. appar. a sacrificial implement, three-pronged fork

מִזְלָגָה

n.[f.] — fork

[מִזְלָגָה] n.[f.] id. [g.bj.ab]—a sacrificial implement

H4289

מַחְתָּהmachtâh/makh-taw'/

n-f — pan

Derivation: the same as 4288 in the sense of removal;

a pan for live coals

KJV: censer, firepan, snuffdish.

מַחְתָּה

n.f — fire-holder

מַחְתָּה n.f. fire-holder, censer, snuff-dish

H5178

נְחֹשֶׁתnᵉchôsheth/nekh-o'-sheth/

n-m — copper, coin, fetter, base

Derivation: for 5154;

copper, hence, something made of that metal, i.e. coin, a fetter; figuratively, base (as compared with gold or silver)

KJV: brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter (of brass), filthiness, steel.

נְחֹ֫שֶׁת

n.m — copper

נְחֹ֫שֶׁת 137 n.m. copper, bronze

1. copper

2. fetters of copper or bronze

3. as less in value than gold but more than wood

4. fig. of pitiless sky

נְחֹ֫שֶׁת

n.[f.] — lust

[נְחֹ֫שֶׁת] n.[f.] Ez 16:36 where context favours mng. lust, harlotry, or specif. sens. obscoen.

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