Exodus 35:13

The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread,

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

35:4-19 The tabernacle was to be dedicated to the honour of God, and used in his service; and therefore what was brought for it, was an offering to the Lord. The rule is, Whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring. All that were skilful must work. God dispenses his gifts; and as every man hath received, so he must minister, 1Pe 4:10. Those that were rich, must bring in materials to work on; those that were skilful, must serve the tabernacle with their skill: as they needed one another, so the tabernacle needed them both, 1Co 12:7-21.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The covering - This is not the same as the covering of Exodus 35:11, which denotes the covering of the tent (see Exodus 26:14): the word is used here for the entrance curtains (see Exodus 26:36; Exodus 27:16).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 35

Ex 35:1-35. Contributions to the Tabernacle.

1. Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel, &c.—On the occasion referred to in the opening of this chapter, the Israelites were specially reminded of the design to erect a magnificent tabernacle for the regular worship of God, as well as of the leading articles that were required to furnish that sacred edifice [Ex 35:11-19]. (See on [29]Ex 25:1-40; [30]Ex 27:1-21; [31]Ex 30:1-31:18).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

But neither did God prescribe the making of the shewbread amongst the other utensils, Exo 25, nor was this made by the workmen here spoken of, but by others. How then comes this to be mentioned here?

Answ. 1.

The shew-bread may be here put for the vessels for the receiving the shew-bread, by a usual metonymy of the adjunct, the thing contained put for the thing containing; as treasures are put for the place where the treasures are put, Psalm 135:7 Matthew 2:11 12:35, and the gifts or offerings of God for the treasury where they were put, Luke 21:4. Hence Tremellius renders this place, and the vessels of the shew-bread.

Object. All the vessels of the table are mentioned before, of which this was one.

Answ. It is not unusual after a general expression comprehending all distinctly to name one eminent member of that kind, such as this unquestionably was, the table being made principally for this use. Thus Mark 16:7, Tell my disciples and Peter. Like examples are in 2 Samuel 2:30 1 Kings 11:1 Psalm 18:1 Acts 11:4, and in other authors. And for the particle vau, and, which may seem to imply that these were things of another kind, and not any vessels of the table, that is oft put for especially, as Joshua 2:1 Mark 16:7, and so only notes an eminent thing of the same kind, as hath been said.

Answ. 2. Though God did not prescribe the making of the shew-bread, yet he mentions it, together with the table, Exodus 25:30, and therefore it is conveniently mentioned with the table in this place also, where Moses, to show his exactness and fidelity, doth punctually repeat the same things to the people which he had received in command from God. In like manner the oil, which fed the light of the lamps, is mentioned here in the next verse, because the lighting of the lamps was prescribed, Exodus 25:37.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The table and his staves, and all his vessels,.... The table of shewbread, and all things appertaining to it:

and the shewbread; which is mentioned for the sake of the table, and to show what was intended, and the use of it; for otherwise the shewbread was not yet to be made, nor by the artificers here called together; and is to be interpreted of the dishes of the shewbread, in which it was put; and so Junius and Tremellius render it, the instruments or vessels of the shewbread; of these see Exodus 25:23.

Geneva Study Bible

The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the showbread,

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

13. the Presence-bread] included also in Exodus 39:36 among the things brought by the people, though flour is not mentioned among the articles to be offered, vv. 6–9. The Presence-bread was afterwards prepared by the priests from materials offered by the people (Leviticus 24:5; Leviticus 24:8 RVm.).

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 13. - On the table and its appurtenances, see Exodus 25:23-30. Exodus 35:13

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Preliminaries to the Work. - Exodus 35:1-29. After the restoration of the covenant, Moses announced to the people the divine commands with reference to the holy place of the tabernacle which was to be built. He repeated first of all (Exodus 35:1-3) the law of the Sabbath according to Exodus 31:13-17, and strengthened it by the announcement, that on the Sabbath no fire was to be kindled in their dwelling, because this rule was to be observed even in connection with the work to be done for the tabernacle. (For a fuller comment, see at Exodus 20:9.). Then, in accordance with the command of Jehovah, he first of all summoned the whole nation to present freewill-offerings for the holy things to be prepared (Exodus 35:4, Exodus 35:5), mentioning one by one all the materials that would be required (Exodus 35:5-9, as in Exodus 25:3-7); and after that he called upon those who were endowed with understanding to prepare the different articles, as prescribed in ch. 25-30, mentioning these also one by one (Exodus 35:11-19), even down to the pegs of the dwelling and court (Exodus 27:19), and "their cords," i.e., the cords required to fasten the tent and the hangings round the court to the pegs that were driven into the ground, which had not been mentioned before, being altogether subordinate things. (On the "cloths of service," Exodus 35:19, see at Exodus 31:10.) In Exodus 35:20-29 we have an account of the fulfilment of this command. The people went from Moses, i.e., from the place where they were assembled round Moses, away to their tents, and willingly offered the things required as a heave-offering for Jehovah; every one "whom his heart lifted up," i.e., who felt himself inclined and stirred up in his heart to do this. The men along with (על as in Genesis 32:12; see Ewald, 217) the women brought with a willing heart all kinds of golden rings and jewellery: chak, lit., hook, here a clasp or ring; nezem, an ear or nose-ring (Genesis 35:4; Genesis 24:47); tabbaath, a finger-ring; cumaz, globulus aureus, probably little golden balls strung together like beads, which were worn by the Israelites and Midianites (Numbers 31:50) as an ornament round the wrist and neck, as Diod. Sic. relates that they were by the Arabians (3, 44). "All kinds of golden jewellery, and every one who had waved (dedicated) a wave (offering) of gold to Jehovah," sc., offered it for the work of the tabernacle. The meaning is, that in addition to the many varieties of golden ornaments, which were willingly offered for the work to be performed, every one brought whatever gold he had set apart as a wave-offering (a sacrificial gift) for Jehovah. הניף to wave, lit., to swing or move to and fro, is used in connection with the sacrificial ritual to denote a peculiar ceremony, through which certain portions of a sacrifice, which were not intended for burning upon the altar, but for the maintenance of the priests (Numbers 18:11), were consecrated to the Lord, or given up to Him in a symbolical manner (see at Leviticus 7:30). Tenuphah, the wave-offering, accordingly denoted primarily those portions of the sacrificial animal which were allotted to the priests as their share of the sacrifices; and then, in a more general sense, every gift or offering that was consecrated to the Lord for the establishment and maintenance of the sanctuary and its worship. In this wider sense the term tenuphah (wave-offering) is applied both here and in Exodus 38:24, Exodus 38:29 to the gold and copper presented by the congregation for the building of the tabernacle. So that it does not really differ from terumah, a lift of heave-offering, as every gift intended for the erection and maintenance of the sanctuary was called, inasmuch as the offerer lifted it off from his own property, to dedicate it to the Lord for the purposes of His worship. Accordingly, in Exodus 35:24 the freewill-offerings of the people in silver and gold for the erection of the tabernacle are called terumah; and in Exodus 36:6, all the gifts of metal, wood, leather, and woven materials, presented by the people for the erection of the tabernacle, are called קדשׁ תּרוּמת. (On heaving and the heave-offering, see at Exodus 25:2 and Leviticus 2:9.)