Exodus 27:20
New International Version
“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning.

New Living Translation
“Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.

English Standard Version
“You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn.

Berean Standard Bible
And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.

King James Bible
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

New King James Version
“And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.

New American Standard Bible
“And you shall command the sons of Israel that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.

NASB 1995
“You shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.

NASB 1977
“And you shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.

Legacy Standard Bible
“And you shall command the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.

Amplified Bible
“You shall command the Israelites to provide you with clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually [every night].

Christian Standard Bible
“You are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil from crushed olives for the light, in order to keep the lamp burning regularly.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil from crushed olives for the light, in order to keep the lamp burning continually.

American Standard Version
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And you command the children of Israel and take to you pure oil of trodden olives to light the lamps constantly

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And do thou charge the children of Israel, and let them take for thee refined pure olive-oil beaten to burn for light, that a lamp may burn continually

Contemporary English Version
Command the people of Israel to supply you with the purest olive oil. Do this so the lamp will keep burning

Douay-Rheims Bible
Command the children of Israel that they bring thee the purest oil of the olives, and beaten with a pestle: that a lamp may burn always,

English Revised Version
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"For the lighting, you must command the Israelites to bring you pure, virgin olive oil so that the lamps won't go out.

Good News Translation
"Command the people of Israel to bring you the best olive oil for the lamp, so that it can be lit each evening.

International Standard Version
"And you are to command the Israelis to bring you pure olive oil, extracted by hand, for the light in order to keep the lamp burning continuously.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.

Literal Standard Version
And you command the sons of Israel, and they bring pure oil of beaten olive to you for the light, to cause the lamp to go up continually.

Majority Standard Bible
And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.

New American Bible
You shall command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of crushed olives, to be used for the light, so that you may keep lamps burning always.

NET Bible
"You are to command the Israelites that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, so that the lamps will burn regularly.

New Revised Standard Version
You shall further command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of beaten olives for the light, so that a lamp may be set up to burn regularly.

New Heart English Bible
"You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.

Webster's Bible Translation
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring the pure olive-oil beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

World English Bible
“You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.

Young's Literal Translation
'And thou -- thou dost command the sons of Israel, and they bring unto thee pure beaten olive oil for the light, to cause the lamp to go up continually;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Oil for the Lamps
20And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually. 21In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations to come.…

Cross References
Exodus 25:6
olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;

Exodus 27:19
All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, including all its tent pegs and the tent pegs of the courtyard, shall be made of bronze.

Exodus 35:8
olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;

Exodus 35:28
as well as spices and olive oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.

Leviticus 24:1
Then the LORD said to Moses,

Leviticus 24:2
"Command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.


Treasury of Scripture

And you shall command the children of Israel, that they bring you pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

pure oil olive beaten.

Exodus 39:37
The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light,

Leviticus 24:2-4
Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually…

Judges 9:9
But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

for the light

Exodus 25:31-37
And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same…

to cause the lamp.

Exodus 30:8
And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

1 Samuel 3:3
And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

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Always Beaten Burn Cause Charge Children Clear Command Continually Israel Israelites Kept Light Lights Oil Olive Olive-Oil Olives Pressed Pure Thou Times
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Always Beaten Burn Cause Charge Children Clear Command Continually Israel Israelites Kept Light Lights Oil Olive Olive-Oil Olives Pressed Pure Thou Times
Exodus 27
1. The altar of burnt offering, with the vessels thereof
9. The court of the tabernacle enclosed with hangings and pillars
18. The measure of the court, and the furniture of brass
20. The oil for the lamp














THE OIL FOR THE LAMP.

(20) Thou shalt command the children of Israel that they bring thee pure olive oil.--This instruction had been already given (Exodus 25:2; Exodus 25:6), only not with such particularity. "Oil" had been required, but not "pure olive oil beaten." By this is meant the best possible olive oil--that which was obtained by "beating," or pounding in a mortar; which was free from various impurities that belonged to the oil crushed out, after the ordinary fashion, in a mill.

To cause the lamp to burn always--i.e., every night without intermission. Josephus says that three lights were kept burning both night and day (Ant. Jud., iii. 7, ? 7); but there is nothing in Scripture to confirm this. The tabernacle would have received sufficient light during the daytime through the entrance curtain, which was of linen (Exodus 26:36), not to mention that the curtain may, when necessary, have been looped up. The lighting of the lamps every evening is distinctly asserted in Exodus 30:8; their extinction in the morning appears from 1Samuel 3:3. . . .

Verses 20, 21. - THE OIL FOR THE LAMP. It has been observed that this paragraph is somewhat out of place. It would more appro priately, according to human ideas, have terminated ch. 25. But "God's ways are not as man's ways, nor his thoughts as man's thoughts." It is frequently difficult - some-times impossible - for the keenest human intellect to trace the connecting links between one portion of God's word and the next. In such cases it is best not to speculate on the nature of the connection, but to content ourselves with laying to heart the lesson which each portion teaches separately. Verse 20. - Thou shalt command. Compare Exodus 25:6, where the general command had been given. Here certain additions are made as to the quality of the oil which was to be brought. The oil was to be pure olive oil beaten that is to say, it was to be olive oil purified from any admixture of that watery juice which the Romans called amurca; and it was to be of the kind which is obtained by mere beating or pounding in a mortar, and not by crushing in a mill. Oil of this kind, which is usually made from the unripe fruit, is reckoned much the best; it is clear and colourless, and gives a bright pure light with little smoke. To cause the lamp to burn always. It has been supposed from this expression that the lamp must have been kept constantly burning both day and night; and Josephus declares that this was actually so, at least with three out of the seven lights (Ant. Jud. 3:7, 7). But there are several places m Scripture which state, or imply, the contrary. (See especially Exodus 30:8; and 1 Samuel 3:3.) It seems to have been the duty of the high-priest to light the lamps every evening, and to give them a sufficient supply of oil to last till daybreak, at which time "the lamp of God went out" (1 Samuel l.s.c.) The supposition that "one light at least was always burning" (Kalisch), because no daylight could penetrate into the structure through the fourfold covering, ignores the fact that light would enter through the single curtain at the entrance, as well as the probability that some portion of that curtain may generally have been looped up. If we regard the lamp as extinguished during the daytime, we must understand "always" here to mean "regularly every night."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And you
וְאַתָּ֞ה (wə·’at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

are to command
תְּצַוֶּ֣ה ׀ (tə·ṣaw·weh)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6680: To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order

the Israelites
בְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

to bring
וְיִקְח֨וּ (wə·yiq·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3947: To take

you pure
זָ֛ךְ (zāḵ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2134: Pure, clean

oil
שֶׁ֣מֶן (še·men)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8081: Grease, liquid, richness

of pressed
כָּתִ֖ית (kā·ṯîṯ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 3795: Beaten, pure

olives
זַ֥יִת (za·yiṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2132: An olive, the tree, the branch, the berry

for the light,
לַמָּא֑וֹר (lam·mā·’ō·wr)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3974: A luminous body, luminary, light, brightness, cheerfulness, a chandelier

to keep the lamps
נֵ֖ר (nêr)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5216: A lamp, light

burning
לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת (lə·ha·‘ă·lōṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

continually.
תָּמִֽיד׃ (tā·mîḏ)
Adverb
Strong's 8548: Continuance, constant, ellipt, the regular, sacrifice


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OT Law: Exodus 27:20 You shall command the children of Israel (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 27:19
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