What is the meaning of Exodus 36:17? He made fifty loops • The craftsman, Bezalel’s team, followed God’s exact blueprint—no improv, no shortcuts (Exodus 25:40; 31:2–5). • Exodus 26:5 already gave the order: “Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty on the other.” The repetition here in chapter 36 shows they obeyed down to the smallest detail. • Fifty is the number of fullness and celebration in Scripture—think of the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25:10 and Pentecost in Acts 2:1. Each loop silently pointed to God’s future plans of complete redemption. along the edge of the end curtain • The loops weren’t scattered randomly; they were “along the edge,” marking the border where one curtain would meet another (Exodus 26:4). • Edges matter. In Joshua 4:5–7, stones were placed at the river’s edge as memorials. Here, the loops at the edge would become a permanent reminder that even the boundaries of God’s dwelling are ordered and purposeful. in the first set • The tabernacle had two groups of five curtains (Exodus 36:10). The “first set” held five of them. • God’s design groups His work: night and day, land and sea, Israel and the nations (Genesis 1; Romans 9–11). By calling out “first set,” the text teaches that order is built into creation and worship alike. and fifty loops • The second tally of fifty shows perfect correspondence. No curtain stood superior; each shared identical provision for unity (Exodus 36:12). • Ephesians 4:4–6 pictures the church as “one body… one Lord… one God.” Just as every curtain had matching loops, every believer receives matching grace that links us together. along the edge of the corresponding curtain • “Corresponding” signals intentional symmetry. What one curtain had, its partner shared (Exodus 26:5). • Amos 3:3 asks, “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” The curtains could only meet because their edges lined up exactly. God still calls His people to the same harmony (Philippians 2:2). in the second set • Now the focus turns to the other five-curtain bundle (Exodus 36:13–14). The loops would soon receive gold clasps, making the two sets “one tabernacle” (Exodus 26:6). • John 17:22 records Jesus praying “that they may be one as We are one.” The joined curtains foreshadow the unity Christ secured for His people, bringing heaven and earth together in Himself (Ephesians 1:10). summary Exodus 36:17 shows meticulous obedience to God’s pattern: fifty loops on each adjoining curtain, perfectly aligned at the edges of two five-curtain sets. The literal craftsmanship created a single, seamless dwelling for God among His people. Symbolically, the matching loops hint at fullness (the number fifty), ordered harmony, and the coming unity of God’s redeemed family. By honoring every detail, the builders displayed that complete submission to God’s word is the surest pathway to shared life in His presence. |
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