Exodus 26:37 kjv
And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.
Exodus 26:37 nkjv
And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be gold, and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.
Exodus 26:37 niv
Make gold hooks for this curtain and five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. And cast five bronze bases for them.
Exodus 26:37 esv
And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.
Exodus 26:37 nlt
Craft five posts from acacia wood. Overlay them with gold, and hang the curtain from them with gold hooks. Cast five bronze bases for the posts.
Exodus 26 37 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 26:32 | You shall hang it upon four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks of gold, upon four bases of silver. | Supports for inner curtain |
| Exod 36:36 | He made the five pillars of acacia with their hooks, and overlaid their capitols and their bands with gold; but their five bases were of bronze. | Parallel construction, materials |
| Exod 26:33 | You shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there behind the veil. The veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. | Purpose of the veil |
| Exod 38:27 | Of the hundred talents of silver were cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil. | Silver for sanctuary/veil bases |
| Exod 38:31 | The bases of the court all around, and the bases for the screen of the gate of the court. | Bronze for court bases |
| Exod 25:5 | ...acacia wood... | List of required materials |
| Exod 25:10 | They shall make an ark of acacia wood... | Acacia wood for holy objects |
| Exod 25:11 | You shall overlay it with pure gold... | Gold for holiness/divinity |
| Exod 30:3 | You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, its walls all around, and its horns. | Gold for divine objects |
| Exod 27:2 | You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. | Bronze for altar of judgment |
| Lev 16:2 | For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. | God's presence behind the veil |
| Heb 9:3 | Behind the second curtain was a tent called the Most Holy Place. | New Testament recognition of veil's separation |
| Heb 10:19-20 | ...having confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus... through the curtain, that is, through his flesh... | Christ as the rended veil |
| Matt 27:51 | And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom... | Veil torn, symbolizing access |
| 1 Cor 3:11 | For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. | Christ as the ultimate foundation |
| 1 Cor 3:12 | Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones... | Precious materials in building the spiritual house |
| Gal 2:9 | ...James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars... | Pillars as spiritual leaders |
| 1 Tim 3:15 | ...the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. | Church as a spiritual pillar |
| Rev 3:12 | The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God... | Believers as pillars in God's eternal temple |
| Rev 21:18 | ...the city was pure gold, like clear glass. | Gold in the heavenly city |
| Isa 41:19 | I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together; I will plant in the wilderness the fir tree, the pine and the box tree together, | Acacia as desert flora for divine provision |
Exodus 26 verses
Exodus 26 37 Meaning
Exodus 26:37 details the specific construction requirements for the five pillars, their gold overlay, golden hooks, and bronze bases, which were designed to support the veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place within the Tabernacle. This verse describes the foundational supports for the sacred barrier, emphasizing the precision and distinct materials required for different parts of God's dwelling place.
Exodus 26 37 Context
Exodus 26:37 is situated within the meticulously detailed instructions given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai for the construction of the Tabernacle. This chapter specifically describes the inner coverings, frames, and various curtains of this portable sanctuary. The immediate context concerns the "veil" (Exod 26:31-33), which serves as the sacred boundary separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies). The instructions for the pillars and bases directly follow the description of this veil, indicating their crucial role in supporting it. Historically, the Tabernacle was a tangible representation of God's presence among His nomadic people in the wilderness, distinguishing YHWH's precise demands for worship from the often haphazard and impure practices of surrounding pagan cultures. Every detail, from material to dimension, was divinely ordained, serving as a pedagogical blueprint for holiness, atonement, and proper approach to a transcendent God.
Exodus 26 37 Word analysis
- And you shall make: Hebrew, ve’asah (וְעָשִׂיתָ). This imperative verb emphasizes divine command and the required human obedience in building God's dwelling. It highlights that the Tabernacle's construction was not left to human design but was explicitly revealed by God.
- for it: Refers directly to "the veil" described in the preceding verses (Exod 26:31-33), which served as the boundary between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.
- five pillars: Hebrew, chamishah 'ammudim (חֲמִשָּׁה עַמּוּדִים). 'Ammudim means 'pillars' or 'columns,' signifying support and strength. The number 'five' often symbolizes grace or divine complete accountability in biblical numerology, though its specific significance here is tied to the structure itself. It is distinct from the four pillars supporting the inner tent curtain (Exod 26:32), indicating different functional and symbolic roles within the Tabernacle structure.
- of acacia wood: Hebrew, 'atzei shittim (עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים). Acacia wood was locally available in the desert, known for its hardness, durability, and resistance to decay and insects. Its use signifies strength, enduring quality, and resistance to corruption. Theologically, this imperishability is often seen as foreshadowing Christ's incorruptible humanity.
- and overlay them with gold: Hebrew, vetsịpitā otām zāhāv (וְצִפִּיתָ אֹתָם זָהָב). Tsāphah means 'to plate' or 'overlay'. Gold is a consistently used material in the Tabernacle's holy objects. It symbolizes divinity, purity, glory, preciousness, and the majestic presence of God. The combination of durable acacia wood overlaid with gold suggests a divinely ordained human structure (acacia) covered with divine glory and purity (gold).
- their hooks: Hebrew, vaveihem (וָוֵיהֶם). Vāv (hook) indicates a fastener or connector. These hooks were integral for suspending the veil from the pillars.
- shall be of gold: Hebrew, zāhāv. The consistent use of gold for the hooks underscores the preciousness and divine nature of the connection system, ensuring that the critical separation of the Most Holy Place was maintained by materials signifying purity and God's holiness.
- and you shall cast for them: Hebrew, veyatsaḳtā (וְיָצַקְתָּ). Yātsaq means 'to pour' or 'to cast metal.' This precise instruction emphasizes the molten metal process required, denoting meticulous craftsmanship for the structural foundation.
- five bases: Hebrew, ḥamishah 'adānim (חֲמִשָּׁה אֲדָנִים). 'Adānim means 'sockets' or 'pedestals.' These serve as the foundational footings for the pillars, providing stability and support. Spiritually, they represent a firm foundation, akin to Christ being the foundation of the church (1 Cor 3:11).
- of bronze: Hebrew, nechọsheth (נְחֹשֶׁת). Also translated as copper or brass. In the Tabernacle, bronze is commonly associated with the outer court (e.g., the brazen altar and the laver), symbolizing judgment, purification from sin, strength, and endurance in trials. The placement of bronze bases under the pillars that supported the veil for the Most Holy Place is significant: though the Most Holy Place symbolized God's immediate, unapproachable presence, its entry was built upon a foundation connected to judgment and sacrifice. This subtly foreshadows that access to God's ultimate presence (later revealed through the torn veil) would only be possible through divine judgment poured out (on Christ).
Exodus 26 37 Bonus section
The careful distinction in materials used for the bases of the Tabernacle is highly significant. The fifty silver bases for the tent proper (Exod 26:19-21) were financed by the atonement money (half-shekel tax from every male Israelite, Exod 38:25-27), symbolizing that the redeemed community formed the stable foundation for God's dwelling. The four pillars for the inner tent curtain also had silver bases (Exod 26:32). However, the five pillars for the veil to the Most Holy Place, as described in Exodus 26:37, uniquely rested on bronze bases. This use of bronze under the veil, rather than silver or even more precious gold, might seem counterintuitive for the holiest section. However, it powerfully teaches that direct access to God's presence, beyond mere community and atonement money, fundamentally rests on the full scope of God's justice and judgment against sin, ultimately expressed through sacrifice. This profound theological truth prefigures Christ, whose work on the cross endured the bronze judgment for us, tearing the veil and opening the way into God's presence.
Exodus 26 37 Commentary
Exodus 26:37 precisely details the supporting structures for the sacred veil, a critical component of the Tabernacle's design. The five pillars of durable acacia wood, overlaid entirely with pure gold and fitted with golden hooks, attest to the divine preciousness and holiness of the boundary they uphold. The use of gold emphasizes that every part involved in facilitating or mediating God's presence must reflect His glory and purity. While many other Tabernacle supports had silver bases (e.g., for the inner tent panels and the inner tent curtain), these specific five pillars supporting the veil rested on bronze bases. This distinction is profoundly symbolic. Bronze, often linked to judgment and atonement (as seen with the bronze altar), suggests that the foundation for approaching God's ultimate holy presence—even through the separation of the veil—rested on the prerequisite of divine justice and the atoning work of sacrifice. These physical elements in the Tabernacle served as shadows, perfectly illustrating the necessary requirements for fallen humanity to draw near to a holy God. They highlighted the impossible chasm between humanity and divinity, only to be bridged through divinely provided means, ultimately fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ, whose body became the torn veil, granting us direct access to the Most Holy Place (Heb 10:19-20).