Exodus 26:5 kjv
Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.
Exodus 26:5 nkjv
Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is on the end of the second set, that the loops may be clasped to one another.
Exodus 26:5 niv
Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other.
Exodus 26:5 esv
Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another.
Exodus 26:5 nlt
The fifty loops along the edge of one curtain are to match the fifty loops along the edge of the other curtain.
Exodus 26 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 26:1 | "Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains..." | Initial command for curtains. |
| Exo 26:6 | "You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains with the clasps so that it may be a single tabernacle." | Direct continuation: loops connected by clasps for unity. |
| Exo 25:9 | "According to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all its furniture, so you shall make it." | Emphasizes obedience to precise divine pattern. |
| Exo 25:40 | "And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown you on the mountain." | Reiteration of divine pattern. |
| Heb 8:5 | "...who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, 'See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.'" | Tabernacle as a shadow pointing to heavenly reality. |
| Heb 9:11 | "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent..." | Christ is the ultimate and perfect "tent". |
| 1 Cor 12:12 | "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ." | Unity and interdependence of diverse parts in Christ's body. |
| Eph 4:3 | "endeavoring to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." | Importance of spiritual unity. |
| Eph 4:16 | "from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." | Analogy of a perfectly joined and functional body. |
| Col 2:16-17 | "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink... These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." | Old Testament rituals as shadows of Christ. |
| Jn 1:14 | "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." | "Dwelt" (εσκηνωσεν - eskēnōsen) relates to tabernacling, God dwelling among His people in Christ. |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | "you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." | Believers as component parts of God's spiritual house. |
| Psa 133:1 | "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" | Praising unity and harmony. |
| 2 Cor 6:16 | "For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.'" | Believers as God's current dwelling place. |
| Rev 21:3 | "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.'" | Future eternal dwelling of God with humanity. |
| Exo 35:30-35 | Account of Bezalel and Oholiab being filled with the Spirit to do the Tabernacle work, including design and craftsmanship. | Divine enablement for the precision of the work. |
| Num 9:15 | "On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle..." | Tabernacle as God's mobile dwelling with Israel. |
| 1 Kgs 6:7 | "When the house was built, it was built with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built." | Precision in building God's dwelling, even centuries later in the Temple. |
| 2 Chr 5:13 | "the trumpeters and singers were to make one sound to praise and thank the LORD—and accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments—sang in unison to the LORD" | Unity in worship within God's house. |
| Acts 7:44 | "Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern that he had seen." | The Tabernacle as a "tent of witness" made according to pattern. |
Exodus 26 verses
Exodus 26 5 Meaning
Exodus 26:5 outlines precise instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle curtains. It mandates that exactly fifty loops be fashioned on the edge of the first major curtain set, and similarly, fifty identical loops on the edge of the second major curtain set. The critical instruction is that these loops must align perfectly, directly opposite each other, to allow for a seamless and unified connection of the two large curtain sections, creating one continuous covering for the Holy Dwelling. This meticulous detail underscores the divine requirement for precision, order, and unity in God's dwelling place.
Exodus 26 5 Context
Exodus 26:5 is part of a detailed architectural blueprint for the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary where God would dwell among the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings. Chapters 25-31 contain God's explicit commands to Moses regarding its construction. This verse specifically addresses the inner layer of curtains that formed the Tabernacle's actual "dwelling" (mishkan), separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The purpose of these meticulous instructions was to ensure that the sanctuary was built precisely according to God's divine pattern, making it a sacred space suitable for His holy presence. This precision was crucial, reflecting God's nature as a God of order and distinguishing Him from the chaotic and often haphazard idol worship of surrounding cultures.
Exodus 26 5 Word analysis
- Fifty (חֲמִשִּׁ֤ים - ḥamishim): Denotes exact numerical precision. The number fifty in Scripture can symbolize completion, jubilee (release, freedom), and Pentecost (harvest, Spirit's outpouring). Here, it ensures symmetrical design and functional unity. The recurrence emphasizes that both sets of curtains must have an identical number of loops for perfect alignment.
- loops (לֻֽלְאֹת - lul'ot): Refers to specific fasteners for joining the curtains. The Hebrew word implies something entwined or looped, requiring skilled craftsmanship to produce consistently. These were not mere rings, but carefully formed loops integrated into the fabric, demonstrating the delicate and specialized work.
- you shall make (תַּעֲשֶׂ֗ה - taʿăśeh): A command in the second person singular, directly instructing Moses (and through him, the artisans) to carry out the work. It underscores divine imperative and human responsibility in constructing God's dwelling exactly as prescribed. This highlights obedience as central to the sacred task.
- on the one curtain (בַּקֶּרֶשׁ֩ הָאֶחָ֗ת - bakeresh ha’echath): "On the curtain, the one." Refers to the first set of five joined linen curtains, treated as a single unit. It clearly delineates one specific half of the entire dwelling's inner covering.
- the edge of the curtain that is in the second set (שְׂפַ֖ת הַיְרִיעָה֮ הַשֵּׁנִית֒ - sefat hayeri'ah hashenith): "The lip/border of the curtain, the second." Refers to the second distinct set of five joined linen curtains. The word "edge" (שְׂפַ֖ת - s’fat, literally "lip") implies the very border or extremity, emphasizing that the loops were placed precisely where the connection needed to occur. This indicates two primary sections that would be joined.
- and the loops shall be opposite one another (מַקְבִּלֹ֖ת אִשָּׁ֥ה אֶל־אֲחֹתָֽהּ - makbilot ishah el-achotah): "They shall be paralleling/facing, woman to her sister." This vivid, anthropomorphic Hebrew idiom signifies perfect alignment and exact mirroring. It emphasizes the absolute necessity for the loops to be precisely symmetrical and perfectly corresponding on both curtain sections, ensuring a flawless and strong connection when joined by the clasps. This meticulous alignment ensured no gaps and a unified covering, signifying the flawless design and purpose.
Exodus 26 5 Bonus section
- The meticulous design specifications of the Tabernacle, including these loops, point to God as the ultimate Architect and Master Craftsman. This precision suggests that His plans are always exact and for a divine purpose, nothing is left to chance or human estimation.
- The connection of these two large curtain sets with loops and clasps made the Tabernacle truly "one." This emphasizes the unified nature of God's dwelling and, by extension, His people. It implicitly combats any notion of disunity or fragmentation within His holy space or among His people.
- The phrase "opposite one another" being rendered as "woman to her sister" in Hebrew (אִשָּׁ֥ה אֶל־אֲחֹתָֽהּ - ishah el-achotah) is a beautiful literary device common in Hebrew Scripture. It personalizes the relationship between inanimate objects, making the concept of perfect parallelism vivid and tangible. It evokes a sense of kinship and exact match.
- The fact that divine skill (via the Spirit) was needed for these works (Exo 35:30-35) underscores that true unity and precision in God's service are not achieved by mere human effort but by divine enablement.
Exodus 26 5 Commentary
Exodus 26:5 is a micro-instruction within the detailed divine blueprint for the Tabernacle, yet it profoundly illustrates God's demand for precision, order, and unity in His worship and dwelling. The identical count of "fifty loops" on both major curtain sets highlights the principle of perfect symmetry and correspondence. This wasn't merely about functional efficiency, but about constructing a physical representation of divine holiness and order. The command that the loops be "opposite one another" ("woman to her sister") is an anthropomorphic expression that powerfully conveys exact alignment, mirroring, and harmony, preventing any deviation or imperfection in the joining of the two large curtain sections into one continuous whole. This meticulousness ensured that the Tabernacle, God's provisional dwelling place on earth, reflected His own perfect nature. The theological implications extend beyond the material: just as the two halves of the Tabernacle curtain were perfectly joined to form one sanctuary, so too in the spiritual realm, diverse parts (whether parts of a unified nation, or members of the Church) are called to come together in perfect alignment and unity under God's sovereign design. It foreshadows the seamless unity of Christ's body, the Church, perfectly "joined and held together" by His divine wisdom and grace, built according to God's eternal pattern. This instruction, seemingly trivial in its detail, actually underpins the structural and theological integrity of the Tabernacle, teaching humanity about the holy God who designs, commands, and values absolute precision and unity.