Exodus 26:6 kjv
And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.
Exodus 26:6 nkjv
And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle.
Exodus 26:6 niv
Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the tabernacle is a unit.
Exodus 26:6 esv
And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole.
Exodus 26:6 nlt
Then make fifty gold clasps and fasten the long curtains together with the clasps. In this way, the Tabernacle will be made of one continuous piece.
Exodus 26 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:27 | So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. | Man's unity in creation for fellowship. |
| Exo 25:8 | And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. | Purpose of the Tabernacle: God's dwelling. |
| Exo 29:45 | I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. | God's promise to dwell with His people. |
| Lev 26:11 | I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. | God's continued promise of dwelling. |
| Ps 133:1 | Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! | Illustrates value of unity among God's people. |
| Isa 57:15 | For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit..." | God's dual dwelling: heaven and contrite hearts. |
| Ezek 37:26-27 | Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them...My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed, I will be their God, and they shall be My people. | Future fulfillment of God's dwelling. |
| Jn 2:19-21 | Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." ...He was speaking of the temple of His body. | Christ as the ultimate Tabernacle/Temple. |
| Jn 17:21-23 | "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us..." | Christ's prayer for unity of believers. |
| Rom 12:4-5 | For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. | Body of Christ illustrates unity in diversity. |
| 1 Cor 1:10 | Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. | Exhortation for perfect unity in the Church. |
| 1 Cor 3:16 | Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? | Believers as individual and collective temples. |
| 1 Cor 12:12 | For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. | Further explanation of unity in Christ's body. |
| Eph 2:19-22 | Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens...in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. | Church as God's spiritual dwelling place. |
| Eph 4:3-6 | endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit...one Lord, one faith, one baptism... | Divine mandate for preserving spiritual unity. |
| Col 2:19 | from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. | Christ as the head, knitting the body together. |
| Heb 8:5 | who serve the copy and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle; for He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." | Tabernacle as earthly shadow of heavenly reality. |
| Heb 9:11 | But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. | Christ's heavenly Tabernacle is ultimate. |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. | Believers as living components of God's spiritual house. |
| Rev 21:3 | And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people..." | Final, eternal dwelling of God with humanity. |
| Rev 21:18 | The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. | Gold signifies divine purity and glory in the New Jerusalem. |
Exodus 26 verses
Exodus 26 6 Meaning
Exodus 26:6 describes a crucial detail in the construction of the Tabernacle's inner sanctuary. It specifies the creation of fifty golden clasps designed to perfectly interlock two sets of fine linen curtains, thereby unifying them into a single, cohesive dwelling place. This act of joining emphasizes the meticulous divine design for God's earthly abode, highlighting the integral nature of unity and completeness for the sacred space where God's presence would dwell among His people. The use of gold signifies the preciousness, purity, and divine glory inherent in every component of God's commanded structure.
Exodus 26 6 Context
Exodus chapter 26 is part of God's highly detailed instructions to Moses concerning the construction of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Following the Ten Commandments and covenant laws, God reveals His precise blueprint for a dwelling place where His holy presence could reside among the Israelites. This chapter specifically outlines the components of the Tabernacle's tent-like structure, including its exquisite curtains, boards, bars, veil, and screen. Verse 6 focuses on the exquisite innermost set of curtains—those made of fine twined linen, blue, purple, and scarlet material, with skillfully embroidered cherubim. These were formed as two distinct lengths (one set of five curtains, the other of six) that needed to be joined to form the entire covering of the Mishkan. The verse specifies the precise means—fifty golden clasps—by which these two sections would be seamlessly united, emphasizing that despite being made of separate parts, God intended His dwelling to be singularly whole and perfect in its design. This reflects God's ordered nature and His desire for unity in His habitation and among His people. Historically, this divine design provided a tangible representation of God's immanent presence amidst His nomadic people, distinct from the chaotic and often immoral pagan worship practices that characterized surrounding cultures, thus serving as a polemic against the arbitrary and multiplicity of pagan idols and temples.
Exodus 26 6 Word analysis
- And you shall make: This phrase highlights a divine command, underscoring that the Tabernacle's construction was not of human ingenuity but according to specific, revealed divine blueprint (Exo 25:9, 40). It implies meticulous adherence to God's will.
- fifty clasps:
- fifty: (Hebrew: חֲמִשִּׁים - chamishshim) This precise numerical specification demonstrates God's exactness and divine order in the Tabernacle's design. The number 50 can carry biblical significance of completion or liberation (like the Year of Jubilee in Lev 25:10), but here it's primarily functional for achieving the specified unity.
- clasps: (Hebrew: קְרָסִים - qerasim, from a root qaras meaning "to hook, to buckle, to catch") These were specific types of hooks or fasteners designed for securely joining the curtain loops. The term implies connection, attachment, and the necessary linkage to bring separate parts together into a coherent whole. Their function was crucial for the structural integrity and aesthetic presentation of the Tabernacle's covering.
- of gold: (Hebrew: זָהָב - zahav) Gold, consistently used throughout the Tabernacle for its most sacred elements, symbolizes purity, preciousness, divinity, glory, and immutability (Ps 19:10; Rev 21:18, 21). It suggests that the element providing unity within God's dwelling place is itself of the highest divine quality, fit for the holy God. The use of gold for clasps indicates not merely functionality, but that the mechanism of unity is also divine and glorious.
- and couple: (Hebrew: וְחִבַּרְתָּ - vechibarta, from the root חָבַר - chavar meaning "to join, to bind together, to unite, to associate"). This verb emphatically expresses the action of making something one from disparate parts. It is a powerful word indicating complete integration and synthesis. It is foundational to the verse's meaning of unity.
- the curtains: (Hebrew: הַיְרִיעֹת - hayy'riyot) Refers specifically to the inner covering of the Tabernacle, which consisted of ten linen curtains, expertly woven and adorned with cherubim (Exo 26:1). These were divided into two main sections (five curtains each, formed into longer panels) that needed to be joined. They were distinct from the outer coverings and signified the immediate surrounding of the Holy Place and Holy of Holies.
- together: This adverb further stresses the singular act of uniting the previously separate curtain sections into one continuous piece.
- with the clasps: This phrase explicitly states the specific mechanism for coupling the curtains, reiterating the practical and functional nature of the golden clasps.
- and it shall be one: (Hebrew: וְהָיָה אֶחָֽד - vehayah echad, where echad means "one, a unity, unique, unified"). This is the pinnacle of the verse's teaching. The outcome of the divine design and the precise coupling is the formation of a unified, singular Tabernacle. It stresses completeness and wholeness, essential for the dwelling of a single, indivisible God. It counters any notion of fragmented or haphazard assembly for such a sacred purpose.
- tabernacle: (Hebrew: מִשְׁכָּן - mishkan, from the verb שָׁכַן - shakan meaning "to dwell, to settle down, to inhabit"). This refers to the sacred portable dwelling place of God's presence among Israel. The term itself emphasizes its purpose as a dwelling, the physical manifestation of God choosing to "tabernacle" or "dwell" among His people, making Him accessible to them in a structured, holy manner. The goal was one unified dwelling.
Exodus 26 6 Bonus section
The act of "coupling the curtains together" to form "one tabernacle" is a profound theological symbol. These inner linen curtains, specifically, are seen by many as representing the people of God. The fact that they are woven with cherubim and are divided into two sections which must be joined by God's prescribed means (golden clasps) suggests:
- Jews and Gentiles becoming One: Many biblical scholars see the two sets of curtains as prophetic types for Israel and the nations (Gentiles). Their perfect unification through divine means prefigures the mystery of Jew and Gentile being joined together as "one new man" in Christ (Eph 2:14-18), forming the body of Christ, the spiritual temple where God dwells. The gold clasps could represent the divine grace and the atoning work of Christ that binds these formerly disparate groups together.
- Interdependence and Completeness: The Tabernacle could not function as God's dwelling if these curtain sections remained separate. The clasps highlight that each part is necessary and, through proper connection, contributes to the whole. This signifies that every believer, every spiritual gift, and every segment of the Church is vital for the full functioning and expression of God's dwelling place in the world.
- Divine Design vs. Human Effort: The specific instructions for "fifty clasps of gold" leave no room for human preference or shortcuts. This underlines that true unity within God's dwelling (physical or spiritual) is not a result of human strategy or compromise but comes through faithful adherence to God's divine pattern and His supplied means.
Exodus 26 6 Commentary
Exodus 26:6 unveils a profound spiritual truth through the meticulous instructions for the physical Tabernacle. The fifty golden clasps serving to unite the two distinct sets of curtains into "one tabernacle" illustrate God's divine blueprint for unity. The material, gold, speaks of God's holy and glorious nature, implying that the bonds of unity for His dwelling must be of a precious, pure, and divinely sanctioned quality. This physical coupling is a precursor to spiritual realities; just as the Tabernacle, though composed of various parts, was unified by divine design, so too the Church, the spiritual dwelling of God (Eph 2:22), is designed by God to be one body (Eph 4:4-6), where believers, once separate (Jew and Gentile), are joined in Christ by divine intervention. The unity of the Tabernacle points to the singularity of the living God and His desire for a unified people (John 17:21), a place where He can truly dwell. Every detail, down to the number and material of clasps, reflects a divine intention for cohesion and wholeness in God's presence, highlighting His aversion to disunity and fragmentation within His sanctuary or His people. This unity ensured that God's presence was enshrined within a structure reflective of His own divine perfection and seamless glory.