Exodus 36:32 kjv
And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward.
Exodus 36:32 nkjv
five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle on the far side westward.
Exodus 36:32 niv
five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle.
Exodus 36:32 esv
and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward.
Exodus 36:32 nlt
and five for the south side. He also made five crossbars for the rear of the Tabernacle, which faced west.
Exodus 36 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 26:26-28 | You shall make bars of acacia wood... five for the boards of the one side... | Original divine command for these specific bars |
| Ex 35:11 | The Tabernacle, its tent, and its covering, its clasps and its boards, its bars... | Listing the bars as key components |
| Num 3:36 | The Merarites were appointed to take charge of the boards of the Tabernacle, with its bars... | Priestly responsibility for Tabernacle parts |
| Num 4:31 | The carrying duties... also the bars for the framework... | Merarite duties included handling bars |
| Ex 25:8 | Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. | Core purpose of the Tabernacle |
| Lev 26:11-12 | I will make my dwelling among you... I will walk among you... | God's desire for active presence with Israel |
| Deut 23:14 | The Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp... | God's immanent presence |
| Josh 18:1 | The whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. | Tabernacle as central for worship after settlement |
| Ps 78:60 | He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind. | God's temporary departure due to disobedience |
| Isa 57:15 | I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit. | God's dwelling extends beyond physical structures |
| Eze 37:26-27 | I will make a covenant of peace with them... I will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. | Promise of God's enduring dwelling with His people |
| 1 Cor 12:12-27 | For just as the body is one and has many members... so it is with Christ. | Analogy of many parts forming one unified body |
| Eph 2:19-22 | ...built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone... a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. | Believers built into a spiritual dwelling for God |
| Eph 4:16 | From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint... grows into a holy temple... | The Church's unity and organic growth |
| Col 2:19 | From whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments... | Christ as the unifying head of His body |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house... | Believers as "living stones" in God's dwelling |
| 1 Cor 14:33 | For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. | God's nature is orderly and precise |
| Col 2:5 | I rejoice to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. | Emphasizes Christian order and stability |
| Heb 8:5 | They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. | Tabernacle as a shadow pointing to heavenly reality |
| Heb 9:11 | But when Christ appeared as a high priest... through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands). | Christ as the ultimate, true Tabernacle |
| John 1:14 | The Word became flesh and dwelt among us... (Gk: eskēnōsen - tabernacled) | Jesus Himself is the ultimate dwelling place of God |
| Rev 21:3 | Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them... | God's eternal dwelling with redeemed humanity |
Exodus 36 verses
Exodus 36 32 Meaning
Exodus 36:32 details a specific aspect of the Tabernacle's construction, describing the horizontal bars necessary to provide structural integrity to its framework. It specifies that five bars were crafted for the boards forming the northern long side of the Tabernacle, and an additional five bars were made for the boards comprising the western, or back, end of the dwelling place. These bars, designed to slide through rings attached to the upright wooden boards, were crucial for firmly holding the entire structure together, ensuring stability and unity for God's sacred dwelling among His people.
Exodus 36 32 Context
Exodus 36:32 is part of a larger section (chapters 35-40) detailing the execution of the Tabernacle construction. This verse specifically describes the making of the horizontal connecting bars for the Tabernacle's framework, following the divine blueprints meticulously laid out in earlier chapters (primarily Exodus 26). The broader context of Exodus establishes God's covenant with Israel following their liberation from Egypt, culminating in the establishment of a physical space where His holy presence could dwell amidst them. The Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary, was essential for the Israelites' nomadic journey through the wilderness, providing a focal point for their worship, a place for atonement, and a tangible sign of God's abiding presence and meticulous order in all things. Its precise construction, including the often-overlooked details of the bars, underscored the absolute necessity of adherence to God's divine pattern.
Exodus 36 32 Word analysis
- And five (וַחֲמִשָּׁה - vachamisha): This conjunctive and numerical phrase links to the prior verse (Ex 36:31), indicating that similar structural components are being described. The exact number, "five," repeatedly specified for each side, emphasizes the precise and divinely ordained symmetry and completeness of the Tabernacle's design. It underscores God's meticulous nature, where every detail is significant.
- bars (בְרִיחִם - verichim): The Hebrew beriach (singular) denotes a bolt or a bar. These were structural elements made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, designed to slide through gold rings on the vertical boards. Their function was to interlock and unify the individual wooden planks, creating a robust, continuous wall. Spiritually, they symbolize strength, unity, and the binding together of disparate elements into a singular, cohesive whole under God's design. The word also hints at portability, as they would be removed for disassembly.
- for the boards (לְקַרְשֵׁי - le-karshei): "Boards" (kereshei in plural) refers to the gilded, upright acacia wood frames (Ex 26:15-18) that formed the walls of the Tabernacle. These boards, though individually crafted, were not freestanding walls but required the bars to create a single, unified structure. This relationship between individual pieces and their collective binding reflects principles of unity and communal identity within God's people.
- of the other side (צֶלַע הַמִּשְׁכָּן הַשֵּׁנִית - tsela hamishkan hashenit): Tsela literally means "rib" or "side." "The other side" refers to the north long side of the Tabernacle, distinguishing it from the south side, which would have been "the first side." This specification of directional placement highlights the ordered and precise nature of God's architectural blueprint, leaving no room for human arbitrary adjustments in His dwelling place.
- of the tabernacle (הַמִּשְׁכָּן - hamishkan): Meaning "the dwelling place" (from shakan, to dwell), this refers to the sacred portable sanctuary where God manifested His presence to Israel. The name itself signifies the central theological truth that the transcendent God chooses to dwell among His people. Every component, including these bars, contributed to the sacred integrity of this divine-human meeting place.
- and five bars (וַחֲמִשָּׁה בְרִיחִם): This repetition from the beginning of the verse reinforces the identical nature and equal importance of these components for each designated section of the Tabernacle's structure. It highlights the divine consistency in instruction.
- for the boards of the tabernacle (לְקַרְשֵׁי הַמִּשְׁכָּן): Again, emphasizes that these bars are purpose-built to integrate the primary wall elements of the dwelling place.
- for the back side (לָאָחוֹר - la'akhor): This phrase indicates the rear end of the Tabernacle. As the Tabernacle typically faced east, the "back side" would be the western end, leading to the Holy of Holies. This points to the complete encirclement and protection of God's presence by these structural elements.
- westward (יָמָּה - yamah): Derived from yam (sea), as the Mediterranean Sea lay to the west of Israel, this confirms the orientation of the "back side" as the western aspect of the Tabernacle. The precise directional reference reinforces God's specific and detailed requirements for His sanctuary, contrasting with potentially haphazard pagan constructions.
Exodus 36 32 Bonus section
The five bars on each side and the rear suggest a pattern of threes: three continuous bars (implied by the central bar going "from end to end" in Ex 26:28, connecting all boards) and two outer bars (Ex 26:27-28). While Ex 36:32 only specifies "five bars" for each section of boards without elaborating on their arrangement, the original instruction in Ex 26:28 mentions a "middle bar which shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end." This "middle bar" would have run the entire length of the Tabernacle side, signifying central structural strength and symbolic continuity. The other four bars would be placed above and below it, likely two above and two below the "middle bar," reinforcing the unity across the length and height of the wall. This internal, hidden strength provided by the bars parallels the unseen divine principles and spiritual bonds that truly unify God's people, even when external appearances only show individual members.
Exodus 36 32 Commentary
Exodus 36:32, though a concise technical detail, provides profound insight into God's character and His redemptive plan. The creation of "five bars" for both the northern and western sides of the Tabernacle is not merely an architectural note; it reveals God's meticulous nature, His desire for order, and the significance of every component in His dwelling place. These bars were not decorative but essential for unifying and stabilizing the Tabernacle's freestanding walls. They illustrate that individual parts, no matter how strong on their own (like the acacia boards), achieve true stability and purpose when joined together by divine design.
The precision of "five bars" for specific directions (north and west, supplementing the south side mentioned previously) underscores that God's plan is not vague but perfectly articulated, down to the last detail. This level of specification models the faithfulness expected of His people and reflects the orderly nature of a God who is not the author of confusion. Practically, it means that even the "small" details of obedience and service are vital in building God's spiritual house. Just as the physical Tabernacle represented God's presence among Israel, its components teach us about the unity, stability, and divinely ordained structure required for believers, who together form the dwelling place of God's Spirit. Each "board" (individual believer) is vital, but their strength and purpose are maximized when they are "barred" or bound together by the unifying Spirit of Christ in His Body, the Church.