Bible Commentaries
John Dummelow's Commentary
Exodus 38
The Holy Furniture
1-7. The Altar of Burnt Offering: see Exodus 27:1-8.
8. The Laver: see Exodus 30:17-21; Read with RV 'mirrors of the serving women which served at the door of the tent of meeting.' What service these women rendered is not said. They are only mentioned once again, in 1 Samuel 2:22. They may have helped in the liturgical part of the worship by their singing and dancing. The Heb. word which indicates their service here is used of the Levites in Numbers 4:23; Numbers 8:24.
9-20. The Court of the Tabernacle: see Exodus 27:9-19.
21-31. The Sum of the Precious Metals.
21. Ithamar] the youngest of the four sons of Aaron: see Exodus 6:23, and on Exodus 28:1.
24. The gold shekel is estimated to have been worth about £2 of our money, and the gold talent, which contained 3,000 shekels, about £6,000. The silver shekel was worth fully 2s. 6d., and the silver talent about £400.
26. The number of persons given here is identical with the result of the census taken in the second month of the second year: see Numbers 1:46. This suggests that the computations recorded here were made not exactly at this time but. after the erection of the tabernacle. It is to be observed that the silver mentioned here is not that contributed voluntarily but what was obtained as ransom money (Exodus 30:11-16). The latter amount may for some reason have been substituted for the former in this passage.
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