271 And thou shalt make the altar of acacia-wood, five cubits the length, and five cubits the breadth; the altar shall be square; and the height thereof three cubits. 2 And thou shalt make its horns at the four corners thereof; its horns shall be of itself; and thou shalt overlay it with copper. 3 And thou shalt make its pots to cleanse it of the fat, its shovels, and its bowls, and its forks, and its firepans; for all the utensils thereof thou shalt employ copper. 4 And thou shalt make for it a grating of network of copper; and on the net shalt thou make four copper rings at its four corners; 5 and thou shalt put it under the ledge of the altar beneath, and the net shall be to the very middle of the altar. 6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with copper. 7 And its staves shall be put into the rings, that the staves may be on both sides of the altar, when it is carried. 8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it hath been shewn thee on the mountain, so shall they make [it].
9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side, southward, hangings for the court of twined byssus; a hundred cubits the length for the one side, 10 and the twenty pillars thereof, and their twenty bases of copper, the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver. 11 And likewise on the north side in length, hangings a hundred [cubits] long, and its twenty pillars, and their twenty bases of copper; the hooks of the pillars and their connecting-rods of silver. 12 —And the breadth of the court on the west side, hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their bases ten. 13 —And the breadth of the court on the east side, eastward, fifty cubits; 14 the hangings on the one wing, of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their bases three. 15 And on the other wing hangings of fifteen [cubits]; their pillars three, and their bases three. 16 —And for the gate of the court a curtain of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, embroidered with needlework; their pillars four, and their bases four. 17 All the pillars of the court round about shall be fastened together with [rods of] silver; their hooks of silver, and their bases of copper. 18 The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty everywhere, and the height five cubits of twined byssus; and their bases of copper. 19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for the service thereof and all the pegs thereof, and all the pegs of the court shall be of copper.
20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee olive oil, pure, beaten, for the light, to light the lamp continually. 21 In the tent of meeting outside the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall dress them from evening to morning before Jehovah: [it is] an everlasting statute, for their generations, on the part of the children of Israel.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Exodus 27:1-22
Commentary on Exodus 27:1-8
(Read Exodus 27:1-8)
In the court before the tabernacle, where the people attended, was an altar, to which they must bring their sacrifices, and on which their priests must offer them to God. It was of wood overlaid with brass. A grate of brass was let into the hollow of the altar, about the middle of which the fire was kept, and the sacrifice burnt. It was made of net-work like a sieve, and hung hollow, that the ashes might fall through. This brazen altar was a type of Christ dying to make atonement for our sins. The wood had been consumed by the fire from heaven, if it had not been secured by the brass: nor could the human nature of Christ have borne the wrath of God, if it had not been supported by Divine power.
Commentary on Exodus 27:9-19
(Read Exodus 27:9-19)
The tabernacle was enclosed in a court, about sixty yards long and thirty broad, formed by curtains hung upon brazen pillars, fixed in brazen sockets. Within this enclosure the priests and Levites offered the sacrifices, and thither the Jewish people were admitted. These distinctions represented the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church, which alone has access to God, and communion with him.
Commentary on Exodus 27:20-21
(Read Exodus 27:20-21)
The pure oil signified the gifts and graces of the Spirit, which all believers receive from Christ, the good Olive, and without which our light cannot shine before men. The priests were to light the lamps, and tend them. It is the work of ministers, by preaching and expounding the Scriptures, which are as a lamp, to enlighten the church, God's tabernacle upon earth. Blessed be God, this light is not now confined to the Jewish tabernacle, but is a light to lighten the gentiles, and for salvation unto the ends of the earth.