And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse specifies five pillars for the screen, with gold hooks and bronze bases, contrasting with the four gold-plated pillars and silver bases used inside the tabernacle. This difference highlights that while the inner sanctuary was entirely precious, the entrance, intended for priests and daily service, utilized a mix of materials—gold for connection and hooks, but bronze for the foundational sockets, pointing to a distinction between the dwelling of God and the place of human approach.
And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse describes the final piece of the Tabernacle's entranceway: a decorative hanging held up by five acacia wood pillars, overlaid with gold and with bronze bases. This entranceway served as the doorway to the Tabernacle structure itself, distinguishing it from the outer court where the altar and laver were located. It marks the transition from the public worship area to the sacred space where priests would minister.
Why were some parts of the Tabernacle overlaid with gold while others, like the bases, were made of bronze?
The materials used in the Tabernacle were not arbitrary. They communicated significant theological truths about God and His dwelling place.
Divine Splendor
Earthly Support
This contrast highlights that the divine dwelling was both a place of heavenly glory and a physical reality supported by human faithfulness and service.
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Why five pillars for the entrance hanging, and what does this number signify?
The specific number and placement of these pillars were crucial for the function and symbolism of the Tabernacle's entrance.
Structural Necessity
Symbolism of 'Five'
This setup ensured that the entrance to the sacred dwelling was both visually distinct and structurally sound, a testament to God's provision for His people's access to Him.
Understand the original words
shittim · Hebrew Noun
A durable, decay-resistant wood used in the construction of the Tabernacle furniture and structures. It is often understood symbolically as representing the humanity of Christ—strong, enduring, and capable of being fitted for God's purposes.
zahav · Hebrew Noun
A precious metal representing glory, royalty, and divinity. In the Tabernacle, its usage signifies that the structure is a dwelling place for the Most High, reflecting His heavenly majesty.
nechosheth · Hebrew Noun
A metal alloy often representing judgment or endurance under testing in the Old Testament. Its use in the bases of the pillars points to the stability and strength required by the righteousness of God's judgment.
This passage describes the inner veil separating the Holy of Holies, also made with fine materials and cherubim, highlighting the sacredness and separation demanded by God's presence.
Exodus 36:37-38This parallel account details the same construction, emphasizing the use of acacia wood overlaid with gold and bronze sockets, reinforcing the divine blueprint for the tabernacle's structure and beauty.
Hebrews 9:3The New Testament author refers back to the tabernacle's structure, specifically the inner veil, to draw a spiritual parallel about Christ's sacrifice and the new covenant, showing how these physical elements pointed to deeper realities.
1 Corinthians 3:16This passage speaks of believers as the temple of God, suggesting a continuation of the idea that God's presence is housed among His people, just as He was in the sacred, elaborately constructed tabernacle.
gillExodus 26:37: "And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them."
And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood,.... One at each corner of the entrance into the tabernacle, and the other three at a proper distance from each other, so as to make four ways for the priests to enter in at; as there might very well be, since there was a breadth of ten c…
calvinExodus 26:1-37: "Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them."
And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.
Facies quoque, laqueolos hya cinthinos in ora cortinae unius in extremo in conjunetione: et sic facies…
The verse specifies five pillars for the screen, with gold hooks and bronze bases, contrasting with the four gold-plated pillars and silver bases used inside the tabernacle. This difference highlights that while the inner sanctuary was entirely precious, the entrance, intended for priests and daily service, utilized a mix of materials—gold for connection and hooks, but bronze for the foundational sockets, pointing to a distinction between the dwelling of God and the place of human approach.
This verse describes the final piece of the Tabernacle's entranceway: a decorative hanging held up by five acacia wood pillars, overlaid with gold and with bronze bases. This entranceway served as the doorway to the Tabernacle structure itself, distinguishing it from the outer court where the altar and laver were located. It marks the transition from the public worship area to the sacred space where priests would minister.
This verse describes the final piece of the Tabernacle's entranceway: a decorative hanging held up by five acacia wood pillars, overlaid with gold and with bronze bases. This entranceway served as the doorway to the Tabernacle structure itself, distinguishing it from the outer court where the altar and laver were located. It marks the transition from the public worship area to the sacred space where priests would minister.
"And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them." — The verse specifies five pillars for the screen, with gold hooks and bronze bases, contrasting with the four gold-plated pillars and silver bases used inside the tabernacle. This difference highlight…
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Last reviewed October 2026