Exodus 26:37
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)
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This passage highlights a fascinating detail: the five pillars for the entrance "hanging" are made of bronze bases, unlike the "four pillars" inside the Holy Place which had silver bases. This distinction subtly points to a difference in significance—the inner sanctuary, where God's presence was most direct, deserved a more precious foundation than the outer entrance.
This verse concludes the detailed instructions for constructing the tabernacle itself, specifically focusing on the entrance. Immediately preceding this, God commanded the creation of a richly embroidered screen for the doorway, and now the support structure for that entrance screen is described. The final verses of the chapter will then move on to the surrounding courtyard and its furnishings.
Why did the Holy Spirit specify different metals for different parts of the Tabernacle's entrance? It’s more than just aesthetics; it speaks volumes about value and access.
The entrance to the Tabernacle, the "hanging" or screen, was supported by five pillars. These pillars, and their hooks, were overlaid with gold, signifying immense value and divine glory. However, their bases, the "sockets," were made of bronze.
Why the Difference?
The contrast between gold and bronze highlights the awe-inspiring nature of God's presence, accessible only through divine provision, while still acknowledging the earthly reality of those who approach.
The number five is intentional. What does it tell us about the entryway to God's dwelling place on earth?
The text specifies five pillars for the screen at the entrance of the Tabernacle. This isn't just arbitrary construction; it points to a functional and symbolic design.
A Strong Entrance
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 speaks of Christ as the High Priest entering through a greater and more perfect tent, pointing to Jesus as the ultimate reality behind the Tabernacle's structures.
Exodus 36:37-38This passage describes the same pillars and hooks as Exodus 26:37, reinforcing the meticulous detail and material richness God desired for His dwelling place.
1 Corinthians 6:19Just as the Tabernacle was God's dwelling among His people, this passage teaches that believers are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, highlighting the preciousness of our lives as His dwelling.
Revelation 21:22This passage describes the New Jerusalem having no temple, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple, showing a progression from a physical dwelling to God Himself being the center of worship.
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…
This passage highlights a fascinating detail: the five pillars for the entrance "hanging" are made of bronze bases, unlike the "four pillars" inside the Holy Place which had silver bases. This distinction subtly points to a difference in significance—the inner sanctuary, where God's presence was most direct, deserved a more precious foundation than the outer entrance.
This verse concludes the detailed instructions for constructing the tabernacle itself, specifically focusing on the entrance. Immediately preceding this, God commanded the creation of a richly embroidered screen for the doorway, and now the support structure for that entrance screen is described. The final verses of the chapter will then move on to the surrounding courtyard and its furnishings.
This verse concludes the detailed instructions for constructing the tabernacle itself, specifically focusing on the entrance. Immediately preceding this, God commanded the creation of a richly embroidered screen for the doorway, and now the support structure for that entrance screen is described. The final verses of the chapter will then move on to the surrounding courtyard and its furnishings.
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While the inner veil had four pillars, the outer entrance had five. This difference suggests the outer entrance was more robust and perhaps more accessible (though still strictly regulated), reflecting God's desire to dwell among His people.
"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." — This passage highlights a fascinating detail: the five pillars for the entrance "hanging" are made of bronze bases, unlike the "four pillars" inside the Holy Place which had silver bases. This distin…
