Commentary - Exodus 36:14-19

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Exodus, we are not simply reading a dry inventory or an ancient construction manual. We are witnessing the obedient and Spirit-filled craftsmanship of God's people as they assemble the dwelling place of God. This is worship through work. Having received the pattern from God on the mountain, Moses now oversees its faithful execution by the hands of Bezalel and Oholiab and all the wise-hearted artisans. This particular passage details the construction of the outer layers of the tabernacle tent, the coverings that would shield the glorious inner sanctuary from the elements. As with every detail of the tabernacle, these layers are dripping with theological significance. They picture for us the nature of Christ, the mediator between a holy God and a sinful people. We move from the inside out, from glory to humility, from beauty to ruggedness, which is a glorious picture of the incarnation. God is teaching His people, in picture-form, how a holy God can dwell in the midst of an unholy people. The answer is through a mediator who is both glorious within and yet humble and unassuming in His external appearance.

The construction here is precise, following the divine blueprint to the letter. The dimensions, the materials, the method of joining them together, all of it is according to the command of God. This underscores a central theme of true worship: it is never a man-made invention but always a faith-filled response to God's own revelation. We worship Him as He commands, not as we imagine. These outer coverings teach us about the person and work of Christ, who tabernacled among us, veiling His divine glory in humble human flesh, bearing our sin, and protecting His people from the righteous judgment of God.

Outline

Context In Exodus

This passage sits in the final section of Exodus, which is dedicated to the actual construction of the tabernacle (Exodus 35-40). This follows the giving of the detailed instructions for it (Exodus 25-31) and the catastrophic fall of Israel in the golden calf incident (Exodus 32-34). It is crucial to see the connection. The tabernacle is God's gracious provision for dwelling with a stiff-necked people who have just proven their deep-seated idolatry. The construction is not just a building project; it is the tangible outworking of covenant renewal and forgiveness. The people, having been redeemed from Egypt and then having broken the covenant, are now brought back into fellowship and given the high privilege of building God a house. Their willing and generous hearts in bringing the materials (Exod 35) and the skilled labor of the craftsmen (Exod 36:1-7) are the fruit of repentance and grace. This section is the positive counterpart to the sin of the golden calf, showing a people now rightly directing their skills and wealth to the glory of the true God, according to His explicit Word.

Key Issues

Covered by Christ

When we look at the tabernacle, we are looking at a scale model of the cosmos and a preview of the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is a gospel pre-enactment. The structure had multiple layers, and each layer tells us something true about our salvation. The innermost layer, the fine-twined linen with the cherubim, spoke of the unapproachable holiness and beauty of God's immediate presence. But for sinful man to be protected from that raw holiness, and for that holiness to be protected from the sinfulness of the camp, there had to be coverings. These outer layers were not just for keeping the rain out; they were theological statements.

The layers moved from glorious beauty on the inside to rugged, plain utility on the outside. This is a picture of the incarnation. John tells us that the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, and we beheld His glory (John 1:14). But to the outside world, Isaiah tells us He had "no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him" (Isa 53:2). The glory was veiled. These coverings, from the goats' hair to the rams' skins to the outermost layer, all point to the Christ who would come and be a covering for our sin, bearing the judgment we deserved in His own body, appearing in the likeness of sinful flesh, yet without sin Himself.

Verse by Verse Commentary

14 Then he made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains in all.

Right on top of the beautiful, glorious linen curtain that formed the ceiling of the holy place, they placed a covering made of goats' hair. Now, in the biblical world, the goat is consistently associated with sin. The scapegoat on the Day of Atonement carried the sins of the people into the wilderness (Lev 16:21-22). The goat was a primary animal for the sin offering. So, when an Israelite looked up at the tabernacle, he would not see the glorious inner linen. He would see this tent of goats' hair. The message is plain: God's dwelling place in the midst of a sinful people is covered by an atonement. Sin is present, and it must be dealt with, covered. This layer is a constant, visible reminder of the sin of the people and God's provision for that sin. Christ became our sin offering; He was made sin for us, who knew no sin (2 Cor 5:21), so that God could righteously dwell with us.

15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits and four cubits the width of each curtain; the eleven curtains had the same measurements.

God is a God of order, not chaos, and His instructions are precise. The uniformity of the curtains matters. This is not a haphazard affair. Each piece is made to exact specifications. This points to the perfection and sufficiency of Christ's work. It is not a patchwork solution. The atonement He provides is perfectly measured, fully compliant with the demands of God's law. There are eleven curtains, a number that can be associated with disorder or incompletion, perhaps pointing to the fact that this old covenant system was not the final reality but was awaiting its fulfillment.

16 He joined five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves.

Just as with the inner curtains, this larger tent is made of two main sections. This division allowed for the veil to hang down, separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The atonement, represented by this goats' hair tent, covers the entire dwelling. The work of Christ covers all, providing access and fellowship with God, but maintaining the crucial distinction between the holy and the most holy, a distinction that would only be removed when Christ's body was torn on the cross and the temple veil was torn in two from top to bottom.

17 Moreover, he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the first set, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second set.

The method of joining these two large pieces together is again specified. There are loops on the edges where the two curtains meet. Fifty is the number of jubilee, of release and freedom. It is fitting that the covering for sin would be held together in a way that points to the ultimate release from bondage that the atonement accomplishes. These loops are points of connection, preparing the way for the clasps that will make the two one.

18 He made fifty clasps of bronze to join the tent together so that it would be a unit.

The clasps that join the two sections of the goats' hair tent are made of bronze. In the Bible, bronze is consistently a metal associated with judgment. The altar of burnt offering, where sin was judged, was overlaid with bronze (Ex 27:2). The serpent lifted up in the wilderness was a bronze serpent, a picture of the curse being judged (Num 21:9). So what holds the sin-covering together? Judgment does. The atonement is not a sentimental wiping away of sin. It is a work that fully satisfies the righteous judgment of God. God's wrath against sin is not set aside; it is absorbed. The bronze clasps remind us that our forgiveness was purchased at the cost of a fierce judgment, borne by our substitute. It is this judgment, met and satisfied, that makes the covering for our sin a single, unified, and effective whole.

19 He made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above.

On top of the goats' hair tent, there were two more layers. The first was of rams' skins dyed red. The ram was the animal of substitution, most famously in the story of Abraham and Isaac (Gen 22:13). It was the sacrifice for the consecration of priests. And here, the skins are dyed red, the color of blood, the color of life laid down. This layer shouts of substitutionary atonement. Christ, our ram, was caught in the thicket of our sin and offered up in our place. His blood is the price of our redemption. And finally, the outermost covering was of "porpoise skins," or more likely, the skins of sea cows or badgers. The exact animal is uncertain, but what is certain is that this was a tough, durable, weather-proof material. It was not beautiful. It was rugged and functional. This was the face the tabernacle presented to the world. It speaks of Christ's humanity, His humble appearance, bearing the assaults of the world, protecting the glory within. He endured the storm of God's wrath and the hostility of sinful men, and He is our protection, our durable covering.

Application

The details of the tabernacle are not given to us to satisfy our antiquarian curiosity. They are given to us for our instruction in righteousness, and they all point to Christ. This passage teaches us, first, that God takes sin with deadly seriousness. His glorious presence must be covered by a provision for sin, a sin offering. We must never treat our sin lightly. It is the very thing that separates us from the holy God.

Second, it teaches us that God Himself provides the covering. The people built it, but God designed it. Salvation is of the Lord. We do not devise our own way to approach God; we come by the way He has made. That way is Christ. He is our goats' hair covering, taking our sin. He is our ram's skin dyed red, shedding His blood as our substitute. And He is our durable outer covering, protecting us from the judgment we deserve.

Finally, this passage calls us to worship with precision and obedience. The artisans did not improvise; they followed the pattern. Our worship and our lives are not to be free-form expressions of our own spiritual creativity. They are to be conformed to the Word of God. We are called to build our lives, our families, and our churches according to the blueprint God has given us in Scripture. Just as every loop and clasp had its place in God's house, so every command of God has its place in our lives. And as we build in obedience, we find that the whole structure is held together by the judgment that Christ bore for us, freeing us to be a dwelling place for the Spirit of God.