curtain, in the coupling of the se- | be thirty cubits, and the breadth of cond. one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure. 5 Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another. 6 And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle. 7 And bthou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make. 8 The length of one curtain shall b ch. 36. 14. 9 And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle. 10 And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. 11 And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it be may one. other, and thus connect the curtains, manner made it, as it were, 'one taberbut they were brought near together nacle' (w), i. e. one continuous awnand then coupled by the 'taches' oring or pavilion. It was such, moreover, clasps. As to the precise manner in or rather is spoken of as such, independwhich this coupling was effected we ent of the wood work, which is subseare thrown upon our own conjectures. quently mentioned. Horsley's account of it is as follows, (Bibl. Crit. vol. 1. p. 103): 'Since the two sheets were fastened together, whenever the Tabernacle was set up by the loops and the hooks, and there were fifty hooks upon each sheet, but only fifty hooks in all, it is obvious that one hook must have served each pair of loops. And this is remarked by all commentators. But how this was effected, I have nowhere found explained in an intelligible manner. I think it must have been thus. The fifty hooks were all set upon one sheet. Each hook was set immediately behind a loop. Then the loop immediately before the hook was passed through the opposite loop on the other sheet, and being drawn back, was hitched upon the hook behind it. Thus the edge of the sheet on which the hooks were not set, would be made to lap a little over the edge of the other, and a close, firm, neat joining would be formed.' The coupling of the two main hangings together in this 7-11. Curtains of goats' hair. The nature of this material, as a coarse kind of camlet, we have already considered, ch. 25. 4. The curtains made of it were designed as a protection to the finer fabric of the inner set, which seems to be more especially alluded to in the term 'tabernacle'a sense confirmed by the usage of the Heb. before remarked upon. There was one more piece of this camlet covering than of the linen, and it was also two cubits, or a yard, longer. The breadth of each piece was the same as that of the former, but as there was one more of the camlet than of the linen, it made the whole covering when coupled together two yards longer and one yard broader than the interior one. For this reason, it hung down near to the bottom of the side-walls, and one yard in front over the entrance, which part of it was or dinarily doubled back. The coupling of the parts was managed in the same way as that of the other, except that 12 And the remnant that remain- | hang over the sides of the tabereth of the curtains of the tent, the nacle on this side and on that side, half curtain that remaineth, shall to cover it. hang over the back-side of the tabernacle. 13 And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall one division consisted of five pieces and the other six, and in this instance the taches were of brass instead of gold. ¶ Couple the tent together. Heb. 3 ohel. This phraseology keeps up the distinction adverted to above between 'tabernacle' and 'tent' in this part of the history. 13. The remnant that remaineth, &c. The disposal of this surplus part of the curtains has been already intimated above. From the additional particulars here given, we learn, that it went to furnish the greater length of hanging on the sides, the front, and the west end of the Tabernacle. Still it did not depend quite to the ground, but left the foundation work of silver sockets exposed to view. 14. Thou shalt make a covering, &c. Of the third and fourth of these invelopes, which were made of skins, as they were of a still coarser fabric, the account is very brief. Nothing is said of the dimensions of either, but it is to be presumed that each was somewhat larger than the one immediately next it, and to which it served as a covering.' It is not expressly stated whether the curtains lay flat or sloping on the top of the Tabernacle; if flat, there was more need of so many distinct cov. erings to prevent the rain from soaking through and injuring the inner and finer set, or from dropping into the sanctuary. It is probable, however, that the successive layers would of themselves sufficiently round the top of the Taber. nacle to carry off the water, of which but little would be expected to fall in 14 And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins. c ch. 36. 19. that arid region. It may also be supposed that in good weather, and on more solemn occasions, the exterior and coarser hangings were folded up on the sides so as to let the inner and finer appear in all their beauty; and as it is certain that neither of the inner hangings came lower than to the upper side of the silver ground-sill, that splendid foundation would be thus exposed to view, and the whole together would present to the eye of the beholder a magnificent spectacle. In bad weather, or at night, the skin-coverings were probably let down to their full length, which was sufficient to cover the silver sleepers, and thus protect them from rain or snow. The remark of Scott on the typical design of the several curtain-layers is very appropriate; "The whole represents the person and doctrine of Christ, his true church, and all heavenly things; which are outwardly, and to the carnal eyed, mean, but are inwardly and in the sight of God, exceedingly glorious and precious. The secure protection which he prepares for those who are inwardly precious in his sight, may also be denoted; and the unity of the whole, formed of so many pieces and of such different materials, into one covering of the sanctuary, represents the spiritual temple formed of persons of different nations, disposi tions, abilities, and attainments, compacted together into one church, by the uniting influence of the spirit of love.' The annexed cut is a probable approximation to a correct view of the curtains. 15 T And thou shalt make boards | one board, set in order one against for the tabernacle of shittim-wood another: thus shalt thou make for standing up. all the boards of the tabernacle, 16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board. 17 Two tenons shall there be in 18 And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward. THE BOARDS. in breadth, it made the whole length 15. Thou shalt make boards, &c., Heb. thirty cubits, or fifteen yards. Nothing, kerashim, boards or planks. however, is said of the thickness of the The appropriate root p karash does boards, which Lightfoot fixes at nine not occur in Hebrew, but in Chaldee inches, and which we have every reason the verb signifies to coagulate, con- to believe did not fall short of that geal, condense, as op keres likewise estimate, though the Rabbins make it does in Arabic, and the Syriac uses an entire cubit. This inference is cona noun for contig-firmed by the fact that the Sept renders the original p by oroo pillars, and this they would scarcely have done had they understood it to mean only boards, which would certainly be a very inadequate material for such a structure. karsha as קרשא nation, or coupling together. The radical idea of the Heb. karash seems to be to compact, contignate, or fasten together, as in the frame-work of a building. Such a frame-work was necessary to support the curtains, and to give more stability to the sacred tent. Of the 'shittim-wood,' or acacia, we have already spoken; the remaining particulars will be considered as we proceed. 16. Ten cubits shall be the length of a board. As the length of the boards constituted the height of the Tabernacle, it follows from this, according to the common computation of the cubit, that it was five yards or fifteen feet high. As there were twenty of these on each side, each of which were a cubit and a half, or twenty-seven inches 17. Two tenons. Heb. 7 yadoth, hands; so called probably from their holding fast in the sockets into which they were mortised. These tenons' are generally understood to have been affixed to the bottom of each board, and to have been precisely the same with those mentioned below, v. 19. But we are rather of opinion that the two tenons here spoken of projected from the side of each board, and were inserted into corresponding receptacles in the adjoining board, in order to give more com 19 And thou shalt make forty | tabernacle on the north side there sockets of silver under the twenty shall be twenty boards. boards: two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. 20 And for the second side of the pactness to the wall. With this substantially agrees the rendering of the Vulg. 'In the sides of the boards shall be made two mortises, whereby one board may be joined to another board.' The original for 'set in order' (3 meshallaboth) properly signifies 'set ladderwise,' and it is perfectly easy to conceive that where two boards were brought near together, and yet not quite closed up, the connecting tenons would 5 21 And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 22 And for the sides of the tab look like the rounds of a ladder. The tenons at the bottom of each board we suppose to have been additional to these. Still it must be admitted that this interpretation is not quite certain. The matter is left to the judgment of the reader. The annexed cut may be considered as a probable approximation to a correct idea of the position of the boards, tenons, and sockets. The different parts will be readily distinguished. 20, 21. And for the second side, &c. These two verses amount to nothing more than a direction, that the construction of the north side of the Tabernacle should exactly correspond with that of the south. adnë keseph, bases of silver; implying doubtless the supporting sockets of the tenons, as the true import of Teden is a base or supporter. Each of these sockets was composed of a talent of silver, and every two of them 22. For the sides of the tabernacle joined together equalled in length the westward. Heb. 5 yarkoth. This width of one of the planks, and so form-term when applied to things inanimate ed, when united, one entire foundation, which, in the technical language of the architects, may be termed a silver ground-sill. usually denotes an end, a term, an extremity, and is doubtless so to be understood here, as we find it occasionally rendered in the Gr. coxara, extreme ernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. 23 And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. 24 And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners. 25 And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 26 ¶ And thou shalt make bars parts. The idiomatic plural term 'sides' therefore is here equivalent to end.' So it is distinctly interpreted both in the Targum of Onkelos and Jonathan. 23, 24. Two boards shalt thou make for the corners. These two verses are involved in an obscurity which we have endeavored in vain to penetrate. The reader must be thrown upon his own resources to imagine such a construction of the corners as the general plan and objects of the building would admit or require. The original word for 'coupled' literally signifies 'twinned' or 'made like twins,' i. e. exactly alike; but beyond this we are unable to afford him any light. Should he obtain it from other commentators, he will be more fortunate than ourselves. Our inability, however, to make out satisfactorily this part of the structure detracts nothing from the accuracy of the explanations of the rest. 25. They shall be eight boards. The two corner boards being added to the six others made up the complement of eight. 26. Thou shalt make bars. The south and north sides, and the west end of the Tabernacle had five gold-covered bars, each of which were carried through rings or staples of gold, but what the of shittim-wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 27 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the sides of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward. 28 And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end. 29 And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars, and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold. 30 And thou shalt rear up the tablength of these bars was, is not said. The middle ones, indeed, on the different sides and end, were appointed to be of the whole length, or thirty cubits on the north and south sides, and ten cubits at the west end; which was probably sunk into the boards, and ran along a groove from end to end, at five cubits from the ground. The other four bars, which Josephus says were each five cubits long, were perhaps variously disposed on the sides and end of the structure in such a way as to conduce at once most effectually to its beauty and strength. Having no certain information as to the precise manner in which the four were disposed along the sides we have represented them in our cut as arranged uniformly with the middle one. It is obviously a matter of little importance. In the phrase, 'for the two sides westward,' the plural is prob ably put for the singular, as it was the end in which the two sides terminated. 29. Thou shalt overlay the boards with gold. We are thrown upon our own conjectures as to the thickness of the metal by which the boards and bars were overlaid. If it were done with gold plates, they must have been extremely thin, as otherwise the weight would have been altogether too great to |