6 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, 7 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim-wood. 8 And oil for the light, fand spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, f ch. 25. 6. 9 And onyx-stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breast-plate. 10 And g every wise-hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded; g ch. 31. 6. נדיב לבך .Heb est too small for him who accepteth ac- Of a willing heart. cording to that a man hath, and not ac- nedib libbo, willing (in) his heart. The cording to that he hath not. To the original term nadib, signifying same principle God now addresses him- free, spontaneous, liberal, and someself in making his demands for the times rendered noble, is more frequent. charitable contributions of his people. ly employed as a designation of princes, We have not indeed any such material from the generosity, and nobleness, and building to raise, and therefore may be largeness of soul by which they are supsometimes prone to imagine that the posed to be characterised. In its sub. same occasion for the display of liber- stantive form it occurs Ps. 68. 9, 'Thou, ality does not exist. But is there not O God, didst send a plentiful rain, a spiritual temple which God designs whereby thou didst confirm thine into have erected for himself, wherein he heritance when it was weary.' Heb. 'a may be glorified? And is not that tem- rain of liberalities;' which Chandler in ple infinitely more dear to him than his Life of David, vol. 2. p. 61, renders, any which can be formed by human'a shower, as it were voluntarily fallhands? Should not the manifestation ing,' and refers it to the abundant supof his presence, and the establishment ply of manna and quails which descendof his kingdom in the world, call forthed upon the Israelites like a falling rain our zeal, as much as the erection of that fabric in the wilderness did the zeal of the Israelites? The material tabernacle was only a shadow of that better habitation wherein God delights to dwell. To the erection of this spiritual house every true christian Israelite is called to contribute according as God hath given him ability. And let it be ever remembered that the blessing will go with our contributions according to the free, cordial, generous spirit with which they are made. It is not the amount given, but the motive of the giver, which is of account in God's sight. Even the poor widow who casts kol hakam lëb, every one wise of heart; i. e. apt, skilful, ingenious in the various kinds of workmanship now required. The same term is applied to the women, v. 25, 26. The Heb. word hokmah is used vari from heaven; an interpretation which seems to be confirmed by Ps. 78. 24, 27, 'He opened the doors of heaven, and rained down manna upon them to eat. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.' 6. Blue, and purple, and scarlet, &c. As the principal items contained in this chapter have already been largely considered in the Notes on chapters 25-31, the reader is referred to them and to the parallel texts in the margin for the requisite explanations. 10. Every wise-hearted. כל .Heb in her two mites will receive an equal plaudit with Araunah, of whom it is said, 'All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king.' They who do what they can show evidently that they would do more if they could.ously, according to Maimonides; some. 11 The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets; 12 The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy-seat, and the vail of the covering; 13 The k tables, and his staves, and all his vessels, land the shewbread; 14 m The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light; 15 And the incense-altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and p the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entert ing in of the tabernacle; 16 The altar of burnt-offering, with his brazen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot; times for a deep knowledge of divine things; sometimes for moral virtue; sometimes, as here, for skill in mechanical arts; and sometimes for craft and subtlety. A passage in Homer, quoted by Aristotle, remarkably coinciding with this, shows that this sense of the term is not unknown to classical usage; 'The gods neither made him a ditcher, nor a plowman, nor any other sort of wise man.' Upon this Aristotle observes, 'We ascribe wisdom in arts to those who excel in them.' Indeed the character given of Wisdom by Solomon, Prov. 8. 12, would seem to carry with it an allusion to this sense of the term, 'I Wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out the knowledge of witty inventions.' The word leb, heart, is used in accordance with the popular notions of that age and people, that the heart is the seat of the understanding. 11. The tabernacle, his tent, and his 17 The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court; 18 The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords; 19 The clothes of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office. 20 ¶ And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. rch. 27. 9. ch. 31. 10. & 39. 1, 41. Numb. 4, 5, 6, &c. t ver. 5. 22, 36, 29. ch. 25. 2. & 36. 2. 1 Chron. 28. 2, 9. & 29. 9. Ezra 7. 27. 2 Cor. 8. 12. & 9.7. covering. These three terms evidently import in this connexion the three exterior sets of curtains. Compare Note Ex. 26. 1, where this sense of 'tabernacle' and 'tent' is confirmed. 18. The pins of the tabernacle, &c. These were not particularly mentioned before, though we have previously given a cut of them under ch. 27. 10. Josephus says that to every board of the tabernacle, and to every pillar of the court, there were ropes or cords fastened at the top, having the other end secured to a marcados, nail or pin, which at a good distance off was driven into the ground up to the head, a cubit deep. It was a nail or pin of this description which Jael drove into the temples of Sisera. See Note on Judg. 4. 21. 20, 21. And all the congregation-departed, &c. Having had the will of God now fully explained to them, they proceed deliberately to act in accord. ceptions might have been found, but they are not regarded in the comprehensive estimate of the Spirit. 22. And they came, both men and -ha האנשים על הנשים .women. Heb anashim al hannashim, the men upon, over and above, in addition to, the wo ance with the instructions received. They retire from the assembly to their tents, but only to return again with their offerings in their hands. They had no bibles at home with which to compare the requisitions of their leader, and see if these things were so,' but his commands they regarded as im-men; a peculiar phraseology, which perative and ultimate, and would not allow their zeal to cool before obeying them. There was no doubt, in view of their recent transgression, the working of a spirit very much akin to that awakened by the apostle and described in his second epistle to the Corinthian church; For behold this self-same thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.' The idea of having once done evil ought to operate as a powerful incentive to ever after doing good. Every one whose heart stirred him up. Heb. 13 implies, according to the Jewish critic Abrabanel, that the women came first and presented their offerings, and were then followed by the men. This sense is approved by Cartwright, one of the soundest commentators who has ever undertaken to illustrate the Scriptures from Rabbinical sources. Nor has the prompt and forward obedience of woman ever belied this character in any age of the world. And brought bracelets, and ear-rings, &c. Their of ferings were various according to their various possessions. They show themselves, if any thing, more forward to give to the service of God than they had before been to contribute to the fabrication of the golden calf. There we read of ear-rings only having been offered, but here of all kinds of precious articles, as if nothing was too good or too rich to be parted with for the honor of God. Indeed it would seem from the asher nesai libbo, whose heart lifted him up. Chal.' Whose heart was spontaneous.' Every one whose heart was raised to a free and cheerful promp-final clause of v. 22, that the spirit of titude; and such undoubtedly was the case with the congregation en masse. We do not consider the language as intended to bear invidiously upon some by implying that they were not thus liberal; that they either did not offer at all or at best but grudgingly. It is rather an intimation of the general spirit which actuated the whole body of the people. Possibly individual ex the offerers was so acceptable in the sight of God that he regarded every of fering, whatever it was, as an offering of gold. Even the goats' hair and rams' skins acquired so high a value in his esteem from the motives which prompted the givers, that they were accounted as oblations of pure gold! T Tablets. Heb. 25 kumaz. This is a very doubtful word, occurring 24 Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD's offering: and every man with whom was found shittimwood for any work of the service, brought it. 25 And all the women that were wwise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. 26 And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair. w ch. 28. 3. & 31. 6. & 36. 1. 2 Kings 23. 7. Prov. 31. 19, 22, 24. only here and in Num. 31. 50. Geddes, Boothroyd, and others render it by 'lockets,' answering to the Roman 'bulla,' or the 'baccatum monile' of Virgil, which was a necklace formed of gems or precious stones, resembling berries. Such trinkets are still worn by the Arabians. Bochart supposes it was a kind of supporting girdle worn by the women round the bosom. The Editor of the Pictorial Bible, on the other hand, supposes it to have been an ornamented hoop or band surrounding the head. His plates represent such an ornament among the articles of Egyptian costume. They were at any rate probably a part of the spoils obtained from the Egyptians. Every man that offered. Heb. hëniph, that waved; from the circumstance of their oblations being heaved up and waved when offered to the Lord; consequently call ed, Ex. 38. 24, 'a wave-offering.' 25. And all the women that were wisehearted, &c. The sense in which 'wisdom' is predicated of all these various arts and handicrafts has been already explained above on v. 10. Here it appears that the women were as forward in the good work as the men. They were not only willing to give, but to make. They not only resigned their 27 And the rulers brought onyxstones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breast-plate; 28 And y spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 29 The children of Israel brought a z willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring, for all manner of work which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses. 30 And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, a the LORD * 1 Chron. 29. 6. Ezra 2. 68. y ch. 30. 23. z ver 21, 1 Chron. 29. 9. a ch. 31. 2, &c. ornaments, but went immediately to work by spinning and weaving to fabricate such articles of tapestry as were needed for the tabernacle. As all are interested in the worship of God, so all should bear a part in it. The wellbeing and happiness of woman is in a special manner vitally involved in the existence and maintenance of religious institutions, and why should she not be active in promoting them? So in the early history of the church, the Christian tabernacle, there were women which labored in the gospel,' Phil. 4. 3, and of whom Paul again says, Rom. 16. 12, that they'labored in the Lord.' 29. The children of Israel brought a willing offering, every man and woman, &c. Heb. 27 nedabah, a freewill gift. The same word is rendered in v. 3, of the ensuing chapter, 'freeoffering.' No other impulse was needed than the generous promptings of their own bosoms to draw from them the most liberal donations to the good work in hand. Even the maidens, who are not prone to forget their ornaments, now readily divested themselves of their bracelets, pendants, and jewels to swell the amount of the general contribution, as if more anxious for the beautifying of the sanctuary than the hath called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; 32 And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 33 And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work. 34 And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and bAholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. b ch. 31. 6. decoration of their own persons. One spirit seems to have pervaded the whole people. Whatever any one possessed that could be applied to the projected structure, he instantly wrote upon it 'Corban,' and dedicated it to the service of God. Each doubtless thought himself rich, not in proportion to what he retained for his own use, but to the supplies he was able to contribute. In this way the genuine influence of the gospel always operates. Its converts in every age are represented as coming unto God, 'their gold and their silver with them.' However dear may have been their earthly treasures to their hearts, yet the love of Christ will relax their tenacious grasp upon them, and they will be willing, at the call of duty, to part with that which they most value, and deem it a privilege to give up their all to him who has bought them with his blood. How little is to be lost by a liberal policy and how heartily we are to adopt it, is clearly taught in the words of Paul, 2 Cor. 9. 6, 7, 'But this I say, he which soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap also boun 35 Them hath he cfilled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work. CHAPTER XXXVI. THEN wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every a wisehearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the bsanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded. c ver. 31. Chron. 2. 14. 6. & 35. 10, 35. ch. 31. 3, 6. 1 Kings 7. 14. 2 Isai. 28. 26. a ch. 28. 3. & 31. bch. 25. 8. tifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.' O what might not be done for the honor of God and the welfare of man, if this noble spirit every where prevailed, and men gave to the utmost of their ability! How easy would it be to erect places of wor ship, to maintain a settled ministry, to supply the wants of the poor, to send the gospel to the heathen, to administer instruction to the ignorant, consolation to the troubled, relief to the distressed! Well may it shame the world and the church that a concern for trifles crowds out these great objects from their minds; that their own petty interests take precedence of the infinite and eternal interests of God and his kingdom! CHAPTER XXXVI. 1. Then wrought Bezaleel and Aho liab, and every wise-hearted man, &c. Heb. 3 hakem leb, wise of heart. Wherever this epithet occurs the reader is to consider it as an Hebraism, even though it should be met with in the New Testament, as 1 Cor 3. 10, 'Ac |