Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Exodus
Chapter 35: The Willing Offering
With the covenant renewed, the actual building of the tabernacle begins, and it begins where all true work for God must begin: with rest and with a willing heart. Moses gathers the congregation, reminds them first of the sabbath, and then calls for an offering, "whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it." The response is overwhelming. Men and women, "as many as were willing hearted," pour out gold, blue and purple and scarlet, fine linen, skins, wood, oil, spices, and precious stones, and the women spin with their own hands. The same people who so recently gave their gold to a calf now give it gladly to God. Then Moses names the men God has chosen, Bezaleel and Aholiab, "filled with the spirit of God" for every kind of skilled work and gifted even to teach others. Exodus 35 is a chapter about willing hearts, worshipful giving, and the Spirit of God who equips His people to build His house.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Exodus chapter 35. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Chapter 35 begins the building of the tabernacle with the sabbath command, a call for a willing offering, the glad giving of the whole congregation, and the naming of the Spirit-filled craftsmen. It teaches the joy of cheerful giving, the value of every willing heart, and the truth that the Spirit of God equips His people to build His house. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Rest Before Work
Before the tabernacle work begins, Moses repeats the sabbath command, for zeal for God never overrides the word of God.
A Willing Heart
God asks for materials only from willing hearts, for He desires worship freely given, not gifts wrung out by pressure.
Men and Women Give
The whole congregation, stirred in heart, brings gold, cloth, skins, and spun yarn; every hand has something to give.
Filled with the Spirit
Bezaleel and Aholiab are filled with the Spirit of God for skilled work and gifted to teach others the same.
Six Days Shall Work Be Done (Exodus 35:1-3)
Before any board is cut or thread is spun, Moses gathers the people and reminds them of the sabbath, placing rest at the head of all their labor for God.
A Sabbath of Rest to the LORD
"And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,"
Hebrew Study
Before one board is cut, God restates the Sabbath: "Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day... whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death." Even the sacred labor of building God's house must halt for God's rest. It is a guardrail against a subtle sin — imagining that work for God may override the plain command of God. Zeal never licenses disobedience.
Explanation
Moses "gathered all the congregation" and gave them "the words which the LORD hath commanded." The very first command before the great work of building the tabernacle is the sabbath: six days for labor, but the seventh a "holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD." This is striking. They were about to undertake the most sacred construction project in Israel's history, the dwelling place of God, and yet even that holy work must not trespass on God's rest. No fire was to be kindled, no work done, however important the project seemed. God would not have His people so consumed with building His house that they forgot to rest in Him. The order matters: rest is named before work, worship before labor. Even a good and God-given task must submit to the word of God.
Gospel Focus
It is no accident that the sabbath heads the tabernacle work. God was teaching a lesson His people, and we, are slow to learn: zeal for the work of God must never override the word of God. It is possible to be so busy building for the Lord that we neglect the Lord Himself, to serve the house and forget the One who dwells in it. The sabbath rest also pointed forward. Under the old covenant it was a solemn sign, guarded even by death; under the new, it finds its fulfillment in Christ, who says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Scripture tells us, "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works" (Hebrews 4:9-10). We keep the heart of the sabbath not by legalism but by ceasing from our own works and resting in the finished work of Christ. Before you labor for God, learn to rest in God; the work will be the sweeter for it.
Whosoever Is of a Willing Heart (Exodus 35:4-19)
Moses calls for an offering to build the tabernacle, but only from those whose hearts are willing, and lists all that the wise hearted will make.
An Offering of a Willing Heart
"Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate. And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded; The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets, The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering, The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread, The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light, And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle, The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court, The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, The cloths 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. And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 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. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD. And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them. Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD'S offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it. And all the women that were wise 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. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair. And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense."
Explanation
Moses announces the offering for the tabernacle: gold, silver, and brass; blue, purple, and scarlet; fine linen and goats' hair; rams' skins and badgers' skins; shittim wood, oil, spices, and precious stones. It is a long and costly list, everything needed to build and furnish the house of God, down to the "holy garments for Aaron the priest." But the whole appeal turns on one qualifying phrase: "whosoever is of a willing heart." God does not draft the materials or tax the people; He invites the willing. And He calls the "wise hearted" to come and "make all that the LORD hath commanded." The tabernacle would be built by voluntary gifts from glad hearts and skilled hands, not by compulsion. God wanted the offering, but even more He wanted the willingness behind it.
Hebrew Study
"Willing heart" translates the Hebrew nadib leb, from the root nadab, meaning to volunteer, to give freely and spontaneously of one's own accord. From the same root comes nedabah, the "freewill offering." The word pictures a heart that is not driven or pressured but moved from within, giving because it delights to give. God did not want gifts squeezed out by guilt or law; He wanted the offering of a heart that gladly volunteered itself and its treasure to Him.
Gospel Focus
"Whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it." God has always cared more about the heart of the giver than the size of the gift. He does not need our gold; He owns the earth and its fulness. What He seeks is willing worship, an offering that flows from love rather than obligation. Paul draws the same line under the new covenant: "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). Giving to the work of God is not a tax to be endured but a privilege to be enjoyed, an act of worship. When we give grudgingly, we have missed the point; when we give gladly, we join the willing hearts of Israel who built the dwelling place of God. Ask not only what you give, but how you give it, for God weighs the willingness of the heart. He loves a cheerful giver, and there is no sweeter way to worship than to give freely what He first gave to us.
Every One Whose Heart Stirred Him (Exodus 35:20-29)
The whole congregation responds, men and women together, bringing their gold and cloth and spun yarn, every willing heart giving to the LORD.
A Willing Offering unto the LORD
"The children of Israel brought a 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."
Hebrew Study
The tabernacle is funded by a flood of glad giving: "every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing" brought gold, blue, purple, linen, and skill. The word for it is nedavah, a willing offering — no tax, no compulsion, but overflowing generosity from stirred hearts. Here, centuries early, is the principle Paul would state: "God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Explanation
The people answer the call in a flood of glad generosity. "Every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing," brought the LORD's offering. Both men and women came, "as many as were willing hearted," bringing bracelets, earrings, rings, and jewels of gold. Those who had blue, purple, scarlet, linen, skins, or wood brought them. The women "did spin with their hands," and those "whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair," bringing not only their possessions but their labor and skill. The rulers brought the precious stones and the spices and oil. It was a whole-congregation offering, no one excluded, everyone with something to give. And the summary caps it: "every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring." Israel gave itself to the building of the house of God.
Gospel Focus
Notice who gave: not a wealthy few but the whole congregation, men and women alike, each bringing what they had. Some brought gold, others cloth; some brought precious stones, others the humble labor of spinning goats' hair. Every willing hand had a place in building God's house. This is a picture of the church, where every member has something to bring and no gift is too small to matter. And there is a deeper wonder here. This is the same people who, only chapters before, tore off their gold to make a calf. Now that same gold flows freely to God. Grace had turned their hearts; what had been spent on an idol was now poured out in worship. When God renews a heart, He redeems even its giving. Do not think you have nothing to offer. Whatever is in your hand, your gold, your skill, your time, your voice, bring it willingly to the Lord, and He will build His house with it. The kingdom of God is not built by a few great gifts but by many willing hearts.
Filled with the Spirit of God (Exodus 35:30-35)
Moses names Bezaleel and Aholiab, whom God has filled with His Spirit for every kind of skilled work and gifted even to teach others.
Bezaleel Filled with the Spirit
"And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Them hath he filled 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."
Explanation
Willing hearts had brought the materials; now God provides the skilled hands to work them. Moses tells the people that the LORD "hath called by name Bezaleel," of the tribe of Judah, and "hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship." Bezaleel could "devise curious works" in gold, silver, and brass, cut and set stones, and carve wood. With him God set Aholiab, of the tribe of Dan. And God gave them one gift more: "he hath put in his heart that he may teach." Both were filled "with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work," and to instruct others as engravers, designers, weavers, and embroiderers. God did not only equip two men; He raised up teachers who could multiply their gift through many hands. The house of God would be built by Spirit-given skill, passed on and shared.
Hebrew Study
"Filled with the spirit of God" is the Hebrew male, to be full, brimming, completely supplied, joined to ruach Elohim, the Spirit of God. This is the first time in Scripture a man is said to be filled with the Spirit of God, and remarkably it is for craftsmanship, artistry, and skilled labor. The Spirit who would later fall at Pentecost is the same Spirit who filled Bezaleel to work in gold and stone. When God fills a person, He equips them for the work He calls them to do, whatever its form.
Gospel Focus
The first man the Bible describes as "filled with the spirit of God" was not a prophet or a priest but a craftsman, filled to work in gold and stone and wood for the house of God. This teaches us that the Spirit of God equips His people for every kind of service, and that skill itself can be a spiritual gift. The same Spirit who was poured out on all flesh at Pentecost is the one Spirit who works in each believer, "dividing to every man severally as he will." Paul writes, "there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit," and "the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal" (1 Corinthians 12:4, 7). Whatever your gift, teaching, building, singing, serving, showing mercy, it is the Spirit of God at work in you for the building of His house. And notice that God gave Bezaleel and Aholiab the heart "to teach," for the Spirit's gifts are meant to be shared, not hoarded. Do not despise the ability God has placed in your hands as though it were merely natural. If you are His, the same Spirit who filled Bezaleel fills you, and calls you to pour out your gift, and pass it on, for the glory of God and the building of His people.
Chapter 35 in Review
Exodus 35 begins the actual building of the tabernacle, and it begins with rest and willingness. Moses gathers the congregation and first repeats the sabbath command, teaching that even the holiest work must not override the word of God. Then he calls for an offering, but only from willing hearts, and lists everything needed for the tabernacle and the priests. The people respond in a flood of glad giving: men and women alike, "as many as were willing hearted," bring gold, cloth, skins, wood, oil, spices, and stones, and the women spin with their own hands. The same gold that had gone into a calf now flows freely to God. Finally Moses names Bezaleel and Aholiab, whom God has "filled with the spirit of God" for every kind of skilled work and gifted to teach others.
For the Apostolic reader, this chapter is a portrait of how the house of God is built. It rises on rest in God, on giving that is willing and cheerful, and on the gifts of the Spirit poured out and shared. God cares more for the willing heart than the costly gift, for He loves a cheerful giver. He honors every hand that brings what it has, so that the whole congregation, not a favored few, builds His house. And He fills His people with His own Spirit to equip them, the same Spirit who fell at Pentecost, working in every believer for the good of all. Rest in God before you labor for Him, give Him your treasure and your skill with a glad heart, and let the Spirit who dwells in you build His house through your willing hands.
- The sabbath heads the tabernacle work: zeal for God's work must never override the word and rest of God (35:2; Hebrews 4:9-10).
- God asks for offerings from willing hearts, for He loves a cheerful giver, not a grudging one (35:5; 2 Corinthians 9:7).
- The whole congregation gave, men and women, each bringing what they had; every willing hand builds God's house (35:29).
- The gold once given to a calf now flowed freely to God; grace redeems even our giving (35:22; 32:3-4).
- Bezaleel was filled with the Spirit of God for skilled work and to teach; the Spirit equips every believer to serve (35:30-31; 1 Corinthians 12:7).
Questions for Reflection
- Are you so busy working for God that you have forgotten to rest in Him?
- When you give to God, do you give gladly and willingly, or grudgingly and of necessity?
- What gift has the Spirit placed in your hands, and are you using it, and passing it on, to build His house?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). "Willing heart" (Hebrew nadib leb, from nadab, to volunteer) gives us nedabah, the freewill offering, and "filled" (Hebrew male) joined to ruach Elohim, the Spirit of God, marks the first man Scripture calls Spirit filled, as any Bible reference confirms. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The sabbath at the head of the work: Exodus 35:1-3; Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 4:9-10.
- The call for a willing offering: Exodus 35:4-19; 2 Corinthians 9:7.
- The whole congregation's glad giving: Exodus 35:20-29; Exodus 32:3-4.
- Bezaleel and Aholiab filled with the Spirit: Exodus 35:30-35; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7.