Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Exodus
Chapter 36: More Than Enough
The work of the tabernacle begins in earnest. Bezaleel, Aholiab, and every wise hearted worker take up the offering the people have brought and set their hands to the sanctuary. And then something happens that has no parallel anywhere else in Scripture: the people give so freely, morning by morning, that the craftsmen come to Moses and say, "The people bring much more than enough." Moses has to issue a command no leader ever expects to give, telling the people to stop bringing. From that overflowing abundance the tabernacle rises: ten curtains of fine linen coupled by loops of blue and taches of gold until "it became one tabernacle," the coverings of goats' hair and rams' skins and badgers' skins, the boards of shittim wood overlaid with gold, and the vail of blue and purple and scarlet with cherubims of cunning work. Exodus 36 is a chapter about generosity that must be restrained, unity woven out of many pieces, and the veil that guarded the way into the presence of God.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Exodus chapter 36. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Chapter 36 records the beginning of the tabernacle work: the people's overflowing offering, restrained because it was more than enough, and the making of the curtains, coverings, boards, and vail. It teaches the joy of abundant giving, the unity of God's house, and the meaning of the veil that pointed to Christ. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Told to Stop
The people give so freely that the workmen must ask Moses to restrain them, for they had more than enough.
One Tabernacle
Ten curtains are coupled with loops of blue and taches of gold until the many pieces become one.
Plain Without
Over the beauty within lay coverings of goats' hair and skins, plain to the outward eye, glory hidden inside.
The Way Guarded
A vail of blue, purple, and scarlet with cherubims woven in barred the way into the most holy place.
Much More Than Enough (Exodus 36:1-7)
The people give so generously, morning after morning, that the craftsmen have to ask Moses to make them stop, a command found nowhere else in Scripture.
The People Were Restrained from Bringing
"Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded. And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning. And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much. And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them. The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size. And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another. And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another."
Explanation
The skilled workers received from Moses "all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought," and the people kept adding to it, bringing "free offerings every morning." The gifts poured in faster than the work could use them, until the craftsmen left their work to tell Moses, "The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work." So Moses did something no leader of a building project ever expects to do: he "caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp," telling the people to bring no more, "and the people were restrained from bringing." The materials were "sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much." This is the only place in all of Scripture where God's people had to be commanded to stop giving. The same nation that had murmured and rebelled now overflowed with such willing generosity that it had to be held back.
Hebrew Study
"Restrained" is the Hebrew kala, meaning to shut up, hold back, or withhold. It is the language of a dam holding back a flood, or a gate closing against a rushing crowd. The picture is vivid: the generosity of the people was a flood so strong that Moses had to build a wall against it. Their giving did not have to be coaxed or squeezed; it had to be dammed. What a rare and beautiful thing, a willingness so overflowing that its only remedy was restraint.
Gospel Focus
Here is a problem every church would love to have: people so eager to give that they must be told to stop. It stands as a rebuke and an invitation to us all. How often the work of God waits, not because His people have nothing, but because they hold back what they have. Israel shows us another way. When hearts are captured by God, giving becomes a joy that overflows its banks. Paul saw the same grace in the Macedonian churches, who gave "beyond their power" and "were willing of themselves," begging for the privilege of giving (2 Corinthians 8:3). This is what grace does to a heart: it opens the hand. And notice, the people brought "free offerings every morning," a generosity that was not a single burst but a daily habit. God is able to supply His house abundantly through willing hearts, and He delights in the giver whose only fault is giving too much. May our giving to God ever need a restraining word rather than a prodding one.
So It Became One Tabernacle (Exodus 36:8-13)
Ten separate curtains are coupled together with loops of blue and clasps of gold until the many pieces are joined into a single tabernacle.
Coupled the Curtains One unto Another
"And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle. And he made curtains of goats' hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them. The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size. And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. And he made fifty taches of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one."
Hebrew Study
Now the willing hands execute the pattern exactly: the wise-hearted make the ten curtains, the loops of blue, and the fifty golden taches, "and coupled the curtains one unto another... so it became one tabernacle." What God had commanded on the mount (chapter 26) is now matched detail for detail below. Obedience is the truest worship — the craftsmen add no ideas of their own, but glory in reproducing the God-given design.
Explanation
The wise hearted workers made "ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work." Each curtain was woven separately, and each was beautiful in itself. But they were not meant to hang alone. Loops of blue were made along the edges, loop matched to loop, and "fifty taches of gold" joined the curtains "one unto another," until, in the words of the text, "it became one tabernacle." Ten pieces, distinct and separate, were bound by golden clasps into a single dwelling place for God. The unity was not achieved by erasing the individual curtains but by joining them. The house of God was one, made of many.
Gospel Focus
"So it became one tabernacle." There is a beautiful picture here of the people of God. Like the ten curtains, believers are distinct, each one woven with its own colors and gifts, yet God's design is that we be coupled together into one. The loops of blue and the taches of gold that bound the curtains speak of the bonds that hold the church together, the work of the Spirit and the love of God clasping many members into a single body. Paul urges us to be "endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit" (Ephesians 4:3-4). A single curtain, however lovely, was not the tabernacle; only when joined to the others did it become part of the dwelling place of God. So it is with us. We were never meant to stand alone. God is building one house out of many lives, and it is in our being coupled together, not in our standing apart, that He makes of us a habitation for Himself. Guard the golden clasps of love and the Spirit that hold the house of God as one.
Rams' Skins and Badgers' Skins (Exodus 36:14-19)
Over the beautiful inner curtains were laid coverings of goats' hair and skins, plain and weathered to the outward eye, hiding the glory within.
A Covering of Badgers' Skins Above
"And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above that. And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up. The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half. One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward: And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards, And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners. And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets. And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward. And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other. And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold."
Hebrew Study
Over the beautiful inner curtains go the plainer coverings — goats' hair, then rams' skins dyed red, then badgers' skins outermost. The layered roof shields the glory within, and the outside is unremarkable to any passing eye. It quietly pictures the One of whom it was written, "he hath no form nor comeliness... no beauty that we should desire him" (Isaiah 53:2) — plain without, yet housing all the glory of God within.
Explanation
Above the inner curtains of fine linen with their cherubims, the workers made a second covering of "curtains of goats' hair for the tent over the tabernacle," and above that "a covering of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above that." These outer coverings were not beautiful. From the outside, anyone looking at the tabernacle would see only weathered animal hides, plain and unadorned, giving no hint of the glory beneath. The beauty of the tabernacle, its blue and purple and scarlet, its gold and its cherubims, was all inside, reserved for those who entered. The plain coverings protected the beauty from the sun and storm of the wilderness, and hid it from the casual eye. Only within was the glory seen.
Gospel Focus
The plain outer coverings of the tabernacle preach a quiet sermon. To the passing eye there was nothing to desire, only badgers' skins and weathered hides; the glory was all within. So it was with our Lord. Isaiah said of Him, "he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him" (Isaiah 53:2). The world looked on Christ and saw a plain man of Galilee, an ordinary covering, and turned away; but those who drew near found the glory of God dwelling within. And so it is often with the people of God. The world sees no outward splendor, nothing to admire; but inside, hidden from the careless glance, is the beauty of holiness and the presence of the living God. Do not judge the house of God by its outer covering. The badgers' skins are only the wrapping; the glory is within, seen by those who come inside. And take comfort, believer, if the world sees nothing lovely in you, for your beauty, like the tabernacle's, is reserved for the eyes of God and for all who enter in.
He Made a Vail (Exodus 36:20-38)
The boards and sockets and bars are made, and the vail of blue and purple and scarlet, woven with cherubims, is hung to guard the way into the most holy place.
A Vail with Cherubims of Cunning Work
"And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work. And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver. And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework; And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass."
Explanation
The workers made "boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up," each set in sockets of silver and joined by bars, the frame of the dwelling overlaid with gold. Then they made the vail, "of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work," hung on four pillars of gold set in sockets of silver. This vail divided the holy place from the most holy, the place of the ark and the mercy seat where the presence of God dwelt. The cherubims woven into it recalled the cherubim set at the gate of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life. The vail said, in cloth and thread, that the way into the immediate presence of God was not yet open. Beyond it, only the high priest could go, and he only once a year, with blood. The vail both revealed the nearness of God and guarded the barrier of sin that kept sinners out.
Hebrew Study
"Vail" is the Hebrew paroketh, from a root meaning to shut off, break apart, or separate. It was not merely a curtain but a barrier, the thing that divided and shut off the most holy place from all who would approach. The paroketh stood as a woven wall between a holy God and a sinful people, declaring that the way in was closed. Every thread of it announced a separation that man could not cross of himself.
Gospel Focus
The vail is one of the richest shadows of Christ in all the tabernacle. It hung between the people and the presence of God, woven with cherubims like the ones that guarded Eden, saying plainly that sin had shut the way into God's presence. For fifteen hundred years that vail hung closed. Then, at the moment Jesus died on the cross, "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" (Matthew 27:51). God Himself tore it, from top to bottom, opening the way in. The New Testament tells us what the vail truly was: we now have "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh" (Hebrews 10:19-20). The vail was the flesh of Christ. When His body was broken, the barrier was torn away, and the way into the presence of God was thrown open to every believer. What only the high priest could approach once a year, we may now enter boldly, at any hour, through Jesus. The vail that shut the way is torn; do not stand outside where Christ has opened the door. Enter into the holiest, for the blood of Jesus has made the way.
Chapter 36 in Review
Exodus 36 sets the tabernacle work in motion. Bezaleel, Aholiab, and every wise hearted worker take the people's offering and begin to build. The people give so freely, morning by morning, that the craftsmen must ask Moses to restrain them, and Moses proclaims through the camp that no one is to bring any more, for the materials were more than enough. From that abundance the tabernacle rises: ten curtains coupled by loops of blue and taches of gold until "it became one tabernacle," the coverings of goats' hair and rams' skins and badgers' skins laid plain over the beauty within, the boards of shittim wood overlaid with gold, and the vail of blue and purple and scarlet with cherubims of cunning work, hung to guard the most holy place.
For the Apostolic reader, this chapter shines with types and lessons. The overflowing offering shows what grace does to a heart, opening the hand until generosity must be dammed like a flood. The joining of many curtains into one tabernacle pictures the church, distinct members clasped by love and the Spirit into a single dwelling for God. The plain outer coverings that hid the glory within speak of Christ, in whom the world saw no beauty while the fulness of God dwelt inside, and of His people, whose glory is reserved for those who enter. And the vail, that woven barrier shutting the way into God's presence, is the flesh of Christ, torn on the cross so that we might enter the holiest with boldness by His blood. The house God was building then was a shadow of the house He is building now, and its every part points us to Jesus.
- Israel is the only people in Scripture ever told to stop giving; grace makes generosity overflow (36:5-6; 2 Corinthians 8:3).
- Many separate curtains coupled by gold became one tabernacle, a picture of the church joined into one body (36:13; Ephesians 4:3-4).
- The plain outer coverings hid the glory within, as Christ had no outward beauty yet held the fulness of God (36:19; Isaiah 53:2).
- The vail barred the way into God's presence, woven with cherubims like the guard at Eden's gate (36:35; Genesis 3:24).
- The vail was the flesh of Christ, torn at the cross so believers may enter the holiest by His blood (36:35; Hebrews 10:19-20).
Questions for Reflection
- Does your giving to God need a restraining word, or a prodding one?
- Are you standing apart, or letting God couple you into the one house He is building?
- The vail is torn and the way is open; are you entering the presence of God boldly through Jesus?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). "Restrained" (Hebrew kala) means to shut up or hold back, as one dams a flood, and "vail" (Hebrew paroketh, from a root meaning to separate or shut off) names the barrier before the most holy place, 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 offering restrained: Exodus 36:1-7; 2 Corinthians 8:3.
- The curtains coupled into one tabernacle: Exodus 36:8-13; Ephesians 4:3-4.
- The plain coverings and the hidden glory: Exodus 36:14-19; Isaiah 53:2.
- The vail and the flesh of Christ: Exodus 36:20-38; Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 10:19-20.