| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying: |
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| 2 Speak unto the sons of Israel, that they take for me, a heave-offering,–of every man whose heart urgeth him, shall ye take my heave-offering. |
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| 3 And, this, is the heave-offering which ye shall take of them,–gold and silver, and bronze; |
Gold – Representing the divine nature. T18
And silver – Symbol of truth. T114
And brass – Copper, symbol of perfect human nature. T18
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| 4 and blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and goat's hair; |
And blue – Symbol of faithfulness. T30
And purple – Symbol of royalty. T34
And scarlet – Symbol of the blood of the ransom. T34, T109
And fine linen – Symbol of righteousness. T29, T30, T36
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| 5 and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and acacia wood; |
And badgers' skins – As God covered the Tabernacle with unsightly skins, so the glory and beauties of spiritual things are seen only by the "Royal Priesthood." T127
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| 6 oil for giving light,–perfumes for the anointing oil, and for fragrant incense; |
Anointing oil – Symbol of the holy Spirit. T29, T37, T116; D650; R5654:5
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| 7 onyx stones, and setting stones,–for the ephod and for the breastpiece: |
Stones to be set – The Lord's jewels, his "Little Flock." T36
In the ephod – Type of the Abrahamic covenant (front part), and the New covenant (back part). T30
In the breastplate – Type of the Law. T34
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| 8 So shall they make for me a sanctuary,–and I will make my habitation in their midst: |
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| 9 according to all that, I, am shewing thee, the pattern of the habitation, and the pattern of all the furnishings thereof, even so, shall ye make it. |
Tabernacle – The lessons of the Tabernacle represent both progress and completion. R4579:1
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| 10 And they shall make an ark of acacia wood,–two cubits and a half, the length thereof, and, a cubit and a half, the breadth thereof, and, a cubit and a half, the height thereof. |
Shall make an ark – It represented the eternal purpose of God for mankind in The Christ, Head and Body. T121
Wood was used as a base to make the articles more easily portable. T18
Representing Christ, in whom are hidden all the wisdom and power of God. R5680:5
Tradition says that the Jewish high priests took the ark and other temple treasures to Abyssinia for safe keeping at the time of the captivity and that they will be found in the monastery islands of Lake Zonai. R3450:5
Of shittim wood – Wood not typical, used merely for lightness. R1236:6
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| 11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without, shalt thou overlay it,–and thou shalt make thereon a rim of gold, round about. |
With pure gold – Representing the divine nature. T18
The fact that all things in the Tabernacle were made of gold implies that it represented the condition of such only as are called to the divine nature. T20
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| 12 And thou shalt cast for it four rings of gold, and shalt put [them] on the four feet thereof,–even two rings on the one side thereof, and two rings, on the other side thereof. |
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| 13 And thou shalt make staves, of acacia wood,–and shalt overlay them, with gold. |
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| 14 And thou shalt bring in the staves, into the rings, on the sides of the ark,–to bear the ark therewith. |
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| 15 In the rings of the ark, shall remain the staves,–they shall not be removed therefrom. |
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| 16 And thou shalt put into the ark,–the testimony which I will give unto thee. |
The testimony – To show that Christ would meet in full all the requirements of God's perfect Law and also that legal authority would be vested in him as the Law-executor. T121
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| 17 And thou shalt make a propitiatory, of pure gold,–two cubits and a half, the length thereof, and, a cubit and a half, the breadth thereof. |
Make a mercy seat – Representing the underlying principle of Jehovah's character-justice. T124
Representing the chariot or throne. R529:6*
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| 18 And thou shalt make two cherubim, of gold,–of beaten work, shalt thou make them, out of the two ends of the propitiatory. |
Make two cherubims – Representing love and power. T125
They are always connected with the immediate presence, or with the throne, of God. R529:6*
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| 19 And make thou one cherub out of this end, and the other cherub out of that end,–out of the propitiatory, shall ye make the cherubim, upon the two ends thereof. |
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| 20 And the cherubim shall be spreading out two wings on high–making a shelter with their wings over the propitiatory, with their faces, one towards the other,–towards the propitiatory, shall be the faces of the cherubim. |
Toward the mercy seat – Neither love nor power can be exercised until justice is fully satisfied; hence they look inward toward justice to know when to move. T125
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| 21 And thou shalt put the propitiatory upon the ark, above,–and, in the ark, shalt thou put the testimony, which I will give unto thee. |
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| 22 And I will meet with thee there, and will speak with thee from off the propitiatory, from between the two cherubim, which are upon the ark of the testimony,–whatsoever I may give thee in charge, for the sons of Israel. |
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| 23 And thou shalt make a table, of acacia wood,–two cubits, the length thereof, and, a cubit, the breadth thereof, and, a cubit and a half, the height thereof, |
Also make a table – Representing the Church as a whole, holding forth the word of life. T115
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| 24 and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold,–and shalt make thereto a rim of gold, round about; |
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| 25 and thou shalt make thereto a border of a handbreadth, round about,–and shalt make a rim of gold to the border thereof, round about; |
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| 26 and thou shalt make to it four rings of gold,–and shalt place the rings, on the four corners which pertain to the four feet thereof: |
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| 27 adjoining the border, shall be the rings,–as receptacles for the staves, for lifting the table; |
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| 28 and thou shalt make the staves, of acacia wood, and shalt overlay them, with gold,–and the table shall be lifted therewith; |
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| 29 and thou shalt make its dishes, and its pans, and its basins, and its bowls, for pouring out therewith,–of pure gold, shalt thou make them. |
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| 30 And thou shalt place upon the table–Presence-bread, before me continually. |
Shewbread – Representing the truth, the word of life. T22, T115
Spiritual food. R5418:5, R5621:6
Only for the priests to eat. Granted to the fully consecrated that by these they might be strengthened to carry out fully their consecration unto death. R4782:4
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| 31 And thou shalt make a lampstand of pure gold,–of beaten work, shall the lampstand be made, even its base and its shaft, its cups, its apples, and its blossoms, of the same, shall be; |
Make a candlestick – Representing the entire Church, the true light-bearers. T116; R243:3*
Representing the light of God's truth. R5621:6, R5418:5
Had seven branches, typifying perfection or completeness. R243:3*
No dimensions given. Truth, like its author, is boundless. R243:3*
We may gain an accurate conception of its appearance from the Arch of Titus in Rome. R3650:6
It was the light in the Holy, as the Shekinah glory was the light in the Most Holy. R3650:5
Does not represent the Church in the future state of glory giving light to the world; that will be as the "Sun of righteousness." (Mal. 4:2) R3650:6
Same as that in Zech. 4:2 and Rev. 1:20, showing all elopment. R1491:1
In Revelation the same candlestick is brought to our attention, but the parts are separated, the union being supplied by the antitypical High Priest. R3569:4
Of beaten work – Not cast wholesale in a mold. As is the shaft, so are the branches-all of beaten work. R243:4*
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| 32 with, six branches, coming out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand, out the one side thereof, and three branches of the lampstand, out of the other side thereof: |
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| 33 three cups like almond-flowers, in the one branch–apple and blossom, and, three cups like almond-flowers, in the other branch–apple and blossom,–so, for the six branches, coming out of the lampstand. |
Like unto almonds – In the almond tree fruit buds appear before leaves. So with the Royal Priesthood, they begin to sacrifice, to bring forth fruit, before the leaves of profession are seen. T121
The Hebrew word for "almond" is from a root meaning "to hasten." Regarded by the Jews as a harbinger of spring. Remarkable for early blossoming (even in January) and flowers appearing before the leaves. R244:1*
A knop and a flower – Representing the true Church as both beautiful and fruitful from first to last. T116
In continuous succession, typifying the beautiful graces of a Christian spirit accompanying the solid fruits of Christian life-faith and works. R243:5*
A vigorous ever-developing plant, always blooming, continually fruit-bearing; like the trees by the river of life, yielding fruit every month. R243:5*
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| 34 And, in the lampstand itself, four cups,–like almond-flowers–its apples, and its blossoms; |
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| 35 and, an apple, under two branches, of the same, and, another apple, under two other branches, of the same, and, another apple, under two other branches, of the same,–for the six branches, coming out of the lampstand: |
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| 36 their apples and their branches, of the same, shall be,–all of it, of one beaten work, of pure gold. |
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| 37 And thou shalt make the lamps thereof, seven,–and one shall light up its lamps, and it shall give light, over against the face thereof. |
Light – One of the most powerful forces in nature; one of the most quiet: it is peculiarly expressive of the character of God and his people. R243:2*
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| 38 And, its snuffers, and its snuff-trays, of pure gold. |
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| 39 With a talent of pure gold, shall he make it,–with all these vessels. |
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| 40 And see thou, and make them,–by the pattern of them, which, thou, wast caused to behold in the mount. |
After their pattern – Because it illustrated something greater and more important to come afterward. T12
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