Exodus — Chapter 27

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1And thou shalt make an altar

2And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

3And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make

4And thou shalt make for it a grate of network

5And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.

6And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves

7And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.

8Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make

9And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward

10And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets

11And likewise for the north side in length

12And

13And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward

14The hangings of one side

15And on the other side

16And for the gate of the court

17All the pillars round about the court

18The length of the court

19All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court,

20And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

21In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which

1And thou shalt make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.

2And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof; the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

3And thou shalt make its pots to take away its ashes, and its shovels, and its basins, and its flesh-hooks, and its firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.

4And thou shalt make for it a grating of network of brass: and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof.

5And thou shalt put it under the ledge round the altar beneath, that the net may reach halfway up the altar.

6And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with brass.

7And the staves thereof shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, in bearing it.

8Hollow with planks shalt thou make it: as it hath been showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

9And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side:

10and the pillars thereof shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets [shall be] of silver.

11And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, and the pillars thereof twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.

12And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.

13And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.

14The hangings for the one side [of the gate] shall be fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

15And for the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

16And for the gate of the court shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; their pillars four, and their sockets four.

17All the pillars of the court round about shall be filleted with silver; their hooks of silver, and their sockets of brass.

18The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits, of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

19All the instruments of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

20And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.

21In the tent of meeting, without the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Jehovah: it shall be a statue for ever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

1“You are to make the altar of acacia wood, 7½ feet long, and 7½ feet wide; the altar is to be square, and its height is to be 4½ feet.

2You are to make its four horns on its four corners; its horns will be part of it, and you are to overlay it with bronze.

3You are to make its pots for the ashes, its shovels, its tossing bowls, its meat hooks, and its fire pans—you are to make all its utensils of bronze.

4You are to make a grating for it, a network of bronze, and you are to make on the network four bronze rings on its four corners.

5You are to put it under the ledge of the altar below, so that the network will come halfway up the altar.

6You are to make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you are to overlay them with bronze.

7The poles are to be put into the rings so that the poles will be on two sides of the altar when carrying it.

8You are to make the altar hollow, out of boards. Just as it was shown you on the mountain, so they must make it.

9“You are to make the courtyard of the tabernacle. For the south side there are to be hangings for the courtyard of fine twisted linen, 150 feet long for one side,

10with 20 posts and their 20 bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver.

11Likewise for its length on the north side, there are to be hangings for 150 feet, with 20 posts and their 20 bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

12The width of the court on the west side is to be 75 feet with hangings, with their 10 posts and their 10 bases.

13The width of the court on the east side, toward the sunrise, is to be 75 feet.

14The hangings on one side of the gate are to be 22½ feet long, with their three posts and their three bases.

15On the second side there are to be hangings 22½ feet long, with their three posts and their three bases.

16For the gate of the courtyard there is to be a curtain of 30 feet, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer, with four posts and their four bases.

17All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands; their hooks are to be silver, and their bases bronze.

18The length of the courtyard is to be 150 feet and the width 75 feet, and the height of the fine twisted linen hangings is to be 7½ feet, with their bronze bases.

19All the utensils of the tabernacle used in all its service, all its tent pegs, and all the tent pegs of the courtyard are to be made of bronze.

20“You are to command the Israelites that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, so that the lamps will burn regularly.

21In the tent of meeting outside the curtain that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons are to arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for generations to come.

1“You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square: and its height shall be three cubits.

2You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it; and you shall overlay it with brass.

3You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins, its meat hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass.

4You shall make a grating for it of network of brass: and on the net you shall make four bronze rings in its four corners.

5You shall put it under the ledge around the altar beneath, that the net may reach halfway up the altar.

6You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with brass.

7Its poles shall be put into the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar, when carrying it.

8You shall make it with hollow planks. They shall make it as it has been shown you on the mountain.

9“You shall make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen one hundred cubits long for one side:

10and its pillars shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.

11Likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, and its pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.

12For the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.

13The width of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.

14The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

15For the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

16For the gate of the court shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; their pillars four, and their sockets four.

17All the pillars of the court around shall be filleted with silver; their hooks of silver, and their sockets of brass.

18The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

19All the instruments of the tabernacle in all its service, and all its pins, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

20“You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.

21In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Yahweh: it shall be a statute forever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

God prescribes the bronze altar for burnt offerings, the courtyard dimensions, and the oil for the lampstand's continual light.

Authorship & Background

Author: Moses (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 27 completes the Tabernacle's physical structure with three elements: (1) The bronze altar of burnt offering — the first thing encountered upon entering the courtyard (vv.1-8); (2) The courtyard itself — the enclosed space surrounding the Tabernacle (vv.9-19); (3) The oil for the lampstand — perpetual light (vv.20-21). The bronze altar is where sacrifice happens — where sin is dealt with before anyone can approach God's presence. It is the largest piece of furniture and the most public. The courtyard (150 feet by 75 feet) creates sacred space — a boundary between the common world and God's dwelling. The perpetual lamp represents God's unceasing presence and Israel's unceasing worship.
The Bronze Altar (vv.1-8): Acacia wood overlaid with bronze (v.1). Five cubits square, three cubits high — approximately 7.5 feet square, 4.5 feet tall (v.1). Four horns on the corners (v.2). Bronze utensils: pans, shovels, basins, forks, fire pans (v.3). A bronze grating/network inside (vv.4-5). Poles for carrying (vv.6-7). Hollow construction (v.8). Made "as it was shewed thee in the mount" (v.8).
The Courtyard (vv.9-19): Fine linen hangings: 100 cubits on the south and north sides (vv.9-11), 50 cubits on the west (v.12), 50 cubits on the east with a 20-cubit gate (vv.13-16). Pillars with bronze bases and silver hooks (v.17). Total dimensions: 100 cubits by 50 cubits, 5 cubits high (v.18) — approximately 150 by 75 feet, 7.5 feet tall. The gate: blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen — embroidered (v.16). All pins/pegs of bronze (v.19).
The Oil for the Lamp (vv.20-21): Pure beaten olive oil (v.20). The lamp burns continually — "from evening to morning before the LORD" (v.21). Aaron and his sons tend it. "A statute for ever" (v.21).

Map & Geography

  • Israel remains encamped at Mount Sinai. The bronze altar and courtyard instructions are given here — designed for the center of Israel's camp.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the bronze altar as the place of substitutionary sacrifice (the cross), the single gate as the one way to God (Christ), and the perpetual lamp as unceasing worship.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "The Brazen Altar" on v.1 (MTP Vol. 16, No. 940) "The altar is the FIRST thing you meet when you enter the court. Before the laver, before the table, before the lampstand, before the incense, before the mercy seat — the ALTAR. You cannot approach God without first passing the place of sacrifice. There is no access to God that bypasses the cross. No worship without atonement. No fellowship without blood. The altar stands at the entrance because the cross stands at the beginning of the Christian life. Everything starts there. Everything depends on it."

Videos

The Bible Project — Exodus Overview

Reflection

  • 1. The altar is the FIRST thing encountered (v.1). You cannot approach God without passing the place of sacrifice. The cross is not optional — it's the entrance. Have you come through the cross? There is no other way in.
  • 2. The courtyard has ONE gate (v.16). Not multiple entrances, not "many paths to God." One gate. Jesus said: "I am the door" (John 10:9). In a world of religious pluralism, this is exclusive — and it is true.
  • 3. "Pure oil olive beaten for the light" (v.20). The oil is beaten/crushed to produce light. Christ was crushed to bring light to the world. Your own crushing — your suffering — can also produce light for others. Don't waste your pain.
  • 4. "To cause the lamp to burn always" (v.20). Perpetual light — never extinguished. Is your worship constant? Not just Sunday morning but every day, every moment? "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
  • 5. "A statute for ever" (v.21). Some things never change. God's desire for worship, for light, for His presence among His people — these are eternal. Cultures change; God's requirements don't.