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Éxodo 27

VBL · Chapter 27/40

1Haz un altar de madera de acacia. Debe ser cuadrado y debe medir cinco codos de largo por cinco codos de ancho por tres codos de alto.

2Haráscuernos para cada una de sus esquinas, todos de una sola pieza con el altar, y cubrirás todo el altar con bronce.

3Harás todos sus utensilios de bronce: cubos para quitar las cenizas, palas, tazones para rociar, tenedores para la carne y cacerolas.

4Hagan una rejilla de malla de bronce para él con un anillo de bronce en cada una de sus esquinas.

5Coloquen la rejilla bajo el saliente del altar, de modo que la malla llegue hasta la mitad del altar.

6Haz postes de madera de acacia para el altar y cúbrelos con bronce.

7Las varas deben ser colocadas en los anillos para que las varas estén a cada lado del altar cuando sea llevado.

8Hagan el altar hueco, usando tablas, tal como te lo mostré en la montaña.

9Haz un patio para el Tabernáculo. Para el lado sur del patio haz cortinas de lino finamente hilado, de cien codos de largo por un lado,

10con veinte postes y veinte soportes de bronce, con ganchos y bandas de plata en los postes.

11Del mismo modo, en el lado norte se colocarán cortinas en una disposición idéntica.

12Las cortinas del lado oeste del patio tendrán cincuenta codos de ancho, con diez postes y diez soportes.

13El lado este del patio que da al amanecer tendrá 50 codos de ancho.

14Las cortinas de un lado deben tener quince codos de largo, con tres postes y tres soportes,

15y las cortinas del otro lado deben ser iguales.

16La entrada al patio debe tener veinte codos de ancho, con una cortina bordada con hilos azules, púrpura y carmesí, y lino finamente hilado, sostenida por cuatro postes y cuatro soportes.

17Todos los postes alrededor del patio tendrán bandas de plata, ganchos de plata y soportes de bronce.

18Todo el patio tendrá cien codos de largo y cincuenta de ancho, con cortinas de lino finamente hilado de cinco codos de alto, y con soportes de bronce.

19Todo el resto del equipo usado en el Tabernáculo, incluyendo las estacas de la tienda y las del patio, serán de bronce.

20Debes ordenar a los israelitas que te traigan aceite de oliva puro, prensado a mano, para las lámparas, para que puedan seguir encendidas, dando luz.

21Enel Tabernáculo de Reunión, fuera del velo delante del Testimonio, Aarón y sus hijos mantendrán las lámparas encendidas en presencia del Señor desde la tarde hasta la mañana. Este requisito debe ser observado por los israelitas durante todas las generaciones.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Instructions are given for building the bronze altar for sacrifices, the tabernacle courtyard with its curtains and pillars, and for the constant supply of oil that would fuel the lamps of the lampstand.

Explanation

This chapter completes the description of the tabernacle's outer structure, beginning with the bronze altar, where animal sacrifices would be offered — the first point of contact between the common people and the sacrificial system that made reconciliation with God possible. The courtyard surrounding the tabernacle, enclosed by fine linen curtains held up by bronze and silver pillars, created a defined space that visually distinguished the sacred territory from the rest of the Israelite camp, without making it entirely inaccessible to the common people. The final instruction to keep the lamps of the lampstand burning 'continually... from evening to morning' (v. 20-21) symbolizes the need for constant, unbroken spiritual watchfulness in worshiping God, a specific responsibility given to Aaron and his sons as priests. This meticulous care for every structural detail reflects the seriousness with which God treated the space set apart for his presence among the people.

Fun facts

  • The bronze altar, with its four 'horns' at the corners (v. 2), carried an important symbolic role beyond the sacrifices themselves — later in the Old Testament, grasping the horns of the altar would become a gesture of seeking refuge and mercy (1 Kings 1:50-51), showing how this object gained additional meaning over the course of Israel's history.
  • The requirement of 'pure oil olive beaten' (v. 20) specifically for the lampstand reflects a high standard of quality, since this type of oil, extracted without excessive heat or pressure, was considered the purest and finest available in ancient olive oil production.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Éxodo 27:1The altar of sacrifice stood outside the tabernacle, made of acacia wood in a square frame about 7 feet 6 inches on each side.
  2. Éxodo 27:2The “horns” were horn-shaped projections at the altar’s four upper corners, made of the same wood structure covered in bronze. In other biblical rituals, it was precisely on these horns that sacrificial blood was applied, a point of symbolic importance for the altar, not just a decorative detail.
  3. Éxodo 27:3A set of auxiliary utensils came with the altar: ash pans, shovels, basins, forks, and firepans, all made of bronze to withstand the heat of the fire.
  4. Éxodo 27:4A bronze grate in the shape of a net was placed inside the altar’s frame, with metal rings at the corners to bear the weight of the fire and the sacrifices.
  5. Éxodo 27:5This grate was positioned halfway up the altar, creating an internal space to hold the coals.
  6. Éxodo 27:6Like other movable pieces of the tabernacle, the altar had wooden poles overlaid with bronze, used to carry it without direct contact.
  7. Éxodo 27:7The poles ran through the altar’s side rings, allowing it to be carried on the shoulders whenever the camp moved.
  8. Éxodo 27:8The altar was built hollow inside, made of fitted boards, following exactly the specific pattern already shown to Moses on the mountain.
  9. Éxodo 27:9Besides the tabernacle itself, an outer courtyard surrounded the whole structure, marked off by fine linen curtains along the south side, 150 feet long.
  10. Éxodo 27:10The pillars that held up these curtains on the south side were bronze, while the finishing details, hooks and bands, were silver.
  11. Éxodo 27:11The north side of the courtyard followed exactly the same measurements and the same material pattern as the south side, with its own twenty pillars.
  12. Éxodo 27:12The west side of the courtyard was narrower, with 75 feet of curtain held up by ten pillars.
  13. Éxodo 27:13The east side, facing the main entrance, was also 75 feet wide, split between the gate and the side curtains.
  14. Éxodo 27:14On each side of the entrance, about 22 feet 6 inches of curtain completed the full width of the courtyard’s east side.
  15. Éxodo 27:15The other side of the entrance followed the same measurement, symmetrically closing off the courtyard’s front.
  16. Éxodo 27:16The courtyard gate itself had a more elaborate embroidered covering than the plain curtains, using the same colored fabrics found in other visible parts.
  17. Éxodo 27:17All the pillars around the entire courtyard followed the same finishing pattern: silver bands at the top and bronze sockets at the bottom.
  18. Éxodo 27:18Sums up the courtyard’s total dimensions: 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 7 feet 6 inches high for the curtains enclosing the whole space.
  19. Éxodo 27:19Determines that all the utensils used in the tabernacle’s service, down to the pins used to set up the courtyard, had to be made of bronze.
  20. Éxodo 27:20“Beaten” olive oil was extracted from the first pressings of the olive, without using heat or a heavy mill, producing a purer oil that burned more cleanly. It fed the lamps of the lampstand inside the tabernacle, which had to stay lit continually.
  21. Éxodo 27:21Aaron and his sons had the daily task of keeping those lamps burning through the night, inside the tent. “A statute for ever” means this was not just an order for that moment, but a practice that had to keep being followed by the people’s future generations.

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