Éxodo 37

VBL · Chapter 37/40

1Bezalel hizo el Arca de madera de acacia que mide dos codos y medio de largo por un codo y medio de ancho por un codo y medio de alto.

2La cubrió con oro puro por dentro y por fuera, e hizo un adorno de oro para rodearla.

3Fundió cuatro anillos de oro y los unió a sus cuatro pies, dos en un lado y dos en el otro.

4Hizo palos de madera de acacia y los cubrió con oro.

5Colocó las varas en los anillos de los lados del Arca, para que pudiera ser transportada.

6Hizo la tapa de expiación de oro puro, de dos codos y medio de largo por un codo y medio de ancho.

7Hizo dos querubines de oro martillado para los extremos de la tapa de expiación,

8y puso un querubín en cada extremo. Todo esto fue hecho de una sola pieza de oro.

9Los querubines fueron diseñados con alas extendidas apuntando hacia arriba, cubriendo la cubierta de expiación. Los querubines se colocaron uno frente al otro, mirando hacia la cubierta de expiación.

10Luego hizo la mesa de madera de acacia de dos codos de largo por un codo de ancho por un codo y medio de alto.

11La cubrió con oro puro e hizo un adorno de oro para rodearla.

12Hizo un borde a su alrededor del ancho de una mano y puso un adorno de oro en el borde.

13Fundió cuatro anillos de oro para la mesa y los sujetó a las cuatro esquinas de la mesa por las patas.

14Los anillos estaban cerca del borde para sujetar los palos usados para llevar la mesa.

15Fabricó las varas de madera de acacia para llevar la mesa y las cubrió con oro.

16Elaboró utensilios para la mesa de oro puro: platos y fuentes, tazones y jarras para verter las ofrendas de bebida.

17Hizo el candelabro de oro puro, martillado. Todo el conjunto estaba hecho de una sola pieza: su base, el fuste, las tazas, los capullos y las flores.

18Tenía seis ramas que salían de los lados del candelabro, tres en cada lado. Tenía tres tazas en forma de flores de almendra en la primera rama, cada una con brotes y pétalos, tres en la siguiente rama.

19Cada una de las seis ramas que salían tenía tres copas en forma de flores de almendra, todas con brotes y pétalos.

20En el eje principal del candelabro hizo cuatro tazas en forma de flores de almendra, con capullos y pétalos.

21En las seis ramas que salían de él, colocó un brote bajo el primer par de ramas, un brote bajo el segundo par, y un brote bajo el tercer par.

22Los brotes y las ramas deben ser hechos con el candelabro como una sola pieza, martillado en oro puro.

23Hizo siete lámparas, así como pinzas de mecha y sus bandejas de oro puro.

24El candelabro y todos estos utensilios requerían un talento de oro puro.

25Hizo el altar para quemar incienso de madera de acacia. Era cuadrado, medía un codo por codo, por dos codo de alto, con cuernos en sus esquinas que eran todos de una sola pieza con el altar.

26Cubrió su parte superior, su costado y sus cuernos con oro puro, e hizo un adorno de oro para rodearlo.

27Hizo dos anillos de oro para el altar y los colocó debajo del adorno, dos a ambos lados, para sostener los palos para llevarlo.

28Hizo las varas de madera de acacia y las cubrió con oro.

29Hizo el aceite de la santa unción y el incienso puro y aromático como el producto de un experto perfumista.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Bezalel builds the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat with the gold cherubim, the table of showbread, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense, faithfully following the instructions God gave to Moses.

Explanation

This chapter details the practical construction of the most sacred objects of the tabernacle, all credited directly to the skill of Bezalel, the craftsman chosen and empowered by God. The precision of the narrative, repeating almost exactly the technical specifications given earlier, reinforces the message that faithful obedience to detail, even details that might seem excessively minute, was essential in building something meant to represent the very presence of God among his people. The ark of the covenant, crowned by cherubim with outstretched wings covering the mercy seat, would become the symbolic center of all Israelite worship, the place where God had promised to meet and speak with Moses. This careful craftsmanship, devoted to the most visible objects as well as to the smallest details, illustrates how true worship is often expressed through excellence and careful attention, not only in grand gestures, but in every small detail of work carried out with dedication.

Fun facts

  • The ark of the covenant built here would later be carried for decades through the wilderness, through wars of conquest, and finally housed in Solomon's temple in Jerusalem, becoming a continuous symbol of God's presence across centuries of Israel's history.
  • The cherubim of hammered gold, formed as a single piece with the mercy seat (v. 7-8), represent one of the earliest descriptions of angels in biblical literature, showing from the outset the existence of heavenly beings associated with the presence and throne of God.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Éxodo 37:1Bezalel personally builds the ark of the covenant, following the measurements specified before: about three and a half feet long by a little over two feet wide and high.
  2. Éxodo 37:2The ark receives a complete covering of pure gold inside and out, with the decorative border around the top, exactly as designed.
  3. Éxodo 37:3Four gold rings are cast and fixed to the corners of the ark, ready to receive the carrying poles.
  4. Éxodo 37:4The acacia-wood poles are made and overlaid with gold, following the same material pattern as the main piece.
  5. Éxodo 37:5The poles are fitted into the side rings, allowing the ark to be carried without direct contact.
  6. Éxodo 37:6The mercy seat, the ark’s lid of pure gold, is made with exactly the same length and width as the ark.
  7. Éxodo 37:7These two cherub figures, hammered out of a single block together with the ark’s lid, faced each other, with their wings spread out covering the space between them. It was there, between the two of them, that God said He would manifest Himself to speak with Moses.
  8. Éxodo 37:8Each of the two cherubim is positioned at one end of the mercy seat, forming a single piece with the lid, with no separate welds.
  9. Éxodo 37:9The cherubim’s wings meet over the mercy seat, with their faces turned toward each other, looking down, exactly as planned.
  10. Éxodo 37:10The acacia table is built with smaller dimensions than the ark, following the original design from chapter 25 to the letter.
  11. Éxodo 37:11The table receives a covering of pure gold and a decorative border around it, in the same visual pattern as the ark.
  12. Éxodo 37:12An extra frame the width of a hand reinforces the table’s structure, with its own gold border.
  13. Éxodo 37:13Four gold rings are cast and fixed to the table’s four legs, to make it easier to carry.
  14. Éxodo 37:14The rings sit close to the frame, in exactly the right spot to receive the carrying poles.
  15. Éxodo 37:15The table’s poles are made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, following the same pattern as the ark’s poles.
  16. Éxodo 37:16The table’s utensils—plates, spoons, pitchers, and bowls—are all made of pure gold, ready for ritual use.
  17. Éxodo 37:17This is the account of the execution of the seven-lamp lampstand described earlier in chapter 25, the piece that would later inspire the menorah of Judaism. The entire piece, including the branches and the flower- and almond-shaped ornaments, was worked from a single block of hammered gold, with no welded parts.
  18. Éxodo 37:18The lampstand has six branches extending from the central shaft, three on each side, reproducing exactly the structure specified in chapter 25.
  19. Éxodo 37:19Each side branch receives the same almond-flower decoration specified in the original plan, repeated on all six branches.
  20. Éxodo 37:20The lampstand’s central shaft receives four sets of this same floral ornament, following the original design.
  21. Éxodo 37:21Each apple-shaped ornament is positioned exactly where the pairs of branches meet the central shaft, as planned.
  22. Éxodo 37:22The whole piece, ornaments and structure alike, is carved from a single block of hammered gold, with no parts welded separately.
  23. Éxodo 37:23The lampstand’s seven lamps, along with their maintenance tools, are made of pure gold.
  24. Éxodo 37:24Bezalel uses a full talent of pure gold to produce the complete lampstand with all its utensils.
  25. Éxodo 37:25The incense altar is built of acacia wood, with the same small square structure and horns specified in chapter 30.
  26. Éxodo 37:26The altar receives a covering of pure gold over its entire surface, including the horns, with the decorative border around the top.
  27. Éxodo 37:27Gold rings are fixed below the altar’s border, ready to receive the carrying poles.
  28. Éxodo 37:28The incense altar’s poles are also made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, following the pattern of the other portable pieces.
  29. Éxodo 37:29Besides the metal and wood objects, Bezalel also prepared the fragrant mixtures required for the rituals: the special oil used to consecrate people and objects, and the incense burned on its own altar. Both followed specific formulas God had given earlier, in chapter 30.

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