John Calvin on Exodus 35:10-19

10. And every wise-hearted among you. Thus he denominates the artificers, who excelled in shrewdness of intellect, and so, after having commanded them severally of their private means to supply the materials, he now exhorts others to contribute their industry for shaping and joining them together. He then briefly enumerates the parts of the Tabernacle, a longer explanation of which will be seen in chapter 26. This is, therefore, a kind of epitome of all those things, of which he before spoke more in full, since it was necessary to spur them on afresh to the performance of what they had been clearly instructed in. For we know that instruction is very often coldly received without the addition of exhortations. It might indeed seem strange, "Particular stress is laid on the contrast, which the condition of the Israelitish nation at that time presents to the splendor and speedy completion of the tent. That tent was certainly splendid, but, in point of fact, exceedingly simple in its construction. If we compare it with the monuments of Egyptian architecture, its relative simplicity must strike us in a much greater degree. As to the materials that were required for it, it admits of proof that the Israelites might well have been possessed of them at that time. The wilderness even might supply them with many of these things. With respect to other things, the metals, precious stones, etc, we must keep in view the condition of a people that had just come out of Egypt. History describes that country as having mercantile transactions with Asia, even from the earliest times. The people had acquired property, in part at least, in Egypt; the description in Exodus 32, leaves us no doubt as to the possessions, and even wealth, that they had gained there. They had not gone out of Egypt empty-handed, but richly provided with silver and gold, 12:36. — “Havernick, Introd. to Pentat. Edin., 1850, pp. 284-285. how so much wealth could be possessed by a miserably pillaged people, and long driven to servile work; unless it may be inferred from the abundance which is here described, that they were incredibly enriched at their departure from Egypt by the booty which God gave them. The kingdom of Egypt was very wealthy; and its people, as we know, had always been devoted to pleasures and luxuries. What, then, they had accumulated by their rapacity in many years, flowed away from them by the secret influence of God, when they were suddenly made prodigal. But, just as He had blinded the Egyptians, that they should profusely give all they had, so He now directed the minds and hearts of His people, that, mindful of so great a benefit, they should willingly expend, at His command, what they had obtained of His mere grace.

Exodus 25

Exodus 25:23-30

23. Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and half the height thereof.

23. Facies quoque mensam ex lignis sittim: duorum cubitorum erit longitudo ejus, et cubiti latitudo ejus, cubiti vero et dimidii alitudo ejus.

24. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.

24. Et teges eam auro puro, faciesque ei coronam auream in circuitu.

25. And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.

25. Facies quoque ei clausuram latam quatuor digitos in circuitu: faciesque coronam auream clausurae illi in circuitu.

26. And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.

26. Facies insuper ei quatuor annulos aureos, quos pones in quatuor angulis qui sunt in quatuor pedibus ejus.

27. Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.

27. E regione illius clausurae erunt annuli per quos trajicientur vectes ad portandum mensam:

28. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.

28. Faciesque vectes illos e lignis sittim: et operies eos auro, et feretur illis mensa.

29. And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.

29. Facies etiam scutellas ejus, et cochlearia ejus, et opercula ejus, et crateres ejus quibus libabitur: ex auro mundo facies ca.

30. And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.

30. Et pones super mensam illam panem facierum coram me jugiter.