Exodus 38

38:1-20 This section reports on building the courtyard (38:9-20) and its equipment, including the altar of burnt offering (38:1-7) and the washbasin (38:8).

38:8 While the plans for the washbasin (30:17-21) were included in the instructions to the priests (29:38–30:38), here its construction is reported in logical sequence. • This bronze, which could be polished to a mirror-like finish, was probably of especially high quality, as was fitting for use in God’s Tabernacle.

38:21-29 The immense amount of metal reported in this inventory of materials (more than a ton of gold, almost four tons of silver, and two and a half tons of bronze) reflects the Egyptians’ eagerness to get the Israelites out of Egypt, giving the Israelites anything they asked for in order to hurry them on their way (see 12:35-36).38:21 Since the Tabernacle contained the Ark of the Covenant, it is called the Tabernacle of the Covenant.

38:26 For the earlier discussion of this tax, see 30:11-16. The sanctuary shekel was evidently the standard against which other weights were measured for accuracy. • 603,550: See study note on 12:37.