Bible/Exodus/27

Exodus 27:1

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

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“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.

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

And you shall make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.

27:2 And 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.

What does Exodus 27:1 mean?

Exodus 27:1 is a verse in the book of Exodus, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include עָשָׂה (ʻâsâh), מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbêach), שִׁטָּה (shiṭṭâh). It connects to 9 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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And
thou
shalt
makeעָשָׂהʻâsâh/aw-saw'/H6213to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
an
altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach/miz-bay'-akh/H4196an altar
of
shittimשִׁטָּהshiṭṭâh/shit-taw'/H7848the acacia (from its scourging thorns)
wood,עֵץʻêts/ates/H6086a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks)
fiveחָמֵשׁchâmêsh/khaw-maysh'/H2568five
cubitsאַמָּהʼammâh/am-maw'/H520properly, a mother (i.e. unit of measure, or the fore-arm (below the elbow), i.e. a cubit; also a door-base (as a bond of the entrance)
long,אֹרֶךְʼôrek/o'rek'/H753length
and
fiveחָמֵשׁchâmêsh/khaw-maysh'/H2568five
cubitsאַמָּהʼammâh/am-maw'/H520properly, a mother (i.e. unit of measure, or the fore-arm (below the elbow), i.e. a cubit; also a door-base (as a bond of the entrance)
broad;רֹחַבrôchab/ro'-khab/H7341width (literally or figuratively)
the
altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach/miz-bay'-akh/H4196an altar
shall
be
foursquare:רָבַעrâbaʻ/raw-bah'/H7251to be quadrate
and
the
heightקוֹמָהqôwmâh/ko-maw'/H6967height
thereof
shall
be
threeשָׁלוֹשׁshâlôwsh/shaw-loshe'/H7969three; occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multiple) thrice
cubits.אַמָּהʼammâh/am-maw'/H520properly, a mother (i.e. unit of measure, or the fore-arm (below the elbow), i.e. a cubit; also a door-base (as a bond of the entrance)

Commentary on Exodus 27:1

HENRY_FULL · Exodus 27:1
le, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: 32 And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. 33 And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. 34 And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place. 35 And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side. 36 And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework. 37 And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them. Two veils are here ordered to be made, 1. One for a partition between the holy place and the most holy, which not only forbade any to enter, but forbade them so much as to look into the holiest of all, v. 31 , 33 . Under that dispensation, divine grace was veiled, but now we behold it with open face, 2 Cor. iii. 18 . The apostle tells us ( Heb. ix. 8, 9 ) what was the meaning of this veil; it intimated that the ceremonial law could not make the comers thereunto perfect, nor would the observance of it bring men to heaven; the way into the holiest of all was not made manifest while the first tabernacle was standing; life and immortality lay concealed till they were brought to light by the gospel, which was therefore signified by the rending of this veil at the death of Christ, Matt. xxvii. 51 . We have not boldness to enter into the holiest, in all acts of devotion, by the blood of Jesus, yet such as obliges us to a holy reverence and a humble sense of our distance. 2. Another veil was for the outer door of the tabernacle, v. 36, 37 . Through this first veil the priests went in every day to minister in the holy place, but not the people, Heb. ix. 6 . This veil, which was all the defence the tabernacle had against thieves and robbers, might easily be broken through, for it could be neither locked nor barred, and the abundance of wealth in the tabernacle, one would think, might be a temptation; but by leaving it thus exposed, (1.) The priests and Levites would be so much the more obliged to keep a strict watch upon it, and, (2.) God would show his care of his church on earth, though it is weak and defenceless, and continually exposed. A curtain shall be (if God please to make it so) as strong a defence to his house as gates of brass and bars of iron.

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Exodus 20:24

An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

Exodus 24:4

And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Exodus 38:1

And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof.

Exodus 40:10

And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. most holy: Heb. holiness of holinesses

Exodus 40:29

And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.

2 Samuel 24:18

And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. Araunah: Heb. Araniah

2 Chronicles 4:1

Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.

Ezekiel 43:13

And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar. bottom: Heb. bosom edge: Heb. lip

Hebrews 13:10

We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

Topics

Altar of Burnt Offering, theAltarsTypes of Christ

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Exodus 27:1.

Exodus 25:10

And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

Exodus 25:23

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 a half the height thereof.

Exodus 38:1

And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof.

Exodus 27:18

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

Exodus 37:1

And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:

Exodus 37:10

And he made the table of shittim wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof:

Exodus 37:25

And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same.

Genesis 6:15

And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

Frequently asked questions

What does Exodus 27:1 say?

Exodus 27:1 (King James Version) reads: "And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits."

Is Exodus 27:1 in the Old or New Testament?

Exodus 27:1 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Exodus.

Reflect

As you read Exodus 27:1, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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