Exodus 31

The LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2"Look, I have called Bezaleel by name. He is the son of Uri, the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah.

2See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:

Note"Called by name" is a Hebrew idiom for singling someone out personally for a task, not merely knowing his name. The tribe of Judah was one of the twelve family groups descended from Jacob's sons, into which Israel was organized.

3I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and skill in every kind of craft,

3And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

NoteThe Hebrew words behind "wisdom, understanding, knowledge" cover practical mastery as much as intellect: the skill of a craftsman who knows his materials and can judge how to work them. "The spirit of God" translates ruach elohim, which can be rendered "the Spirit of God" or "a divine wind/breath"; here it is what supplies that ability.

4so he can design skillful works and make things out of gold, silver, and bronze,

4To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

NoteKJV "cunning" meant expertly skillful in 1611, with no sense of trickery. KJV "brass" is bronze, an alloy of copper and tin; true brass (copper and zinc) was not in use at this period.

5and cut stones and set them in place, and carve wood, and work at every kind of craft.

5And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

NoteThis is gem-cutting: shaping stones so they can be mounted in metal settings, the work needed for the engraved stones on the priest's garments.

6And look, I have given him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, to work with him. I have also put skill in the hearts of everyone who is skilled, so they can make everything I have commanded you:

6And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;

Note"Wise hearted" is literal Hebrew. In this way of speaking the heart is the seat of thought, judgment and know-how rather than of feeling, so the phrase means expert or skilled.

7the tent of meeting, the ark that holds the testimony, the mercy seat that goes on top of it, and all the furnishings of the tent,

7The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,

NoteThe tent of meeting was the portable tent-sanctuary Israel carried while moving through the wilderness. The "ark" is a chest, not a boat; "the testimony" is the pair of inscribed stone tablets it held, the written terms of the agreement between God and Israel. The "mercy seat" is that chest's solid gold lid; the Hebrew word kapporeth is related to a verb meaning to cover or to wipe away, and translators have disagreed over whether to render it "cover," "lid" or "place of atonement."

8the table and the things used with it, the pure lampstand with all the things used with it, the altar for burning incense,

8And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense,

Note"The table" is the one holding the bread kept permanently before God. The lampstand is the seven-branched menorah; "pure" describes the refined gold it was hammered from. Incense is fragrant resin burned to produce scented smoke.

9the altar for burnt offerings with all the things used with it, and the basin with its stand,

9And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot,

NoteA burnt offering was an animal burned whole on the altar rather than eaten. The basin held water for the priests to wash their hands and feet before serving.

10the woven garments, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to wear when they serve as priests,

10And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office,

NotePriests were the men of Aaron's family authorized to conduct the sacrifices and rituals at the sanctuary; the special garments were their working uniform for that duty.

11and the anointing oil and the sweet-smelling incense for the holy place. They are to make all of it just as I have commanded you."

11And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.

NoteThe anointing oil was olive oil blended with spices, poured on a person or object to mark it as set apart for sacred use. The "holy place" is the outer of the two rooms inside the tent-sanctuary.

12The LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

12And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

13"Say this to the people of Israel: 'You must certainly keep my sabbaths. This is a sign between me and you through all your generations, so you may know that I am the LORD, the one who makes you holy.

13Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

NoteThe sabbath is the seventh day of the week, reckoned from sunset to sunset, on which work stopped. "Sanctify" means to set apart from ordinary use; it does not describe a moral improvement. A "sign" here is a visible marker or token by which a relationship is recognized, like a seal on a document.

14So you shall keep the sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who treats it as common must be put to death. Whoever does any work on that day will be cut off from among his people.

14Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

NoteKJV "defileth" translates a verb meaning to treat as common or ordinary, the opposite of treating something as set apart. "Cut off from among his people" is a set legal formula whose exact force is disputed: it may mean execution, permanent expulsion from the community, or a penalty left to God rather than to human courts.

15Work may be done for six days, but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the sabbath day must be put to death.

15Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

16So the people of Israel shall keep the sabbath, observing it through all their generations, as an agreement that lasts forever.

16Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

17It is a sign between me and the people of Israel forever. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'"

17It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

Note"Refreshed" translates a Hebrew verb built on the word for breath or life-force; it carries the sense of drawing breath again after exertion. Applied to God it is a strikingly physical expression, and translators have long noted the difficulty.

18When God had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

18And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Note"Tables" in the KJV means writing tablets, flat slabs of stone, not furniture. "The testimony" is the text inscribed on them, the terms of the agreement. "The finger of God" is a figure of speech for God acting directly, without a human hand doing the writing.