Exodus 27 Summary: A Concise Overview in 5 Minutes

Exodus 27 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• God delivered the Israelites from slavery in approximately 1491 B.C.

• The events of Exodus 27 took place 3-4 months after the Hebrews left Egypt (19:1).

CHARACTERS:

• God – The Lord’s glory descended on Mount Sinai. In Exodus 27, God spoke with Moses on the mountain and gave him instructions to build a sanctuary where He would dwell among the people.     

• Moses – A Hebrew who grew up in the house of Pharaoh. He fled Egypt in Exodus 2 and went to live in Midian. God called him back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites from slavery.

WHERE:

• Moses and the Israelites were encamped near Mount Sinai.

OUTLINE:

• THE BRONZE ALTAR IN THE TABERNACLE COURTYARD (27:1-8):

  • After God finished giving Moses His instructions for how to build curtains, frames, and veils of the tabernacle (Exodus 26), He told him to have an altar built for the outer court of the sanctuary.

  • The altar was to be made of acacia wood and overlayed with bronze.

  • It was to be 5 cubits long, 5 cubits wide, and 3 cubits tall.

  • There was to be a horn of bronze on each corner of the altar.

  • It was to have a grate, a net constructed of bronze, in the middle.

  • When the altar needed to be moved, the people were to carry it on poles which slid through rings affixed to the outside.

• THE COURT OF THE TABERNACLE (27:9-19):

  • God wanted the tabernacle to be surrounded by a courtyard 100 cubits wide and 50 cubits wide.

  • The outer barrier of the court on the north and south side was to be created using 20 pillars of bronze and 100 cubits of “fine twined linen.”

  • The rear of the court on the west side was to be created using 10 pillars of bronze and 50 cubits of linen hangings.

  • The front of the court on the east side was also to be 50 cubits across but it was to include a gate.

  • On either side of the gate there were to be 3 pillars and 15 cubits of linen.

  • The gate was to be a “screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine linen, embroidered with needlework” and hung on 4 pillars.

  • All the hangings which enclosed the courtyard were to be 5 cubits tall.

• OLIVE OIL FOR THE LAMPSTAND (27:20-21):

  • God told the people of Israel to bring pure beaten olive oil to burn in the lampstand in the tabernacle.

  • Aaron and his sons (the priests) were to tend to the light in the morning and evening.

DIAGRAM OF THE TABERNACLE AS DESCRIBED THROUGH EXODUS 27