Bible Commentaries
Exodus 27

Verse 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.

Five cubits long. — Solomon’s altar was four times as large as this: to teach that as our peace and prosperity is more than others, so should our service in a due proportion.

Verse 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.

Horns of it. — To bind the beasts unto, that were to be slain in sacrifice. Psalms 118:27 And to signify the power of Christ’s priesthood. Habakkuk 3:4

Thou shalt overlay it with brass. — The brass kept the wood; so did the deity of Christ keep his humanity from being consumed by the fire of God’s wrath, wherein it was roasted.

Verse 3

And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make [of] brass.

His shovels, and his basons. — These several instruments figured the ministry of the word, say some; the sundry callings that Christ hath in his Church, say others, for her edification.

Verse 4

And thou shalt make for it a grate of network [of] brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.

A grate. — Which served for a hearth, and represented Christ bearing the fire of his Father’s displeasure.

Verse 7

And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.

And the staves shall be. — As ever ready to remove. Here we have no assured settlement.

Verse 9

And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward [there shall be] hangings for the court [of] fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:

The court of the tabernacle. — This outer court signified the visible Church, where hypocrites also come to the external worships. Doeg may set his foot as far as David.

Verse 10

And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets [shall be of] brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets [shall be of] silver.

And the twenty pillars. — In allusion whereunto, the Church is called the "pillar and stay of truth." 1 Timothy 3:15

Verse 17

All the pillars round about the court [shall be] filleted with silver; their hooks [shall be of] silver, and their sockets [of] brass.

Their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. — The nearer things were unto God the more precious they were: and e contra.

Verse 20

And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

Pure oil olive. — Signifying the precious gifts and graces of the Spirit in godly ministers, whose lips must both preserve knowledge, and present it to the people.

Oil olive beaten. — Signifying, saith one, how with much labour and affliction the light of God’s word is to be prepared, and with patience preached and made to shine in his Church. 2 Corinthians 1:4 ; 2 Corinthians 2:4 ; 2 Corinthians 11:21 ; 2 Corinthians 11:23-25 1 Thessalonians 2:9