Exodus Chapter 39    

“gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.” For more on this cloth, see commentary on Exodus 26:1.

“purple.” Purple dye was rare and very expensive (see commentary on 2 Chron. 3:14).

“the sons of Israel.” That is, the 12 sons of Jacob.

“They made the breastplate folded double.” The breastplate was folded double into a pouch that was roughly 9 inches (23 cm) square. Into the pouch were put the Urim and Thummim that the High Priest used to get the judgment of God, so the breastplate was sometimes referred to as the breastplate of judgment (Exod. 28:15, 29, 30).

[For more on the Urim and Thummim see commentary on Exod. 28:30.]

“dugong.” A mammal quite like a manatee that lives in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba. See commentary on Exodus 25:5.

“the curtain for the screen.” This was the curtain that was to be hung between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

“the table.” That is, the table on which the Bread of the Presence was placed (see Exod. 25:23-30).

“the Bread of the Presence.” The Bread of the Presence was large cakes of bread that were in the Tabernacle and Temple (see commentary on Exod. 25:30).

“the screen for the entrance of the Tent.” This is the screen at the entrance of the Holy Place of the Tabernacle, and the Levites had to pass through this outer curtain to enter the Holy Place to tend the lamps of the menorah and do the other duties inside the Tabernacle. The curtain screened the Holy Place so that the inside of the Tabernacle could not be seen from the courtyard. The screen that was between the Tabernacle courtyard and the outside world is mentioned in Exodus 39:40. So there were three curtains, or screens, that kept people from seeing further than that screen. These three were: the outermost curtain or screen that was between the outside world and the Tabernacle courtyard; the curtain at the entrance of the Tabernacle between the courtyard and the Holy Place, and the curtain that was between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

“the bronze basin and its base.” This is the large bronze basin that was in the courtyard of the Tabernacle and was used for washing (cp. Exod. 30:18; 38:8).

“the Tent of Meeting.” The “Tabernacle” (“Dwelling Place”) is also referred to as the “Tent of Meeting” because it was the place where people met with God. The Hebrew phrase is 'ohel mo'ed, in which 'ohel (#0168) means “tent,” and is followed by mo'ed (#04150 מוֹעֵד or מֹעֵד) which means a “meeting” or a “place for a meeting.” Thus the 'ohel mo'ed is the “Tent of Meeting” (see commentary on Exod. 27:21).