Chapter Overview
Summary
Exodus 37 narrates Bezalel's construction of the ark, mercy seat, table, lampstand, incense altar, anointing oil, and sacred incense — the interior furnishings of the tabernacle. The chapter parallels the instructions of chapter 25 and 30 in execution form. LXX 37 contains different material than MT 37 due to the macro-structural reorganization.
Notable Variants
LXX chapter-level rearrangement; verse-level, this chapter contains the actual making of the ark and hilastērion (mercy seat) — cultically the most sacred objects.
Structural Notes
LXX 37 corresponds to MT 36:8–38 in LXX's reorganization. TCR follows MT numbering so this file presents MT 37 content (ark and furnishings).
Bezalel constructed the ark from acacia wood — two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half tall.
Bezalel's ark construction tracks MT. The shift from 'they made' (pl.) of ch 36 to 'Bezalel made' (sg.) emphasizes Bezalel's personal craft on the most sacred object.
He plated it with pure gold inside and out, and fashioned a gold molding around its rim.
Gold plating and molding track MT.
He cast four gold rings for it, placing them at its four feet — two rings on one side and two on the other.
Four gold rings at the ark's feet track MT.
He made carrying poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
Acacia carrying-poles track MT.
He inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark for transporting it.
Poles through rings track MT.
He made the mercy seat of pure gold — two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.
Masoretic (WLC)
וַיַּעַשׂ כַּפֹּרֶת זָהָב טָהוֹר
He made the mercy seat of pure gold
Septuagint (LXX)
καὶ ἐποίησεν ἱλαστήριον ἐπάνωθεν τῆς κιβωτοῦ ἐκ χρυσίου
He made a hilastērion above the ark from gold
The HILASTĒRION construction narrative. The actual making of the atonement-cover — this is the object Romans 3:25 identifies Christ with: 'whom God put forward as a hilastērion.'
The LXX phrase epanōthen tēs kibōtou ('above the ark') preserves the architectural relationship: the hilastērion sits atop the ark of the covenant. Romans 3:25's Christological move reads Christ as BOTH covering (above the ark) AND the means of atonement.
He fashioned two cherubim of hammered gold, forming them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
Two hammered-gold cherubim track MT.
One cherub extended from one end and the other from the opposite end; he made the cherubim as a single piece with the mercy seat at its two ends.
Cherubim as single piece with mercy seat track MT.
The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. They faced each other, with their faces turned down toward the mercy seat.
Wings spread upward, faces toward mercy seat, tracks MT. Hebrews 9:5 mentions 'cherubim of glory overshadowing the hilastērion' directly.
He constructed the table from acacia wood — two cubits long, one cubit wide, and a cubit and a half tall.
The table construction tracks MT.
He overlaid it with pure gold and fashioned a gold molding around its rim.
Gold plating and molding track MT.
He also made a rim a handbreadth wide around it and placed a gold molding along that rim.
Handbreadth rim tracks MT.
He cast four gold rings for it and attached them at the four corners near its four legs.
Four gold rings track MT.
The rings were positioned close to the rim as holders for the poles used to carry the table.
Rings-positioned-for-poles track MT.
He crafted the carrying poles from acacia wood, overlaid them with gold, and used them for transporting the table.
Acacia poles, gold-overlaid, track MT.
He made the utensils for the table — its plates, ladles, bowls, and pitchers for pouring drink offerings — all from pure gold.
The table utensils track MT.
He constructed the lampstand of pure gold. He hammered it from a single piece — its base, shaft, cups, buds, and blossoms were all of one piece.
The lampstand construction tracks MT. Seven-lamp imagery carries into Revelation 1:12 and Zechariah 4.
Six branches extended from its sides — three branches from one side and three from the other.
Six branches track MT.
Three almond-shaped cups with buds and blossoms adorned one branch, and three almond-shaped cups with buds and blossoms on the next — the same pattern for all six branches extending from the lampstand.
Almond-blossom cups tracks MT.
On the lampstand's central shaft were four almond-shaped cups with buds and blossoms.
Central-shaft four cups track MT.
A bud was positioned beneath each pair of branches — for all six branches extending from the lampstand.
Bud-under-branch pattern tracks MT.
The buds and branches were all of one piece with it, the whole lampstand a single work of hammered pure gold.
Single-piece hammered gold tracks MT.
He made its seven lamps, along with its wick trimmers and trays, all of pure gold.
Seven lamps and accessories track MT.
He used one talent of pure gold for the lampstand and all its accessories.
One-talent of pure gold tracks MT.
He constructed the incense altar from acacia wood — one cubit long, one cubit wide (it was square), and two cubits tall. Its horns were of one piece with it.
Incense altar construction tracks MT.
He overlaid it with pure gold — its top, all its sides, and its horns — and made a gold molding around it.
Gold overlay tracks MT.
He made two gold rings beneath the molding on two opposite sides as holders for the poles used to carry it.
Two gold rings for poles track MT.
He crafted the carrying poles from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
Acacia poles gold-overlaid track MT.
He also prepared the sacred anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense, blended as a perfumer would.
Sacred anointing oil and incense preparation tracks MT. The 'perfumer' (myrepsos) preparation closes the interior-furnishings construction.