¹sn The next unit is, logically, the preparation of skilled workers to build all of this that has been instructed now for several chapters. This chapter would have been the bridge to the building of the sanctuary (35-39) if it were not for the idolatrous interlude. But the text of this section is not complicated: God called individuals and prepared them by his Spirit to be skilled to do the work for the tabernacle. If this were the substance of an exposition, it would clearly be a message on gifted people doing the work—close to the spiritual lesson of Ephesians 4. There would be two levels of meaning: the physical, which looks at the skilled artisans providing for a place to worship Yahweh, and the spiritual, which would bring in the Spirit-filled servants of God participating in building up his kingdom.
²tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”
³sn This expression means that the person was specifically chosen for some important task (Driver, 342). See the expression with Cyrus in Isa 45:3,4.
⁴sn The expression in the Bible means that the individual was given special, supernatural enablement to do what God wanted done. It usually is said of someone with exceptional power or ability. The image of “filling” usually means under the control of the Spirit, so that the Spirit is the dominant force in the life.
⁵sn The following qualities are the ways in which the Spirit’s enablement will be displayed. “Wisdom” is the skill to be able to produce something valuable to God and the community, “understanding” is the ability to distinguish between things, to perceive the best way to follow, and “knowledge” is the experiential knowledge, the awareness of how things are done.
⁶tn Heb “and in all work”; “all” means “all kinds of” here.
⁷tn The expression is tb)v*j&m^ bv)j=l^ (lahsob mahasabot), “to devise devices.” The infinitive emphasizes that Bezalel will be able to design or plan works that are artistic or skillful. He will think thoughts or devise the plans, and then he will do them, or, execute them in silver works, or stone, or whatever other product he uses.
⁸tn The expression uses the independent personal pronoun (“and I”) with the deictic particle (“behold”) to enforce the subject of the verb— “and I, indeed I have given.”
⁹sn In the Bible Oholiab is a gifted individual, but Bezalel was the important one for this task, perhaps the foreman or supervisor.
¹⁰sn The verse means that there were a good number of very skilled and trained artisans that could come to do the work that God wanted done. But God’s Spirit further endowed them with wisdom to do the work that had to be done.
¹¹tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav consecutive. The form at this place shows the purpose or the result of what has gone before, and so is rendered “that they may make.”
¹²tn Heb “all the vessels of the Tent.”
¹³sn There are some questions about the arrangement of the book. The placement of this section should come as no surprise. After the instructions and preparation for work, a Sabbath day when work could not be done had to be legislated. In all that they were going to do, they must not violate the Sabbath,
¹⁴tn Heb “and Yahweh said [rma] to Moses, saying.”
¹⁵sn The instruction for the Sabbath at this point seems rather abrupt, but it follows logically the extended plans of building the sanctuary. B. Jacob, following some of the earlier treatments, suggests that these are specific rules given for the duration of the building of the sanctuary (p. 844). The Sabbath day is a day of complete cessation; no labor or work could be done. The point here is that God’s covenant people must faithfully keep the sign of the covenant as a living commemoration of the finished work of Yahweh, and as an active part in their sanctification. See also H. Routtenberg, “The Laws of Sabbath: Biblical Sources,” Dor l^e Dor 6 (1977): 41-43, 99-101, 153-55, 204-206; G. Robinson, “The Idea of Rest in the OT and the Search for the Basic Character of Sabbath,” ZAW 92 (1980): 32-42; M. Tsevat, “The Basic Meaning of the Biblical Sabbath, ZAW 84 (1972): 447-59; M. T. Willshaw, “A Joyous Sign,” ExpTim 89 (1978): 179-80.
¹⁶tn Or “your sanctifier.”
¹⁷tn Heb “and.”
¹⁸tn This clause is all from one word, the Piel plural participle with a third, feminine suffix: hyl#l=j^m= (m^ehalleyha), “defilers of it.” This form serves as the subject of the sentence. The word llj (halal) is the antonym of vdq (qadas), “to be holy.” It means “common, profane,” and in the Piel stem “make common, profane” or “defile.” Treating the Sabbath like an ordinary day would profane it, make it common.
¹⁹tn This is the asseverative use of yK! (ki) meaning “surely, indeed,” for it restates the point just made (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, §449).
²⁰tn Heb “the one who does.”
²¹tn “any” has been supplied.
²²tn Literally “its” (going with “soul/life”).
²³tn This is an adverbial accusative of time, indicating that work may be done for six days out of the week.
²⁴tn The form is the Niphal imperfect; it has the nuance of permission in this sentence, for the sentence is simply saying that the six days are work days—that is when work may be done.
²⁵tn The expression is /otB*v^ tB^v^ (sabbat sabbaton), “a Sabbath of entire rest,” or better, “a sabbath of complete desisting” (Cassuto, 404). The second noun, the modifying genitive, is an abstract noun. The repetition provides the superlative idea that complete rest is the order of the day.
²⁶tn The expression again forms an adverbial accusative of time.
²⁷sn The word “rest” essentially means “to cease, stop.” So in describing God as “resting” on the seventh day does not indicate that he was tired—he simply finished creation and then ceased or stopped. But in this verse is a very bold anthropomorphism in the form of the verb vp^NY]w~ (wayyinnapas), the Niphal preterite from the root vpn (napas), the word that is related to “life, soul” or more specifically “breath, throat.” The verb is usually translated here as “he was refreshed,” offering a very human picture. It could also be rendered “he took breath” (Driver, 345). Elsewhere the verb is used of people and animals. The anthropomorphism is clearly intended to teach people to stop and refresh themselves physically, spiritually and emotionally on this day of rest.
²⁸sn The expression “the finger of God” has come up before in the book, in the plagues (Exod 8:15) to express that it was a demonstration of the power and authority of God. So here too the commandments given to Moses on stone tablets came from God. It too is a bold anthropomorphism; to attribute such a material action to Yahweh would have been thought provoking to say the least. But by using “God” and by stating it in such an obviously figurative way, that effect was prevented. Since no one writes with one finger, the expression simply says that the Law came directly from God.