The big picture
Exodus 27 opens in verse 1 with “And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 11 with “And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits…”, and closes in verse 21 with “In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony…” Repeated or prominent terms include cubits, brass, pillars, court, sockets. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Exodus · King James Version · 21Exodus 27:1-7
1–7: Thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five…
Exodus 27:1–7 opens with “And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar…” and reaches “And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Exodus 27 develops its own movement around cubits, brass, pillars, court, sockets, with particular weight carried by altar, brass, staves.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Exodus 27:1-7
King James Version1And 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.
2And 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.
3And 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.
4And 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.
5And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.
6And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.
7And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.
Exodus 27:8-14
8–14: Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the…
Exodus 27:8–14 opens with “Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make…” and reaches “The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Exodus 27 develops its own movement around cubits, brass, pillars, court, sockets, with particular weight carried by pillars, side, cubits.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Exodus 27:8-14
King James Version8Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.
9And 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:
10And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
11And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.
12And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
13And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.
14The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
Exodus 27:15-21
15–21: On the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three…
Exodus 27:15–21 opens with “And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets…” and reaches “In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Exodus 27 develops its own movement around cubits, brass, pillars, court, sockets, with particular weight carried by court, cubits, sockets.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Exodus 27:15-21
King James Version15And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
16And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.
17All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.
18The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.
19All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
20And 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.
21In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD : it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Exodus 27:1 begins with “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…”
Where the chapter turns
Exodus 27:11 forms a natural hinge: “And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the…”
The final note
Exodus 27:21 leaves the reader with “In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words cubits, brass, pillars, court, sockets, side help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What makes the deception more than a harmless family trick?
Jacob exploits his father's blindness, impersonates his brother and invokes God while lying.
What does the family lose?
Trust, safety and proximity: Jacob must flee, and Esau carries murderous resentment.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.