This is priestly garments for the most part. My reflection is that it would make a neat Project Runway challenge. It is also kind of cool that Bezalel gets many shout outs by name in the Scripture.
Recalling that the book was actually collected centuries after the people described in the book are to have lived, the intense detail is curious. Descriptions of the rings and blue cords used to connect the ephod to the breastplate so that it would not swing out, Ex. 39:21, seems like maddening detail if the garment never actually existed. Although, I suppose there is plenty of genre fiction that would strongly rebut that.
I am cautioned by my readings yesterday of the various sources not to project too much attention to it, but the passage listing all of the work done by the Israelites in exact compliance with the orders from God via Moses seems to be making up for the whole Golden Calf thing.
Finally, it looks like God will go with the Israelites on their journey after all, as the book ends thusly.
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.
3 replies on “Ex. (final chapters)”
Frankly a lot of this reminds me of the whaling chapters in Moby-Dick. The intense detail might be more about adding the detail of a profession rather than enriching the reading experience…?
Wasn't Melville paid by the word? I'm sure right about the purpose of the details. Although, in describing the tent layout it's kind of weird because they were writing it after they had long story nice left the tent life.
No Melville was just writing a novel. Hard to know why he thought that much detail was valuable, but he definitely thought it fit the work.