Exoduschapter 31
18 verses · Moses, by tradition · 15th or 13th century BC · The Law
And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship,
Introduction
Moses, by tradition, The Law, Exodus Overview.
This chapter comes at the close of the forty days Moses spent on the mountain, and it is the last of the instructions for the tabernacle. Six chapters have described objects, and now the account turns to the people who will make them. It was first heard by a nation of former slaves whose trades had been learned in the workshops of Egypt. Listen for how closely the gift of God is tied to ordinary skilled labour. Then notice that the last command before the tablets concerns rest from work. The written covenant reaches Moses at the very hour the camp below is about to break it.
Context
- Who
- Israel in the wilderness, whose craftsmen were about to be called by name
- What
- The close of the tabernacle instructions, naming the craftsmen, guarding the Sabbath and handing Moses the two tablets.
- Where
- On Mount Sinai, at the end of the forty days Moses spent there with God.
- When
- About 1446 BC on the traditional early date, with a thirteenth-century date also held, in the first year after the departure from Egypt.
- Why
- To show that the skill to build God's dwelling is His gift, and that even the building of His house stops for the day of rest.
Historical context
The chapter belongs to the law Exodus says Moses wrote at God's command, recorded at 17:14, at 24:4 and at 34:27, while he was going up and down the mountain between God and the people. The critical reading takes the legal sections for a later compilation from several sources, a position argued by Julius Wellhausen and the tradition following him, and the site states no verdict on it.
Show the rest of the historical context, 8 more paragraphs
The chapter names the builders, guards the Sabbath against the building work and ends with the tablets, and Albert Barnes notes that the account is interrupted at verse 18 and resumed at 35:1.
Bezalel of Judah and Oholiab of Dan are named, and God says He has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God for craftsmanship in metal, stone and wood.
Bezalel is the first person named in Scripture as filled with the Spirit of God, and similar language stands earlier at 28:3 of the craftsmen who make the garments.
A first hearer knew where those skills came from, since Egyptian workshops were the finest in the world at goldsmithing, gem setting, joinery, weaving and dyeing, and Semitic labourers worked in them.
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown hold it probable that Bezalel acquired his skill in Egypt, and note that he was the grandson of the Hur who held up Moses' hands at Exodus 17:12.
He knew what a treaty token was, and the Sabbath is called a sign between God and Israel for ever in the way a treaty carries a standing token.
Albert Barnes calls verses 12 to 17 the penal law of the Sabbath, since the fourth commandment addressed the conscience while this passage declares an infraction a capital offence.
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the warning as given at the start of the work, since the builders might have supposed a sacred task worth working through.
Significance
God filled an artisan, so that the work of hands could be holy work.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
The last word before Moses turned to go down was rest, which is what the people at the bottom of the mountain were not doing.
This chapter in Jewish lifeWhat this chapter is in Jewish life and reading.
What is done
The Sabbath commanded in the last verses of this chapter is one of the points where Exodus is kept rather than only read. The lane's design block names Exodus 31:12 to 17, with 20:8 and 35:1 to 3, as the places in this book that set the weekly rest a Jewish household still keeps. What is done in the home and the synagogue on that day is carried by no file in this repository. This card names the command and leaves the customs to the pages that carry them.
How it is read
The chapter names the craftsmen and then guards the Sabbath against the work they are given. Rashi reads the two gifts given to Bezalel as two different things. Wisdom "is what a person hears from others and learns", while understanding is working a matter out by one's own reasoning from what has been learned (Rashi on Exodus 31:3:1 and 31:3:2). The devising of designs he takes as the weaving of an artist's work (Rashi on Exodus 31:4:1). Others beside Bezalel and Oholiab are included, since God had given wisdom to the wise hearted among them as well (Rashi on Exodus 31:6:1). On the garments of service he weighs two readings and says which he holds. He reports the reading that takes the word as service, and notes that Scripture offers no second example of it. His own view is that it is an Aramaic term for net work (Rashi on Exodus 31:10:2). The turn to the Sabbath he reads as a limit set on the building itself. Moses is told that the work of the tabernacle makes no light thing of setting the Sabbath aside (Rashi on Exodus 31:13:1). The rest of the fifteenth verse is "reposeful rest", a settled thing rather than a casual one (Rashi on Exodus 31:15:1). The death penalty of the fourteenth verse he limits to a court case with witnesses and a warning given immediately before the act (Rashi on Exodus 31:14:1). On the giving of the tablets he states the principle that governs his reading of the next chapters, that the Torah keeps no chronological order. He dates the breaking of the tablets to the seventeenth of Tammuz (Rashi on Exodus 31:18:1). Rashi is quoted from the Rosenbaum and Silbermann edition of 1929 to 1934, public domain. Ibn Ezra comments at Exodus 31:1:1, 31:2:1, 31:6:1, 31:7:1, 31:12:1 and 31:16:1 under a licence that keeps his text off this page. Malbim comments at Exodus 31:4:1 with no English version in the corpus.
What the rabbis say
The corpus records forty places where the Midrash and the Talmud draw on this chapter, cited here by reference. The wisdom given to Bezalel is read in Berakhot at 55a:10, 55a:12, 55a:13 and 55a:14. The Ein Yaakov collections carry the same passage at Berakhot 9:3 and 9:7, and the Jerusalem Talmud at Berakhot 4:3:6. Midrash Tanchuma reads the calling of Bezalel at Ki Tisa 12:1, and Midrash Tanchuma Buber at Vayera 7:1. Midrash Lekach Tov follows the list of the work at Exodus 31:4:1, 31:7:1, 31:10:1, 31:10:2, 31:11:1 and 31:11:2. The Sabbath verses are read in the Jerusalem Talmud at Shabbat 1:1:20 and Horayot 3:5:15, and in Beitzah at 13b:13 and 16a:7. They stand in Avot DeRabbi Natan at 1:2 and 16:2, and in Recension B at 21:12. Bereshit Rabbah 46:9 reads the sign of the covenant, and Eikhah Rabbah 4:16 the rest. Bamidbar Rabbah carries the chapter at 12:8, 12:10, 13:16 and 23:6.
Sources: Rashi, Rashi on Exodus 31:2 to 31:18, the Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A. M. Silbermann, 1929 to 1934, public domain, 1040 to 1105; Ibn Ezra, Ibn Ezra on Exodus 31:1:1, 31:2:1, 31:6:1, 31:7:1, 31:12:1 and 31:16:1, cited by reference, CC-BY-NC, 1089 to 1164; Malbim, Malbim on Exodus 31:4:1, cited by reference, no English version in the corpus; Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 55a:10 to 55a:14, Beitzah 13b:13 and 16a:7 and Kiddushin 19a:8, cited by reference; Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat 1:1:20, Horayot 3:5:15 and Berakhot 4:3:6, cited by reference; Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tisa 12:1, and Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayera 7:1, cited by reference; MannaFest, the Sabbath of Exodus 31:12 to 17 named as a point where the book is kept, docs/lanes/exodus-jewish-reading-21-40-corpus/DESIGN-BLOCK.md, and the commentators and their dates, src/app/featured/the-jewish-writings/page.tsx, 2026; The Sefaria corpus, scripts/data/sources/sefaria/exodus/31.json, fetched 2026-09-19, 2026.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
Bezalel Filled with the Spirit
Exodus 31:1-2
This is the sixth of the seven speeches that deliver the tabernacle instruction, the set that runs from 25:1 to 31:12. What it names first is a man, and it names him before it names any work, since the opening words are that God has called him by name. Bezaleel is of the tribe of Judah and the grandson of Hur, the man who held up Moses' hands at Rephidim in 17:12 and was left with Aaron over the people in 24:14.
I have called by name Bezalel: See, the LORD has called Bezalel by name, son of Uri and grandson of Hur, before He names any of the work. Adam Clarke traces that line back to Judah through 1 Chronicles 2. Moses himself could not do this craftsmanship, Matthew Henry notes.
Exodus 31:2
“I have called by name Bezaleel - That is, I have particularly appointed this person to be the chief superintendent of the whole work. His name is significant, בצלאל betsal-el, in or under the shadow of God, meaning, under the especial protection of the Most High. He was the son of Uri, the son of Hur, the son of Caleb or Chelubai, the son of Esron, the son of Pharez, the son of Judah. See 1Ch 2:5, 1Ch 2:9,1Ch 2:18, 1Ch 2:19, 1Ch 2:20, and see Clarke’s note on Exo 17:10.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Exodus 31:2
“A great deal of fine work God had ordered to be done about the tabernacle; the materials the people were to provide, but who must put them into form? Moses himself was learned in all the learning of the Egyptians, nay, he was well acquainted with the words of God, and the visions of the Almighty; but he knew not how to engrave or embroider.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Exodus 31:2
“He belonged to the tribe of Judah, which, doubtless for wise and weighty reasons, God all along delighted to honor; and he was the grandson of Hur, a pious patriot (Ex 17:12), who was associated, by a special commission, with Aaron in the government of the people during the absence of Moses.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Exodus 31:3-5
I have filled him with the Spirit of God: Bezaleel is the first person in Scripture said to be filled with the spirit of God. Genesis 1:2 has the Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters, and no man before this verse is said to be filled with him. What the filling is for is spelled out in the two verses that follow, gold and silver and brass, the cutting of stones and the carving of timber, and the word wisdom first occurs at 28:3, where it is also given to craftsmen.
Exodus 31:3
“I have filled him with the spirit of God--It is probable that he was naturally endowed with a mechanical genius, and had acquired in Egypt great knowledge and skill in the useful, as well as liberal, arts so as to be a first-class artisan, competent to take charge of both the plain and ornamental work, which the building of the sacred edifice required.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Exodus 31:3
“I have filled him with the spirit of God - See Clarke’s note on Exo 28:3. In wisdom - חכמה, chochmah, from חכם chacham, to be wise, skillful, or prudent, denoting the compass of mind and strength of capacity necessary to form a wise man: hence our word wisdom, the power of judging what is wise or best to be done; from the Saxon, to teach, to advise, and to judge; hence the doom or judgment of the well taught, wise, or prudent man.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze: Adam Clarke gives the Hebrew behind artistic works as machashaboth, works of invention or genius. The three metals follow the plan of the earlier chapters. Gold covers the ark and the furniture inside the tent, silver forms the bases of the frames at 26:19, and bronze covers the altar of burnt offering at 27:2.
Exodus 31:4
“Cunning works - מחשבת machashaboth, works of invention or genius, in the goldsmith and silversmith line.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
to cut gemstones for settings: Adam Clarke places this work under the lapidary, the cutter of gems, with the jeweler and the carver. The gemstones are those of the priestly garments, the two onyx stones on the shoulders of the ephod at 28:9 and the twelve stones of the breastpiece at 28:17. The wood throughout the tabernacle is acacia.
Exodus 31:5
“In cutting of stones, etc. - Every thing that concerned the lapidary’s, jeweler’s, and carver’s art.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Exodus 31:6-11
Aholiab of the tribe of Dan is set beside Bezaleel of Judah, and wisdom is then put in the hearts of all that are wise hearted, so the skill for the work is spread through the camp rather than held by two men. The list that follows gathers the whole instruction of chapters 25 to 30 into one paragraph and runs it from the inside outward, from the ark and the mercy seat to the table and the candlestick and the altar of incense, then to the altar of burnt offering and the laver, and last the garments, the anointing oil and the sweet incense. The speech closes on the rule that has governed every chapter since 25:9, that they shall do according to all that I have commanded thee.
Exodus 31:6
“Christ sent forth his disciples who were to rear the gospel tabernacle, two and two, and we read of his two witnesses. Aholiab was of the tribe of Dan, which was one of the less honourable tribes, that the tribes of Judah and Levi might not be lifted up, as if they were to engross all the preferments; to prevent a schism in the body, God gives honour to that part which lacked, 1 Cor. xii.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
1 more voice on this verse
Exodus 31:6
“In the hearts of all that are wisehearted I have put wisdom - So every man that had a natural genius, as we term it, had an increase of wisdom by immediate inspiration from God, so that he knew how to execute the different works which Divine wisdom designed for the tabernacle and its furniture. Dark as were the heathens, yet they acknowledged that all talents, and the seeds of all arts, came from God. Hence Seneca: Insita nobis omnium artium semina, magisterque ex occulto Deus producit ingenia.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat: The ark takes its name from the Testimony, the tablets God told Moses to place inside it at 25:16. Those tablets are handed to Moses at verse 18. Matthew Henry sets these craftsmen beside the apostles, on whom Christ poured His Spirit to build the gospel tabernacle out of men.
Exodus 31:7
“When Christ sent his apostles to rear the gospel tabernacle, he poured out his Spirit upon them, to enable them to speak with tongues the wonderful works of God; not to work upon metal, but to work upon men; so much more excellent were the gifts, as the tabernacle to be pitched was a greater and more perfect tabernacle, as the apostle calls it, Heb. ix.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils: These are the three pieces that stood in the Holy Place, set out at 25:23, 25:31 and 30:1. John Gill says the lampstand is called pure for its pure gold and for the pure olive oil that burned in it. Adam Clarke adds the brightness of its workmanship.
Exodus 31:8
“The pure candlestick - Called so either because of the pure gold of which it was made, or the brightness and splendor of its workmanship, or of the light which it imparted in the tabernacle, as the purest, finest oil was always burnt in it.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
the basin with its stand—: These two pieces stood in the courtyard, outside the tent. The altar of burnt offering is set out at 27:1, acacia wood overlaid with bronze, with its pans, shovels and basins. John Gill notes that the basin of 30:18 held water for the priests to wash their hands and feet, and Adam Clarke reads its stand as the pedestal it rested on.
Exodus 31:9
“And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture,.... Which was made of shittim wood covered with brass; its furniture were its pans, shovels, basins, &c. Exo 27:1. and the laver and his foot; for the priests to wash their hands and feet at, Exo 30:18.”
1 more voice on this verse
Exodus 31:9
“The altar of burnt-offering - See Clarke’s note on Exo 27:1. The laver and his foot - The pedestal on which it stood.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
the woven garments: Adam Clarke reads the first garments as the vestments for the ordinary work of the ministry, and the holy garments as those that belonged to the high priest alone. Aaron's garments are set out in chapter 28, and his sons' tunics, sashes and headbands at 28:40. Their making is recorded in chapter 39.
Exodus 31:10
“Clothes of service - Vestments for the ordinary work of their ministry; the holy garments - those which were peculiar to the high priest.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
the anointing oil and fragrant incense: The recipes for both stand in chapter 30, the oil at 30:23 and the incense at 30:34. Common use of either meant being cut off. John Gill says Bezalel and Oholiab were charged to see that every workman kept to the pattern given to Moses.
Exodus 31:11
“And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place,.... Of the composition of both which, see Exo 30:23. according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do: not only make all the said things, but make them exactly according to the form and pattern given to Moses, communicated to Bezaleel and Aholiab, whose business it was to see that all things were done by the workmen agreeably to it.”
1 more voice on this verse
Exodus 31:11
“The anointing oil - See Clarke’s note on Exo 30:23. Sweet incense - See on Exo 30:24 (note).”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
The Sabbath, a Sign Forever
Exodus 31:12-13
The seventh and last of the tabernacle speeches is the sabbath, which is where the seventh day falls in Genesis 1 and 2. The echo holds to the end of the book, since 39:32 reports the work of the tabernacle finished in the words Genesis 2:1 uses of the heavens and the earth, and 40:33 says Moses finished the work. What the sabbath is called here is a sign, and the reason given for it is that they may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.
Exodus 31:12
“They might suppose that the erection of the tabernacle was a sacred work, and that it would be a high merit, an acceptable tribute, to prosecute the undertaking without the interruption of a day's repose; and therefore the caution here given, at the commencement of the undertaking, was a seasonable admonition.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Matthew Henry notes that other nations kept yearly feasts, while the weekly Sabbath was a sign given to the Israelites alone. He places the Sabbath command between the two tablets of the law, and verse 18 gives Moses the two tablets of stone. Isaiah 56:2 blesses the man who keeps it.
Exodus 31:13
“Note, If God by his grace incline our hearts to keep the law of the fourth commandment, it will be an evidence of a good work wrought in us by his Spirit. If we sanctify God's day, it is a sign between him and us that he has sanctified our hearts: hence it is the character of the blessed man that he keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, Isa. lvi.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Exodus 31:14-15
The sabbath command carries a death penalty here, and it is given at the moment the people are about to begin building. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the placement as a guard against the natural thought that sacred work would earn an exemption, so the making of the sanctuary does not override the seventh day. The word sabbath first occurs at 16:23 in the manna chapter, four chapters before the fourth commandment, and by this point it has been kept, commanded and now fenced.
Exodus 31:14
“Every one that defileth it - By any kind of idolatrous or profane worship. Shall surely be put to death - The magistrates shall examine into the business, and if the accused be found guilty, he shall be stoned to death. Shall be cut off - Because that person who could so far contemn the Sabbath, which was a sign to them of the rest which remained for the people of God, was of course an infidel, and should be cut off from all the privileges and expectations of an Israelite.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD: Moses repeats this verse almost word for word at 35:2, and 35:3 adds a ban on lighting a fire in any dwelling. Matthew Henry reads holy to the LORD as a day set apart from common use for God's honour. Ambrose of Milan saw in it the perpetual sabbath to come.
Exodus 31:15
“Six days may work be done;....”
2 more voices on this verse
Exodus 31:15
“They were also commanded to keep the holiday of the Sabbath one day in the week, so as to be subjected to no burthen, and I would that being thus released from earthly works they had escaped, carrying with them to that perpetual sabbath of future ages the burthen of heavy crimes. But as God knew how prone to fall the people were, He enjoined a part upon the weaker by the observance of one day, He reserved the fulness for the stronger: the Synagogue observes the day, the Church immortality.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Letter 74.5patristic
Exodus 31:15
“It is separated from common use, and designed for the honour and service of God, and by the observance of it we are taught to rest from worldly pursuits and the service of the flesh, and to devote ourselves, and all we are, have, and can do, to God's glory. (4.) It was to be observed throughout their generations, in every age, for a perpetual covenant.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Exodus 31:16-17
The sabbath is called a perpetual covenant and a sign for ever, which puts it in the same class as circumcision at Genesis 17:13. The ground given for it is the creation rather than the deliverance, that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth and on the seventh day he rested. Deuteronomy 5:15 gives the other ground, the bondage in Egypt and the hand that brought them out, so the same commandment is stated twice on two different reasons.
Exodus 31:16
“A perpetual covenant - Because it is a sign of this future rest and blessedness, therefore the religious observance of it must be perpetually kept up. The type must continue in force till the antitype come.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Adam Clarke reads was refreshed as God describing Himself in human terms, a condescension to human weakness. The seventh day's rest is that of Genesis 2:2. Matthew Henry sees the weekly rest as a copy of God's own and a foretaste of the hope of resting with Him from every labour.
Exodus 31:17
“Rested, and was refreshed - God, in condescension to human weakness, applies to himself here what belongs to man. If a man religiously rests on the Sabbath, both his body and soul shall be refreshed; he shall acquire new light and life.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
The communing on the mount ends with an object handed over, two stone tables written with the finger of God. That phrase came into the book from Egypt's magicians at 8:19, when they failed at the lice and told Pharaoh what they were up against, and Luke 11:20 has Jesus use it of casting out devils. Moses is carrying these tables down in 32:19 when he sees the calf and breaks them, so the first thing broken after the covenant is the document of the covenant, and God writes them again at 34:1.
Exodus 31:18
“When he had made an end of communing - When the forty days and forty nights were ended. Two tables of testimony - See Clarke’s note on Exo 34:1. Tables of stone - That the record might be lasting, because it was a testimony that referred to future generations, and therefore the materials should be durable. Written with the finger of God - All the letters cut by God himself.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Exodus 31:18
“The law was written in tables of stone, to denote the perpetual duration of it (what can be supposed to last longer than that which is written in stone, and laid up?), to denote likewise the hardness of our hearts; one might more easily write in stone than write any thing that is good in our corrupt and sinful hearts.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
How this psalm is built
The form: Covenant speech in three parts, the calling of the craftsmen, the penal law of the Sabbath and the giving of the tablets, as Barnes classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Called by name, and then the second man named too | Verse 2 says see, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. Verse 6 adds Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant. Matthew Henry reads the second choice as deliberate, since Dan was a less honoured tribe and Judah and Levi were not to be lifted up, and he cites 1 Corinthians 12 for the reasoning.Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710, on Exodus 31:6. | Exodus 31:2, Exodus 31:6 |
| The whole building listed again, in one breath | Verses 7 to 11 name everything the craftsmen are to make, in the order the instructions gave it. The Tent of Meeting, the ark and the mercy seat, the table, the lampstand, the incense altar, the altar of burnt offering, the basin, the woven garments, and the anointing oil and incense. Counted in the Berean text of the chapter, the list runs through every piece of chapters 25 to 30 in five verses. | Exodus 31:7, Exodus 31:8, Exodus 31:9, Exodus 31:10, Exodus 31:11 |
| A sign between Me and you, said twice | Verse 13 says the Sabbath will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come. Verse 17 says it is a sign between Me and the Israelites for ever. The section on the Sabbath opens and closes on the same word, and the reason given at the end is the six days of creation and the seventh of rest. | Exodus 31:13, Exodus 31:17 |
| Filled with the Spirit of God, and skill given to all the rest | Verse 3 says God filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship. Verse 6 says God has also given skill to all the craftsmen. The gift is stated of the named man and then of the workforce. The same language stands earlier in the book at 28:3, where the craftsmen who make the garments are filled with a spirit of wisdom. | Exodus 31:3, Exodus 31:6, Exodus 28:3 |
This chapter is the last of the seven that carry the tabernacle instructions, and the making of the work begins at 35:1. Albert Barnes states that the account is interrupted here and resumed there. The weekly Jewish reading marks the same shape, since Ki Tisa runs from 30:11 to 34:35 and carries the calf with the last of the instructions.
15 more paragraphs on the patterns
The Sabbath section is the book's third pass over the seventh day. Exodus 16 gave it with the manna, Exodus 20:8 to 11 gave it as the fourth commandment, and 23:12 gave it in the case law with the ox and the servant's son named. Here it is given as the sign of the covenant and with a penalty attached.
The historical value
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the choice of Bezalel through his family. He belonged to Judah, and he was the grandson of Hur, who held Moses' hands up at Exodus 17:12 and who was left with Aaron to govern the people at Exodus 24:14. They also hold it probable that Bezalel was naturally endowed with a mechanical genius and had acquired great skill in Egypt. He was therefore competent, on their account, for both the plain and the ornamental work. That is their inference from his upbringing rather than a statement of the text.
Matthew Henry puts the same point the other way round. Moses was learned in all the learning of the Egyptians and knew the visions of the Almighty, and he knew nothing about engraving or embroidery. The work needed men who did.
The New Testament's use
This chapter has no direct quotation in the New Testament that the store's notes record. Two lines of reading run from it.
The first is the Sabbath as a sign of something still ahead. Adam Clarke reads verse 16 that way. The observance had to be kept up because the day is a sign of a future rest and blessedness, and the type continues in force until the antitype comes. Hebrews 4:9 and 10 say that a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God, and that whoever enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did.
The second is the authority over the day. At Matthew 12:8 Jesus calls the Son of Man Lord of the Sabbath, having just argued from the priests who work in the temple on the Sabbath and are innocent.
The debated reading
What verse 17 means by saying that God rested and was refreshed is the chapter's contested point. Adam Clarke states one position plainly. God, in condescension to human weakness, applies to Himself here what belongs to man, and a man who rests religiously on the Sabbath will find both body and soul refreshed. On that reading the words describe the man rather than God.
The commentators the store carries for this chapter state no competing position on the phrase in words this lane could cite, so no second holder is named. What the text says is that He rested and was refreshed, and the question is how far the second verb may be pressed.
A second point can be settled from the text and is worth stating, because the site's own chapter summary for this chapter makes a claim about it. The summary calls this the first mention of the Spirit filling a man for task work in Scripture. Exodus 28:3 stands earlier in the same book, where God says of the craftsmen who make the priestly garments that He has filled them with a spirit of wisdom. The claim of a first is therefore doubtful on the book's own evidence, and the summary is flagged rather than edited here.
The question of whether Bezalel's skill was given at this moment or recognised in him is raised by Adam Clarke on the parallel at 28:3. He holds that the direction to Moses was to select men he found to be expert artists, and that God is saying such men had derived their knowledge from Him. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown take the same view of Bezalel's Egyptian training.
Where to go deeper
The Spirit's work in the craftsmen stands at the Spirit in the Old Testament. The Sabbath stands at sabbath rest and its Lord at Lord of the Sabbath. The tablets stand at the Ten Commandments and the covenant they belong to at the Mosaic covenant. What happens next stands at the golden calf. The tabernacle as a whole has no page yet and is owed.
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Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
Albert Barnes and Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871, on Exodus 31:12.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ambrose of Milan, Letter 74.5; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.