Candlestick

How Nave’s arranged it

• OF THE TABERNACLE
• Made after divine patternExodus 25:31–40Exodus 37:17–24Numbers 8:4
• Place ofExodus 26:35Exodus 40:24Exodus 40:25Hebrews 9:2
• Furniture ofExodus 25:38Exodus 37:23Numbers 4:9Numbers 4:10
• Burned every nightExodus 27:20Exodus 27:21
• Trimmed every morningExodus 30:7
• Carried by KohathitesNumbers 4:4Numbers 4:15
• Called THE LAMP OF GOD1 Samuel 3:3
• OF THE TEMPLE
• Ten branches of1 Kings 7:491 Kings 7:50
• Of gold1 Chronicles 28:152 Chronicles 4:20
• Taken with other spoils to BabylonJeremiah 52:19

The passages, in Bible order (29)

The same references, sorted Genesis to Revelation. The first 16 are quoted in full; the rest are one click beneath them, book by book.

1. Exodus 25:31–40

   Then you are to make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. It shall be made of one piece, including its base and shaft, its cups, and its buds and petals.

   ›Commentary on Exodus 25:31–402 voices

   “Exo 25:31 A candlestick of pure gold - (Compare Exo 37:17-24.) A lampstand rather than a candlestick. Its purpose was to support seven oil-lamps. Its height appears to have been about three feet, and its width two feet. The original foot was lost or stolen when the candlestick was taken out of the temple, and the pedestal in the sculpture was added by some Roman artist to set off the trophy. His shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers - Or, its base, its stem, its flower cups, its knobs, and its lilies.

   “The tabernacle had no windows, all its light was candle-light, which notes the comparative darkness of that dispensation, while the sun of righteousness was not as yet risen, nor had the day-star from on high visited his church.

   Everything gathered on Exodus 25:31–40→

   Verse page →Original language →

2. Exodus 25:38

   The wick trimmers and their trays must be of pure gold.

   ›Commentary on Exodus 25:381 voice

   “Which, according to Jarchi, was a sort of forks with which they took the wicks out of the oil, and put them in the lamps; or, as some think, the snuffers, but they are distinguished from tongs, 1Ki 7:49 and the snuffdishes thereof shall be of pure gold; in which the tongs or snuffers were put, or into which the snuff itself was put that was snuffed off.

   Everything gathered on Exodus 25:38→

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3. Exodus 26:35

   And place the table outside the veil on the north side of the tabernacle, and put the lampstand opposite the table, on the south side.

   Verse page →Original language →

4. Exodus 27:20

   And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.

   ›Commentary on Exodus 27:202 voices

   “We read of the candlestick in the 25th chapter; here is order given for the keeping of the lamps constantly burning in it. The pure oil signified the gifts and graces of the Spirit, which are communicated to all believers from Christ the good olive, of whose fulness we receive, Zech. iv, 11, 12.

   “Pure oil olive beaten - That is, such oil as could easily be expressed from the olives after they had been bruised in a mortar; the mother drop, as it is called, which drops out of itself as soon as the olives are a little broken, and which is much purer than that which is obtained after the olives are put under the press.

   Everything gathered on Exodus 27:20→

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5. Exodus 27:21

   In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations to come.

   ›Commentary on Exodus 27:211 voice

   “The tabernacle of the congregation - More literally, the tent of meeting. This is the first occurrence of this designation of the tabernacle, and the idea connected with it is that of Yahweh meeting with either Moses, or the priests, or (in a few cases) with the people gathered into a congregation at the entrance of the tent. Without the rail, which is before the testimony - i. e. the holy place (see Exo 25:16).

   Everything gathered on Exodus 27:21→

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6. Exodus 30:7

   And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.

   ›Commentary on Exodus 30:72 voices

   “When he dresseth the lamps - Prepares the wicks, and puts in fresh oil for the evening. Shall burn incense upon it - Where so many sacrifices were offered it was essentially necessary to have some pleasing perfume to counteract the disagreeable smells that must have arisen from the slaughter of so many animals, the sprinkling of so much blood, and the burning of so much flesh, etc. The perfume that was to be burnt on this altar is described Exo 30:

   “As by the offerings on the brazen altar satisfaction was made for what had been done displeasing to God, so, by the offering on this, what they did well was, as it were, recommended to the divine acceptance; for our two great concerns with God are to be acquitted from guilt and accepted as righteous in his sight.

   Everything gathered on Exodus 30:7→

   Verse page →Original language →

7. Exodus 37:17–24

   Then he made the lampstand out of pure hammered gold, all of one piece: its base and shaft, its cups, and its buds and petals.

   Verse page →Original language →

8. Exodus 37:23

   He also made its seven lamps, its wick trimmers, and trays of pure gold.

   Verse page →Original language →

9. Exodus 40:24

   He also placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle

   Verse page →Original language →

10. Exodus 40:25

    and set up the lamps before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

    Verse page →Original language →

11. Numbers 4:4

    This service of the Kohathites at the Tent of Meeting regards the most holy things.

    ›Commentary on Numbers 4:42 voices

    “This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath, in the tabernacle of the congregation,.... What follows, Num 4:4, about the most holy things; which Aben Ezra interprets only of the ark, which was indeed a most holy thing, and stood in the most holy place; but there were other holy things, in the care of which the service of the Kohathites lay; as the shewbread table, the candlestick, and the altars of incense and burnt offering, and the vail, and the ministering: vessels, which Jarchi reckons with it, as more holy than all other things.

    “About the most holy things - Omit “about.” The sense is, “this is the charge of the sons of Kohath, the most holy things:” i. e. the ark of the covenant, the table of showbread, the candlestick, and the golden altar, together with the furniture pertaining thereto. It appears, from a comparison of Num 4:16, Num 4:28, Num 4:33, that the ministry of the Kohathites was superintended by Eleazar, the older of the two surviving sons of Aaron; and that of the two other families by Ithamar.

    Everything gathered on Numbers 4:4→

    Verse page →Original language →

12. Numbers 4:9

    They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand used for light, together with its lamps, wick trimmers, and trays, as well as the jars of oil with which to supply it.

    Verse page →Original language →

13. Numbers 4:10

    Then they shall wrap it and all its utensils inside a covering of fine leather and put it on the carrying frame.

    Verse page →Original language →

14. Numbers 4:15

    When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy objects, or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the Tent of Meeting.

    ›Commentary on Numbers 4:152 voices

    “And when Aaron and his sons had made an end of covering the sanctuary,.... Not the holy place, nor the most holy place, for these were not covered by them; but "the holy things" in them, as the Septuagint version, the ark, shewbread table, &c. and all "the vessels of the sanctuary"; all appertaining to those holy things, which are before mentioned.

    “Uzza was struck dead for the breach of this law. Thus were the Lord's ministers themselves then kept in fear, and that was a dispensation of terror, as well as darkness; but now, through Christ, the case is altered; we have seen with our eyes, and our hands have handles, the word of life ( 1 John i. 1 ), and we are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace.

    Everything gathered on Numbers 4:15→

    Verse page →Original language →

15. Numbers 8:4

    This is how the lampstand was constructed: it was made of hammered gold from its base to its blossoms, fashioned according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.

    ›Commentary on Numbers 8:41 voice

    “This work of the candlestick, etc. - See many curious particulars relative to this candlestick, See the note on Exo 25:31 and Exo 25:39 (note). The candlestick itself was an emblem of the Church of Christ; the oil, of the graces and gifts of the Spirit of God; and the light, of those gifts and graces in action among men. See Rev 1:12-

    Everything gathered on Numbers 8:4→

    Verse page →Original language →

16. 1 Samuel 3:3

    Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located.

    ›Commentary on 1 Samuel 3:32 voices

    “And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord,.... The tabernacle so called; lamp is put for the lamps in the candlestick in the tabernacle, which were lighted every evening, and burnt till morning; by which time some of them at least usually went out, only it is said the western lamp never went out.

    “Ere the lamp of God went out - Before sunrise; for it is likely that the lamps were extinguished before the rising of the sun. See Exo 27:21; Lev 24:3.

    Everything gathered on 1 Samuel 3:3→

    Verse page →Original language →