Moses inspects the finished tabernacle

39:32 So all the work of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed, and the Israelites did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses – they did it exactly so. 39:33 they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings, clasps, frames, bars, posts, and bases; 39:34 and the coverings of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, and the protecting curtain; 39:35 the ark of the testimony and its poles, and the atonement lid; 39:36 the table, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence; 39:37 the pure lampstand, its lamps, with the lamps set in order, and all its accessories, and oil for the light; 39:38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; 39:39 the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils; the large basin with its pedestal; 39:40 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and its bases, and the curtain for the gateway of the courtyard, its ropes and its tent pegs, and all the furnishings for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 39:41 the woven garments for serving in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests. 39:42 The Israelites did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:43 Moses inspected all the work – and they had done it just as the Lord had commanded – they had done it exactly – and Moses blessed them.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

The tabernacle was finished exactly as the LORD commanded. Moses examined the work, confirmed that it was done right, and blessed the people who had built it.

This passage closes the tabernacle-building account. Israel did not invent its own way of worship. It followed the LORD’s instructions carefully and completed the sanctuary exactly as commanded.

The long list in the middle shows that the full work was brought before Moses: the tent, its coverings, the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the basin, the courtyard, and the priestly garments. Everything the LORD required was included.

Then Moses inspected the work and found that it had been done just as the LORD had commanded. After that, he blessed the builders. The blessing shows that their obedient work was accepted in this specific covenant setting.

• God’s commands for worship matter.
• The tabernacle was completed exactly as the LORD required.
• Moses inspected the finished work and found it in full agreement with God’s command.
• Nothing necessary for the sanctuary was omitted.
• Obedient work in God’s service was blessed in this Mosaic setting.

• Do not invent worship on your own terms.
• Do what the LORD commands.
• Treat God’s holy dwelling with reverence and care.

This passage finishes the Sinai tabernacle account. It shows God providing a way to dwell among his redeemed people through a sanctuary built according to his word. In the wider Bible, this pattern points forward to God’s presence with his people, but this passage itself stays focused on exact obedience and covenantal approval in the Mosaic setting.

God’s people should take his instructions seriously. Faithful service is not about personal creativity, but about careful obedience. We should read this passage as a call to reverence and submission, while remembering that its blessing is shown here in Israel’s covenant setting.

• Lite Commentary
• In-depth Commentary