Exodus 38: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Exodus 38 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

The altar of burnt offering was made of acacia wood. It was square, measuring five cubits on each side and three cubits high (vv. 1-2).

Key verse

“He made the basin of brass, and its base of brass, out of the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered at the door of the Tent of Meeting.”
Exodus 38:8 (WEB)

Outline

Exodus 38:1–7 Construction of the Burnt Offering Altar
Exodus 38:8 The Basin's Creation
Exodus 38:9–20 The Courtyard Specifications
Exodus 38:21–23 The Role of the Craftsmen
Exodus 38:24–31 Materials and Contributions Listed

Discussion questions

What did Bezalel make the basin of brass from, according to v8?
Who are Bezalel and Oholiab in vv. 22-23, and which tribes are they from?
Why does the count in v26 turn 'half a shekel' a head into a census of 'six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men'?
The silver becomes 'sockets' in v27, 'a talent for a socket': what does the chapter want the reader to see in this bookkeeping?
When has a gift of yours, like the women's mirrors in v8, been turned into something you no longer see?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Exodus 38: Exodus 27, Exodus 40, Numbers 1.

Before next time: read Exodus 39.