1 Yahweh then spoke to Moses and said,
2 ‘On the first day of the first month, you will erect the Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting,
3 and place the ark of the Testimony in it and screen the ark with the curtain.
4 You will then bring in the table and arrange what has to be arranged on it. You will then bring in the lamp-stand and set up its lamps.
5 You will place the golden altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony, and place the screen at the entrance to the Dwelling.
6 You will place the altar of burnt offerings in front of the entrance to the Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting,
7 and you will place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and fill it with water.
8 You will then set up the surrounding court and hang the screen at the gateway of the court.
9 Then, taking the anointing oil, you will anoint the Dwelling and everything inside, consecrating it and all its accessories; it will then be holy.
10 You will then anoint the altar of burnt offerings and all its accessories, consecrating the altar; the altar will then be especially holy.
11 You will then anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.
12 You will then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, bathe them thoroughly
13 and then dress Aaron in the sacred vestments, and anoint and consecrate him, to serve me in the priesthood.
14 You will then bring his sons, dress them in tunics
15 and anoint them as you anointed their father, to serve me in the priesthood. Their anointing will confer an everlasting priesthood on them for all their generations to come.’
16 Moses did this; he did exactly as Yahweh had ordered him.
17 On the first day of the first month in the second year the Dwelling was erected.
18 Moses erected the Dwelling. He fixed its sockets, set up its frames, put its crossbars in position and set up its poles.
19 He spread the tent over the Dwelling and the covering for the tent over that, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.
20 He took the Testimony and put it in the ark, positioned the shafts on the ark and put the mercy-seat on top of the ark.
21 He brought the ark into the Dwelling and put the screening curtain in place, screening the ark of the Testimony, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.
22 He put the table inside the Tent of Meeting, against the side of the Dwelling, on the north, outside the curtain,
23 and on it arranged the loaves before Yahweh, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.
24 He put the lamp-stand inside the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the Dwelling,
25 and set up the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.
26 He put the golden altar inside the Tent of Meeting, in front of the curtain,
27 and on it burnt fragrant incense, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.
28 He then put the screen at the entrance to the Dwelling.
29 He put the altar of burnt offerings at the entrance to the Dwelling, to the Tent of Meeting, and on it offered the burnt offering and cereal offering, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.
30 He put the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for the ablutions,
31 where Moses, Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet,
32 whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar they washed, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.
33 He then set up the court round the Dwelling and the altar and set up the screen at the gate-way to the court. Thus Moses completed the work.
34 The cloud then covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of Yahweh filled the Dwelling.
35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, since the cloud stayed over it and the glory of Yahweh filled the Dwelling.
36 At every stage of their journey, whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling, the Israelites would resume their march.
37 If the cloud did not rise, they would not resume their march until the day it did rise.
38 For Yahweh’s cloud stayed over the Dwelling during the daytime and there was fire inside the cloud at night, for the whole House of Israel to see, at every stage of their journey.
A Brief Summary of Exodus Chapter 40
In this chapter, God gives Moses detailed instructions on how to set up the Tabernacle (also called the Tent of Meeting) as a holy place where God’s presence would dwell among the Israelites. Moses is told to erect the Tabernacle on the first day of the first month and place the Ark of the Testimony (which holds the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments) inside, covering it with a curtain.
God also directs Moses to arrange the table with the bread, set up the lampstand and light its lamps, and place the altar of incense in front of the Ark. The altar of burnt offerings is to be positioned outside the Tent, along with a basin of water for washing.
Moses is then instructed to anoint the Tabernacle and its furnishings with oil to consecrate them as holy. He also anoints Aaron and his sons, making them priests for God.
Moses faithfully follows all of God’s instructions. Once the Tabernacle is completed, the glory of God (represented by a cloud) descends and fills the Tent of Meeting, signifying God’s presence. Moses is unable to enter the Tent because of the overwhelming presence of the cloud.
From this point forward, the Israelites would follow the cloud during their journey through the wilderness. Whenever the cloud lifted, they would set out, and whenever it stayed, they would remain encamped. At night, the cloud had fire within it, visible to the whole Israelite community.
This chapter emphasizes the completion of the Tabernacle and the tangible presence of God among the Israelites, guiding them on their journey.