Exodus 36: More Than Enough
The Spirit-filled workers build the tabernacle from the people's gifts, until the offerings are so abundant that Moses must tell them to stop.
Exodus 36 (WEB)
1 “Bezalel and Oholiab shall work with every wise-hearted man, in whom Yahweh has put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Yahweh has commanded.”
2 Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart Yahweh had put wisdom, even everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to the work to do it:
3 and they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, with which to make it. They brought yet to him freewill offerings every morning.
4 All the wise men, who performed all the work of the sanctuary, each came from his work which they did.
5 They spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Yahweh commanded to make.”
6 Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman make anything else for the offering for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing.
7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
8 All the wise-hearted men among those who did the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twined linen, blue, purple, and scarlet, with cherubim, the work of the skillful workman, they made them.
9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains had one measure.
10 He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled one to another.
11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain from the edge in the coupling. Likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second coupling.
12 He made fifty loops in the one curtain, and he made fifty loops in the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling. The loops were opposite one to another.
13 He made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to another with the clasps: so the tabernacle was a unit.
14 He made curtains of goats’ hair for a covering over the tabernacle. He made them eleven curtains.
15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of each curtain. The eleven curtains had one measure.
16 He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.
17 He made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the coupling, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain which was outermost in the second coupling.
18 He made fifty clasps of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be a unit.
19 He made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of sea cow hides above.
20 He made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up.
21 Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board.
22 Each board had two tenons, joined one to another. He made all the boards of the tabernacle this way.
23 He made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side southward.
24 He made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons.
25 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards,
26 and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
27 For the far part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.
28 He made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle in the far part.
29 They were double beneath, and in the same way they were all the way to its top to one ring. He did this to both of them in the two corners.
30 There were eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; under every board two sockets.
31 He made bars of acacia wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
32 and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part westward.
33 He made the middle bar to pass through in the midst of the boards from the one end to the other.
34 He overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold for places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35 He made the veil of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim. He made it the work of a skillful workman.
36 He made four pillars of acacia for it, and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold. He cast four sockets of silver for them.
37 He made a screen for the door of the tent, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer;
38 and the five pillars of it with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals and their fillets with gold, and their five sockets were of brass.
Exodus 36 (KJV)
1 Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded.
2 And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:
3 And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.
4 And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;
5 And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make.
6 And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.
7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
8 And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them.
9 The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size.
10 And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another.
11 And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.
12 Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another.
13 And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle.
14 And he made curtains of goats’ hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them.
15 The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size.
16 And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.
17 And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.
18 And he made fifty taches of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one.
19 And he made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers’ skins above that.
20 And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up.
21 The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half.
22 One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
23 And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward:
24 And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.
25 And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards,
26 And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
27 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.
28 And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.
29 And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners.
30 And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets.
31 And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
32 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward.
33 And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.
34 And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35 And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work.
36 And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.
37 And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework;
38 And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass.
Exodus 36 (ASV)
1 And Bezalel and Oholiab shall work, and every wise-hearted man, in whom Jehovah hath put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Jehovah hath commanded.
2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart Jehovah had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:
3 and they received of Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, wherewith to make it. And they brought yet unto him freewill-offerings every morning.
4 And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they wrought;
5 and they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Jehovah commanded to make.
6 And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.
7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
8 And all the wise-hearted men among them that wrought the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubim, the work of the skilful workman, Bezalel made them.
9 The length of each curtain was eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains had one measure.
10 And he coupled five curtains one to another: and the other five curtains he coupled one to another.
11 And he made loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the second coupling.
12 Fifty loops made he in the one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling: the loops were opposite one to another.
13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to another with the clasps: so the tabernacle was one.
14 And he made curtains of goats’hairfor a tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them.
15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of each curtain: the eleven curtains had one measure.
16 And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.
17 And he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which was outmost in the second coupling.
18 And he made fifty clasps of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one.
19 And he made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of sealskins above.
20 And he made the boards for the tabernacle, of acacia wood, standing up.
21 Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board.
22 Each board had two tenons, joined one to another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
23 And he made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side southward;
24 and he made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons.
25 And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards,
26 and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
27 And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.
28 And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the hinder part.
29 And they were double beneath; and in like manner they were entire unto the top thereof unto one ring: thus he did to both of them in the two corners.
30 And there were eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; under every board two sockets.
31 And he made bars of acacia wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
32 and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part westward.
33 And he made the middle bar to pass through in the midst of the boards from the one end to the other.
34 And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold for places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35 And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim, the work of the skilful workman, made he it.
36 And he made thereunto four pillars of acacia, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.
37 And he made a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer;
38 and the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their capitals and their fillets with gold; and their five sockets were of brass.
Summary
Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled worker in whom the Lord has put wisdom set to work on the sanctuary, receiving the offerings the people had brought. Then something remarkable happens: the people keep bringing freewill offerings every morning, until the craftsmen come to Moses and report that the people are bringing far more than enough for the work. Moses gives a command that is proclaimed throughout the camp—no one is to make anything more for the offering—and so the people are restrained from bringing, for what they had was sufficient, and more than enough. The chapter then describes the building itself. The workers make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen in blue, purple, and scarlet, embroidered with cherubim and joined with golden clasps into a single unit. They make a tent of goats' hair to cover it, and coverings of rams' skins dyed red and sea cow hides above. They construct the upright boards of acacia wood overlaid with gold, set in silver sockets and held by bars, and they make the veil of blue, purple, and scarlet with cherubim to separate the holy place, along with the screen for the entrance. Every detail follows the pattern God gave on the mountain. The overflowing generosity of God's people is its own quiet miracle, a picture of hearts so moved by grace that giving must be reined in.
Main Characters
- Bezalel and Oholiab — The Spirit-filled master craftsmen who lead the skilled workers in building the tabernacle exactly as the Lord commanded.
- The wise-hearted workers — The gifted men in whose hearts the Lord put wisdom and understanding to perform all the work of the sanctuary.
- Moses — The leader who oversees the work and must finally command the people to stop giving because the offerings are more than enough.
- The generous people — The Israelites whose freewill offerings overflow so abundantly each morning that they must be restrained from bringing more.
Key Verse
Exodus 36:5 (WEB)
They spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Yahweh commanded to make.”
Lessons Learned
- Hearts truly captured by God can become so generous that giving must be restrained.
- God supplies abundantly for the work he commands; there is more than enough for his purposes.
- Faithful work follows God's revealed pattern carefully, neither adding nor subtracting.
- The Spirit equips ordinary people with the wisdom and skill needed to accomplish God's work.
- Grace produces overflowing generosity. "The people bring much more than enough" (Exodus 36:5, WEB). When hearts are stirred by God, giving abounds beyond what is required.
- God provides more than enough. "The stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much" (Exodus 36:7, WEB). The Lord never lacks resources for the work he calls his people to do.
- True work follows God's pattern. The workers build the curtains, boards, and veil exactly as commanded (Exodus 36:8-38, WEB). Faithfulness means doing God's work God's way.
- The Spirit gives wisdom for the task. The work is done by "every wise-hearted man, in whom Yahweh has put wisdom" (Exodus 36:1, WEB). God equips those he calls to serve him.
- What is surprising about the people's response in this chapter, and why does Moses have to restrain their giving?
- What does it say about God that the offerings prove "more than enough" for all the work?
- Why is it significant that the workers follow God's pattern so carefully in every detail?
- How does the Spirit's gift of wisdom to the workers encourage us about serving God today?
- Can you imagine a generosity so great it has to be restrained? What might be holding your own giving back?
- It is the only place in Scripture where leaders must tell people to stop giving (36:5-6). The people's overflowing, daily, freewill generosity is astonishing—a sign of hearts genuinely transformed. Let the group savor how unusual and beautiful this abundance is.
- The provision was "sufficient… and too much" (36:7). God does not ask his people to build for him without supplying what is needed; indeed he supplies abundantly. This builds confidence that the Lord provides for the work he commands.
- The repeated faithfulness to God's pattern (echoing chapters 26-28) shows reverent obedience—God's work done God's way, not improved upon by human cleverness. It models the careful, humble obedience God still desires from those who serve him.
- The work depends not on natural talent alone but on wisdom God puts in the workers' hearts (36:1-2). This frees us to serve in dependence on the Spirit, trusting God to equip us for whatever he calls us to do.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite gentle reflection on what limits our generosity—fear, comfort, distrust. As leader, hold up the joyful overflow of these givers as an inspiring picture, and point to the God who supplies all our needs so we can give freely.