Exodus 40

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

You shall put the ark of the covenant in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.

You shall bring in the table, and set in order the things that are on it. You shall bring in the lamp stand, and light its lamps.

You shall set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the covenant, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

“You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

You shall set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and shall put water therein.

You shall set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court.

“You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture, and it will be holy.

You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar, and the altar will be most holy.

You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it.

“You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.

You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.

You shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them.

You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.”

Moses did so. According to all that the LORD commanded him, so he did.

In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was raised up.

Moses raised up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up its boards, and put in its bars, and raised up its pillars.

He spread the covering over the tent, and put the roof of the tabernacle above on it, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He took and put the covenant into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark.

He brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the covenant, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside of the veil.

He set the bread in order on it before the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He put the lamp stand in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle.

He lit the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting before the veil;

and he burned incense of sweet spices on it, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He put up the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

He set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water therein, with which to wash.

Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there.

When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near to the altar, they washed, as the LORD commanded Moses.

He raised up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD’s glory filled the tabernacle.

Moses wasn’t able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and the LORD’s glory filled the tabernacle.

When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys;

but if the cloud wasn’t taken up, then they didn’t travel until the day that it was taken up.

For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter records the completion and consecration of the tabernacle according to the Lord’s instructions, marking the moment when God’s presence visibly takes up residence among His people. It brings the book of Exodus to a climactic close by showing how the covenant relationship between God and Israel is now ordered through divinely ordained worship, with the tabernacle as the centerpiece of His dwelling.

Flow.

The Lord gives Moses precise instructions for setting up the tabernacle, furnishing it, and consecrating its elements and the priests on the first day of the first month.
Moses carries out each command exactly as directed, assembling the tabernacle, placing its furnishings, anointing the holy things, and initiating Aaron and his sons into the priesthood.
The final act is the descent of the cloud of the Lord’s glory upon the tabernacle, signifying God’s inhabitation of the structure and His readiness to lead His people.
The movement of the cloud thereafter governs Israel’s travels, establishing a visible, ongoing theocratic guidance throughout their wilderness journey.

Connections.
Following chapter 39, which detailed the making of the priestly garments and the completion of the tabernacle materials, this chapter shows the actual erection and consecration of the tabernacle itself, fulfilling the instructions given earlier in Exodus 25–31. Where chapter 39 ended with the people bringing what had been made, chapter 40 begins with God commanding the assembly and sanctification of it. The completion of the work Moses was given (WCF 7.3) opens the way for God’s presence to dwell, a theme that chapter 40 resolves with the divine glory filling the tabernacle. This act of divine inhabitation sets the stage for Leviticus, which will immediately address how holy worship and atonement are to be conducted in the presence of a holy God.

What it teaches.
The tabernacle is not merely a religious structure but the divinely appointed place where God meets with His people in holiness and grace. Its careful construction and anointing reflect the necessity of obedience and sanctification in approaching God (HC LD 34). The priesthood established here, according to God’s decree, ensures that worship is conducted as He commands, not by human innovation (WCF 21.1). Most significantly, the cloud of the LORD’s glory filling the tabernacle confirms that God has accepted the work and now dwells among His people, fulfilling His promise to dwell in their midst (Ex. 25:8; cf. BC Art. 21; LD 18). The continual presence of the cloud, guiding Israel’s movements, signifies that God’s covenant fellowship includes both presence and direction (WCF 7.6).

Apply.
God’s presence with His people is established not by their zeal but by His command, holiness, and grace, as shown in the finished work of the tabernacle and the descent of glory.

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