Exodus 25:36

Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

25:31-40 The candlestick represents the light of God's word and Spirit, in and through Christ Jesus, afforded in this dark world to his believing people, to direct their worship and obedience, and to afford them consolations. The church is still dark, as the tabernacle was, in comparison with what it will be in heaven; but the word of God is a light shining in a dark place,

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Three bowls made like unto almonds - Three cups of almond flowers. These appear to be the cups in immediate contact with the knobs as shown in the sculpture.

A flower - A lily; and this rendering well agrees with the sculpture.

The candlestick - Here, and in the two following verses, the word appears to denote "the stem," as the essential part of the candlestick. It would seem from Exodus 25:33-35 that the ornamentation of the candlestick consisted of uniform members, each comprising a series of an almond flower, a knob and a lily; that the stem comprised four of these members; that each pair of branches was united to the stem at one of the knobs; and that each branch comprised three members. In comparing the description in the text with the sculptured figure, allowance must be made for some deviation in the sculptor's copy.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

33. knops—old spelling for "knobs"—bosses.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Their knops and their branches shall be of the same,.... Of the same metal, gold, and of same mass:

all of it shall be one beaten work of pure gold not made in parts, and then put and soldered together, but the whole candlestick in all its parts and branches were to be beaten out of one piece of gold.

Geneva Study Bible

Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 36. - All it. Rather, "all of it." Shall be one beaten work. Compare ver. 31 Exodus 25:36

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"Their knobs and their pipes (i.e., the knobs and pipes of the three pairs of arms) shall be of it (the candlestick, i.e., combined with it so as to form one whole), all one (one kind of) beaten work, pure gold." From all this we get the following idea of the candlestick: Upon the vase there rose an upright central pipe, from which three side pies branched out one above another on either side, and curved upwards in the form of a quadrant to the level of the central stem. On this stem a calix and a knob and blossom were introduced four separate times, and in such a manner that there was a knob wherever the side pipes branched off from the main stem, evidently immediately below the branches; and the fourth knob, we may suppose, was higher up between the top branches and the end of the stem. As there were thus four calices with a knob and blossom in the main stem, so again there were three in each of the branches, which were no doubt placed at equal distances from one another. With regard to the relative position of the calix, the knob, and the blossom, we may suppose that the spherical knob was underneath the calix, and that the blossom sprang from the upper edge of the latter, as if bursting out of it. The candlestick had thus seven arms, and seven lights or lamps were to be made and placed upon them (העלה). "And they (all the lamps) are to give light upon the opposite side of its front" (Exodus 25:37): i.e., the lamp was to throw its light upon the side that was opposite to the front of the candlestick. The פּנים of the candlestick (Exodus 25:37 and Numbers 8:2) was the front shown by the seven arms, as they formed a straight line with their seven points; and עבר does not mean the side, but the opposite side, as is evident from Numbers 8:2, where we find מוּל אל instead. As the place assigned to the candlestick was on the south side of the dwelling-place, we are to understand by this opposite side the north, and imagine the lamp to be so placed that the line of lamps formed by the seven arms ran from front to back, by which arrangement the holy place would be better lighted, than if the candlestick had stood with the line of lamps from south to north, and so had turned all its seven lamps towards the person entering the holy place. The lamps were the receptacles for the wick and oil, which were placed on the top of the arms, and could be taken down to be cleaned. The hole from which the wick projected was not made in the middle, but at the edge, so that the light was thrown upon one side.