Exodus 26:14

And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

3. THE TWO OUTER COVERINGS.

(14) As the object of the two outer coverings must have been to keep out rain, we must suppose them to have protected not only the ridge of the roof, but, at any rate, the whole of the mishkân. Their length must, therefore, have been at least thirty cubits, and their breadth fourteen.

Benson Commentary

Exodus 26:14. Badgers’ skins — So we translate it: but it seems rather to have been some strong sort of leather, but very fine, for we read of the best sort of shoes made of it, Ezekiel 16:10. This was the fourth covering of the tabernacle. The first was of linen, the second of goats’ hair, and the third of rams’ skins.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

26:7-14 The curtains of meaner materials, being made both longer and broader, covered the others, and were defended by coverings of skins. The whole represents the person and doctrine of Christ, and the church of true Christians, and all heavenly things, which outwardly are mean, but inwardly, and in the sight of God, are glorious and precious.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The measure of the entire tabernacle-cloth was about 60 ft. by 42; that of the tent-cloth was about 67 ft. by 45. When the latter was placed over the former, it spread beyond it at the back and front about 3 ft. (the "half-curtain," Exodus 26:9, Exodus 26:12) and at the sides 18 inches.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

14. a covering … of rams' skins dyed red—that is, of Turkey red leather. [See on [27]Ex 39:34.]

Matthew Poole's Commentary

To preserve the rest from the injury of the weather.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red,.... This was a covering that was put over the curtains of goats' skin; but whether it went all over them, or only upon the roof of the tabernacle they covered, to keep out the rains from soaking through, is not certain, nor very evident; Jarchi thinks the roof was only covered with this covering of rams' skins; but others think it more reasonable that the whole was covered with them to preserve from dust and rain:

and a covering above of badgers' skins; of these skins See Gill on Exodus 25:5, this was a fourth covering of the tabernacle; the first was of linen curtains, the second of goats' hair, the third of rams' skins, and the fourth of badgers' skins, which seems to have been thicker and courser, since shoes were made of them, Ezekiel 16:10, R. Judah, as quoted by Jarchi, thinks the two last were but one covering, half of it consisting of rams' skins and half of it of badgers' skins; but the text is express that the latter was a covering above and over the former: these several coverings of the tabernacle show the care that God takes of his church and people, and how sufficiently they are provided for, that they may be in safety from all their enemies, being clothed with Christ's righteousness, and under the purple covering of his blood, and surrounded by his almighty power, see Isaiah 4:5.

Geneva Study Bible

And thou shalt make a {g} covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of {h} badgers' skins.

(g) To be put on the covering that was made of goats hair.

(h) This was the third covering of the tabernacle.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

14. (cf. Exodus 36:19). Two outer coverings of stronger and stouter materials, to be laid over the Tent, for protection against rain. Kn. reminds us that on military expeditions the Romans used in winter to cover their tents with skins (sub pellibus hiemare).

rams’ skins dyed red] i.e. leather, dyed, not with the costly Phoenician ‘scarlet’ (Exodus 25:4), but probably (Kennedy), as LXX. ἠρυθροδανωμένα suggests, with madder (ἐρυθρόδανον).

sealskins] dugong skins (Exodus 25:5). The Dwelling, with the coverings above it, was kept in its place by cords connecting it with pins driven into the ground, in the manner of a tent: see Exodus 27:19, Exodus 35:18, Exodus 38:20; Exodus 38:31.

15–30 (cf. Exodus 36:20-34). The ‘boards,’ or, perhaps, frames, for the Dwelling. There is great difficulty in some of the details: but the general sense is clear. The ‘boards’ were to be of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, each 10 cubits (15 ft.) long, and 1½ cubits (2 ft. 3 in.) broad: they were to be placed upright, so as to form the sides and back of the Dwelling, each resting in two sockets of silver: there were to be twenty forming each side, six to form the back, and two, of special construction, at the corners, where the back and sides met: five bars, attached to the boards by rings, were to run horizontally along the two sides and the back, respectively, to hold them firmly in their place.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 14. - And thou shalt make a covering for the tent. Nothing is said of the size of this covering; but, as its object was clearly to protect the roof of the tent from penetration by wet, it seems reasonable to suppose that it extended at least as far as the boards of the tabernacle. To do this, it must have been thirty cubits long, and fourteen broad. The boarding of the tabernacle (vers. 15-30). Exodus 26:14

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"The other coverings were placed on the top of this tent: one made of rams' skins dyed red, "as a covering for the tent," and another upon the top of this, made of the skins of the sea-cow (תּחשׁים, see at Exodus 25:5).