a sanctuary
The term "מִקְדָּשׁ" (miqdash) in Hebrew signifies a holy place set apart for God. Historically, sanctuaries were central to ancient Near Eastern cultures as places of worship and divine encounter. In the biblical context, this sanctuary is not just a physical structure but a symbol of God's presence among His people, a precursor to the Temple in Jerusalem.

for Me
This phrase underscores the personal nature of God's relationship with Israel. The sanctuary is not for the people or for any other deity, but specifically for Yahweh. It highlights the covenant relationship where God desires to dwell among His chosen people, reflecting His love and commitment to them.

so that I may dwell
The Hebrew word "שָׁכַן" (shakan) means to settle or abide. This is a profound theological statement about God's immanence. Unlike the distant gods of other ancient cultures, Yahweh desires to be intimately present with His people. This dwelling is a foretaste of the Incarnation, where God would ultimately dwell among humanity in the person of Jesus Christ.

among them
The phrase "בְּתוֹכָם" (betokham) indicates not just proximity but community. God's presence is not confined to a single location but permeates the entire community of Israel. This reflects the biblical theme of God’s desire to be in the midst of His people, guiding, protecting, and blessing them. It also foreshadows the New Testament teaching of the Church as the body of Christ, where God dwells among believers through the Holy Spirit.

(8) Let them make me a sanctuary.--The enumeration of the gifts (Exodus 25:3-7) has been subordinate to this. Hitherto Israel had had no place of worship, no structure dedicated to God. God now brings this state of things to an end, by requiring them to "make him a sanctuary." In Egypt they had seen structures of vast size and extraordinary magnificence erected in every city for the worship of the Egyptian gods. They are now to have their own structure, their "holy place," their "house of God." As, however, they are still in a nomadic condition, without fixed abode, continually shifting their quarters, a building, in the ordinary sense of the word, would have been unsuitable. They must soon have quitted it or have foregone their hopes of Palestine. God therefore devised for them a structure in harmony with their condition--a "tent-temple"--modelled on the ordinary form of the better Oriental tents, but of the best materials and of an unusual size--yet still portable. It is this structure, with its contents and its adjuncts, which forms the main subject of the rest of the book of Exodus, and which is now minutely and elaborately described in six consecutive chapters (Exodus 25-30)

That I may dwell among them.--Compare Exodus 29:42-46; Exodus 40:34-38. Though God "dwelleth not in temples made with hands" (Acts 7:48), is not confined to them, cannot be comprehended within them, yet since it pleases Him to manifest Himself especially in such abodes, He may be well said to "dwell there" in a peculiar manner. His dwelling with Israel was not purely spiritual. From time to time He manifested Himself sensibly in the Holy of Holies, where He dwelt continually, and might be consulted by the temporal ruler of the nation.

1. A sanctuary is to be constructed; and

2. Both it, and all its vessels, are to be made after patterns which God was about to show to Moses. Verse 8. - A sanctuary well expresses the Hebrew micdash, which is derived from cadash - "to be holy." It is a name never given to the temples of the heathen deities. That I may dwell among them. Compare Exodus 29:45; Numbers 35:34. There is a sense in which "God dwelleth not in temples made with hands"(Acts 7:48; Acts 17:24) - i.e., he is not comprehended in them, or confined to them; but there is another sense in which he may be truly said to dwell in them, viz., as manifesting himself in them either to the senses, or to the spirit. In the tabernacle he manifested himself sensibly (Exodus 40:34, 35, 38).

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