1sn All of Exod 39:32-40:38 could be taken as a unit. The first section (39:32-43) shows that the Israelites had carefully and accurately completed the preparation and brought everything they had made to Moses: The work of the Lord builds on the faithful obedience of the people. In the second section are the instruction and the implementation (40:1-33): The work of the Lord progresses through the unifying of the work. The last part (40:34-38) may take the most attention: When the work was completed, the glory filled the tabernacle: By his glorious presence, the Lord blesses and directs his people in their worship.
2tnHeb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”
3tnHeb “you will raise,” an imperfect of instruction.
4tnHeb “and you will set in order its setting” or “arrange its arrangement.” See 25:29-30 for items that belonged on the table.
5tnHeb “give” (also four additional times in vv. 6-8).
6tnHeb “there.”
7tnHeb “you will take” (perfect with vav, ו).
8tnHeb “and you will anoint” (perfect with vav, ו).
9tnHeb “and you will sanctify” (perfect with vav, ו).
10tnHeb “and.”
11sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 480) notes that the items inside the tent did not need to be enumerated since they were already holy, but items in the courtyard needed special attention. People needed to know that items outside the tent were just as holy.
12tn The verb is “bring near,” or “present,” to Yahweh.
13tn The verb is also “bring near” or “present.”
14tnHeb “set up,” if it includes more than the curtain.
15tn Or “shielding” (NIV); Heb “the veil of the covering” (cf. KJV).
16tnHeb uses a cognate accusative construction, “he arranged the arrangement.”
17tnHeb “there.”
18tn The construction is the infinitive construct with the temporal preposition and the suffixed subjective genitive. This temporal clause indicates that the verb in the preceding verse was frequentative.
19tn This is another infinitive construct in a temporal clause.
20tn In this explanatory verse the verb is a customary imperfect.
21tn The construction uses the Niphal infinitive construct to form the temporal clause.
22tn The imperfect tense in this context describes a customary action.
23tn The clause uses the Niphal infinitive construct in the temporal clause: “until the day of its being taken up.”
24tn Here is another imperfect tense of the customary nuance.
25tnHeb “to the eyes of all”; KJV, ASV, NASB “in the sight of all”; NRSV “before the eyes of all.”