CONSTRUCTIONAL PLANS
OF MOSES'TABERNACLE

The Exodus description clearly indicates that the Jews carried out their work on the basis of an extremely accurate plan, in which the measurements of every single piece, even the most insignificant, were noted. All the essential data concerning the Tabernacle have been reported in Exodus description with such precision that it is possible to reconstruct the forms, the dimensions and the functions of all the components and their exact placing, in the smallest details, as long as one presume that the Tabernacle was built from a professional standpoint, by competent craftsmen, who adopted the most technically correct solutions required, with the minimum waste.

In Exodus 26, 27, 28 and 30 the prescriptions on how each component of the temple-tent should have been made are issued, while in Exodus 36, 37, 38 and 39 the characteristics of the components once realized are described. The two descriptions match completely, so we can quote indifferently one or the other. The temple-tent consisted of two separate parts: the dwelling, that is the tabernacle proper, and the courtyards. In addition all the furniture of both of them are described in great detail.

THE TABERNACLE WALLS

Let’s begin by describing the wall surrounding the Tabernacle, which are the first components to be described, with indications so precise and complete that give little alternative for what concerns the design and the measures of the tent.

The wall consisted of two separate layers: an inner curtain of fine linen, on which cherubs were embroidered in gorgeous colors; the outside curtain was woven with goats’ wool and was intended to protect the first from atmospheric agents. Both curtains were fixed to the edge of the cover, that dropped for the length of 1 cubit on the back and on the two sides of the tent (Ex. 26, 12-13).

The inner wall

The constructive plans of the tabernacle's inner wall are reported in Exodus 26, 1-6:

1 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.
2 The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure.
3 The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.
4 And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.
5 Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.
6 And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.

On the base of this description there is no alternative: the inner wall was made up by 10 curtains of linen, measuring 28 x 4 cubits each.

They were joined together in five, forming two long pieces, each of 140 cubits. The two pieces were joined together at the back of the Tabernacle by 50 hooks, so as to form a single curtain, the ends of which were fixed to the lateral pillars at the entrance to the Tabernacle. This entrance was 20 cubits wide, while the linen curtain measured 280 cubits in total; therefore the entire periphery of the Tabernacle was 300 cubits - that is to say, it was a rectangle of 50 x 100 cubits.

The curtain was secured to the two pillars at the entrance of the tent, but it did not have any other rigid support: it was hanged to the edge of the cover, which dropped on the sides for the length of 1 cubit. The height of the tabernacle at the sides was therefore of 5 cubits.

The outside wall

The linen wall was protected on the outside by sheets of coarse stuff, woven with goats’ wool, that are described in Exodus 26, 7-11:

7 And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.
8 The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure.
9 And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle.
10 And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.
11 And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.

The outside wall, then, was made up by eleven curtains of spun goat's wool, of 30 x 4 cubits each. They were joined together to make two pieces of five and six curtains, of 150 and 180 cubits respectively. These two pieces also were joined together at the back of the Tabernacle by 50 hooks, so as to form a single curtain of 330 cubits. It completely surrounded the Tabernacle and reached beyond it by 15 cubits (Ex.26,14-15), being anchored to the first three posts of the courtyard (which were 5 cubits distant from each other) by each side.

The remaining 50 cubits of the curtain were put transversally across the courtyard, thus circumscribing a inner courtyard of 15 x 50 cubits, just in front of the Tabernacle. The eleventh curtain of goat's wool normally was folded to the side of the entrance to the inner courtyard (Ex.26.9), so to let an opening of 30 cubits at the center of it. This passage remained always open but on particular circumstances (mournings and so on), when the Tabernacle was closed, by spreading out the eleventh curtain. The eleven curtains joined together circumscribed a rectangle of 115 x 50 cubits, comprising the Tabernacle and the inner courtyard.

The outside wall also was hanged to the edge of the cover, a part, of course, the 80 cubits which surrounded the inner courtyard, that were secured to the posts of the courtyard.

The Veil

The Veil was a curtain of embroidered linen, that separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place. It is described in Exodus 26,31-33:

31 And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
32 And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.
33 And thou shalt hang up the veil under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony: and the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.

No other characteristics or measure are given for this item. It was intended to cut off the view between the two places, but probably not the light and circulation of air. It was sustained in front of the Most Holy Place by four acacia-wood posts overlaid with gold leaf. Its sides were probably hooked to the joists or to the walls.

The curtain at the entrance to the Tabernacle

The curtain for the entrance to the Tabernacle also is described in a very brief way (Exodus 26, 36-37):

36 And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.
37 And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.

No measures are reported, neither any indication about the number of sheets that composed it. It was presumably higher then 5 cubits and was 40 cubits long. It was held up by five acacia-wood pillars, two of these at the extreme end of the roof-covering and the other three 10 cubits back, in the internal part of the Tabernacle, so as to create a sort of antechamber, where the basin for the ritual ablutions before entering the Holy place was positioned.

THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE

The roof-joists

The Tabernacle support structure is described exactly and in detail, so a reconstruction may be effected without errors, except in some minor details. It was composed of the following elements (Ex.26,15-30):

15 And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.
16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.
17 Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
18 And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.
19 And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.
20 And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards:
21 And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
22 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards.
23 And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.
24 And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners.
25 And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

It was a complex structure, with 48 stanchions (joists) supporting the covering awning. Each supporting joist was made of acacia-wood, 10 cubits high and 1.5 wide. The stanchions were intended to take a heavy load, so they had to be strong yet light and manageable.

Therefore they had to be built with two joists of 10 cubits, joined together by four or more transversal pieces, forming a sort of frame. The stanchions were overlaid with gold leaf; two rings of gold were set in the center of each stanchion, through which a crossbar was passed. At the lower side of the stanchions there were two "extensions", one for each side, to be fitted in slots carved on the silver bases underneath. In total there were 96 silver bases, laid on the ground, two for each stanchion. They were made by casting and weighed 1 kikkar each.

There were 20 stanchions aligned on each side of the Tabernacle, plus 8 placed transversally on the back. The two corner stanchions were identical to the first ones as far as external measurements were concerned, but the thickness of the joists was doubled, since they had to bear a heavier load (Ex.26,23-24).

The distance between two consecutive stanchions is not reported, neither the distance between the two parallel rows of longitudinal stanchions, nor that of the stanchions on the back from the end of the tent.
There are several possible choices at this purpose, but the general design cannot change too much. In any case, the tent was dived by the stanchions’ longitudinal rows in three parts, the central one very large and with a flat roof 10 cubit high; the side aisles were narrower and the roof sloping from 10 to 5 cubits.

The Most Holy Place was enclosed by the eight transversal stanchions and eight of the longitudinal. (In the original design made on the base of Exodus description only, the stanchions were placed as it’s shown on the first picture. Following the discovery of the print of the tabernacle on the ground, at Har Karkom, the exact original placement of the stanchions has been ascertained, as it is shown in the second picture.)

The crossbars connecting the stanchions

The 48 stanchions of the supporting structure had to be perfectly aligned and connected to each other in such a way as to form a unique structure. This purpose was fulfilled by means of 15 wooden bars, overlaid with a golden leaf (Exodus 26, 26-29):

26 And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
27 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.
28 And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.
29 And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold.

There were 10 connecting bars for the longitudinal stanchions, five for each side. In order to ensure correct alignment and to avoid movement, the stanchions had to be firmly connected to each other. This was obtained by inserting the bars through the golden rings fixed in the middle of the joists (Ex.26,28 and 36,33), so that the twenty stanchions at each side of the Tabernacle became connected together and perfectly aligned. For obvious reasons of construction, assembly and transportation, this central crossbar could not be of one piece; it consisted of five bars on each side, each one probably 12 cubits long. They must have been made with mortise-and-tenon type joints at each end, for fitting them to each other.

5 crossbars connected the stanchions at the back of the Tabernacle (Ex.26,27). They were made to connect the back stanchions to the longitudinal ones so as to form a single portable structure and to delimit a semi octagonal space, closed in front by the Veil, hanged to 4 posts. This was the Most Holy Place, in the centre of which the Ark of the Covenant was placed.

Around the Most Holy Place there was a space, with sloping roof, where probably were stored furniture of the temple-tent, and where the priests mounting guard inside had their facilities.

Also part of the supporting structure were:

- 4 posts of acacia-wood overlaid with gold (Ex.26,32 - And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.) , upon which the veil that separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place was hanged. Plus the 4 silver bases for the above-mentioned posts; they weighed 1 kikkar each.

- 5 acacia-wood pillars (Ex.26,37 - And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them. , decorated with silver ornaments, for the entrance to the Tabernacle. They were probably 10 cubits high and were fixed to the cover. The curtain that closed the entrance was hooked onto them. There were also 5 bases for the pillars, cast in bronze, weighing 2 kikkars each.

- wooden pegs and stakes of unknown numbers and sizes for anchoring to the ground the posts, the roof and the outside wall of goats' wool.

The covering of the tabernacle

In the Bible this component is described in a somewhat brief manner, even though, from a technical point of view, it was one of the most important components of the entire building. Exodus 26,14 states only:

And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' (the hebrew original word is “takash”) skins.

This indication is vague and by no means describes how the cover was done. Probably the original text was much longer and so complicated that the compiler couldn’t understand its real meaning, so he must have decided to over simplify the description synthetizing it in one single verse.

Yet this verse contains significant information, which, together with the preceding verse Ex.26,13, certainly related to the covering (And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it) makes it relatively easy to understand how it was made.

The key point to keep in mind is that the Tabernacle was a tent destined to be mounted in the desert, so it was certainly made according the practices and the materials familiar to the nomads, as the Jews were in Egypt.

Let’s then see how a typical bedouin tent is made. The Bedouin call their tent beit sha’r, that is “dwelling, hut or house made of hair”. The covering is made by a large curtain, sustained by a number of posts or stanchions; the walls are made by curtains that are hanged to the edges of the covering. Other curtains, hooked to posts, delimit the internal rooms. The all structure is fixed to the ground by means of large strips of strong fabric, laid across on top of the covering.

The curtains of the cover and of the outside walls are woven with rough wool, usually goats’ hair, which has good insulating properties: it swells with humidity or rain, avoiding water to drip inside, and it shrinks when it is dry, allowing air to circulate, thus maintaining the inside cool.

The rich tents have the inside walls made by linen curtains, often embroidered. The covering curtain can be made with goats’ hair interwoven with colored sheep’s’ wool, to make the inside of the tent more bright. The covering is made by joining together long sheets, that can have a length of more than 30 mt. It is anchored to the ground by stakes at the extremities, and in the middle by large strips of inelastic material put across on top. In this way the structure can stand the strong winds of the desert.

The mishkan, that is the jewish “Dwelling in the Desert” could not have been made with a much different technique. So the meaning of the words a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of takash skins is immediately clear.

While the outside walls of the Tabernacle were made by curtains of goats’ hair, the curtain of the covering was also made with goats’ hair, but interwoven with ram’s wool, colored red. It had been made by joining together a certain number of long sheets, tailored in such a way as to adapt to the supporting structure.

The central part of the roof, laid on the supporting stanchions, was flat, while the sides were sloping down to 5 cubits; at this height the curtain was left pending for 1 cubit and to this edge the walls were fixed.
Large bands of leather stretched across on top of the covering, assured a firm cling to the ground of the all structure.
The leather was from an animal called takash, word that is differently translated as badger, bull or even dolphin. Whatever it was, it had to produce a strong, flexible and long-lasting leather.

An overview of the entire supporting structure of Moses’ Tabernacle

The courtyard in front of the Tabernacle

A precise description of the courtyard in front of the Tabernacle is contained in Exodus 27,9-19:

9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:
10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.
12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.
14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
16 And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.
17 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.
18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.
19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

The description is precise for what concerns the number of posts to which the curtains surrounding the courtyard were hanged, but the indications about the placing of these posts is not precise enough. Besides, the length of the linen curtains hanged to these posts does not match the model of a courtyard completely surrounding a tabernacle inside it. The total length of the curtains, in fact, is of 220 cubits; there are 80 cubits missing.
In the model of a courtyard in front of the tabernacle, instead, the match is perfect: the 15 cubits on both sides of the inner courtyard are surrounded by sheets of goat’s wool, as well as the 50 cubits across. There are then two linen curtains of 100 cubits, one on each side: they surround the out yard for 85 cubits and then for 15 cubits on each side of the front.
The final 20 cubits at the center are closed by a curtain of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: a perfect entry to the courtyard.

The inner courtyard was separated by the outside courtyard by a row of 11 posts, two of them belonging to the side rows of 20 posts each. On the front there were 13 posts: 4 on each side sustained the final 15 cubits of the two linen sheets of the sides; 5 posts at the center, displaced a few cubits inside the courtyard in order to leave a passage for people, held the colored curtain of the entry. In this way the total number of the posts of the courtyard was 60, as specified in the biblical text.
It should be noted that in the model of a courtyard surrounding completely the Tabernacle it is not possible to have 60 posts, if there are 20 posts on each of the long sides and 10 on the short sides. In this case the total number could be only 56.

Each post was made of acacia-wood, was decorated with silver, was 5 cubits high and was set on a bronze base, 60 in all, each weighing 1 kikkar. The distance from each other was of 5 cubits

The outside courtyard was accessible to the common people, while the inner court was reserved for the sacrifice of the animals and their burning. The Holy Place was accessible only by the priests, after the ritual washing at the entrance, and only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place.

The furnishings of the temple were placed as shown in the following pictures and are described on the next chapter