EXPOSITION. Ver. 2.-I have aalle4 by na.me. God CHAPTER XXXI "calls by name" only those whom he ap- Ven; 1-ll.-Tmc CALL OP Bnil.EEL points to some high office, as Moses (eh. iii 4; x.xxiii. 12), Cyrus (Is. xiv. 8, 4), and here AND AHOLIAB. The directions for the con- Bezaleel and Aholiab. He honours us highly struction of the tabernacle and its furniture in even condescending to "know us by name," being now complete, and the composition of still more in " calling " us. Bezaleel is traced the holy oil and the holy incense having been to Judah in Chronicles through five ancestors laid down minutely, it only remained to desig- -Uri, Hur, Caleb, Hezron, and Pharez, Ju- dah's son by Tamar. The genealogy, though 118te the persons to whom the oversight of the less cootra.eted than most of those in Exodus, work was to be especially entrusted. These probably contains two or three omissions. were to be two--Bemleel, of the tribe of Jnd&h, The BOD of Hur. Hur, the grandfather of as head and chief ; Aholiab, of the tribe of Dan., Bezaleel, is thonght to be the person men- as his assistant. There can be no doubt that tioned in eh. xvii. 10, and eh. xxiv. 14. Ver. 3.-The Spirit of God. There is no theywereselected, primarily,as already possess- article in the Hebrew, any more than in ing superior artistic powen; and acquirementB ; Gen. i. l ; and some would therefore trans- bat in appointing them God promised an in- late "a Divine Spirit"; but no change is fusioo of special wisdom and knowledge, so needed. B'U,(/,kh elohim contains in itself the tba.t they were at once natorally and snper- idea of singularity, since God has but one Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the medium of utnral.ly fitted for their t.ask. It is impor- commnnication whereby God the Father be- tant to note tba.t artistic ability is thus dis- stows all gifts upon us. In wisdom, and in tinctly recognised as being quite as much & nnderatanding, and in knowledge. By the gift of God as any other, and indeed as first of these terms is meant the power to m- coming to man throngh the Spirit of God vent and originate ; by the ser,ond ability to receive and appreciate directions and sugges- ( ver. 3). Art.i.stic excellence is not a thing tions ; by the third, such information as is to l,e despised. It is very capable of abnse ; acquired by experience and acquaintance with but in itself it is a high gift, bestowed by factB. Bezaleel was to have all these, and, in God on a few only, with the special intent addition, was to be wise in all manner of that it should be nsed to his honour and workmanahip ; i.e.-to possess manual dex- terity, the power of artistic execution. glory-not indeed in his direct service only- Vers. 4, 5.-The result of these gifts but always so as to improve, elevate, refine would be to enable him-1. To devise cun- 1nankind, and thDB help towards the advance- Ding worka--i.e., to design everything excel- ment of God's kingdom lently ; and 2. To work in all manne1· of cm. XXXI. 6-10.] THE BOOK OF EXODUS. 31'i
workmanahip-i.e., to carry out bis designs Yet the De.nites were in gcnernl rather warlike witJ., auccess. It b1111 been said that "as and rude thun nrtistic (Gen. xlix. 17; De11t. everything that be.d to be done wo.s prescribed xxxiii. 22; Judg. xiii. 2; xviii. II, 27;. In in strict and precise detnil, there w1111 to be no the hearts of all that are wise hearted have exercise of origine.1 powers of invention nor I put wildom. "Unto him thllt hnth shall of taste" (Oook); but this W88 scarcely so. be given." Tboee wbo were alren<ly "wise The forms of the cberu bim, the patterns to hearted "-poBBl'S8ed, the.t is, of artistic pow,,r be woven into the stuffs, or embroidered on -were selected by God to receive extra- them, the ebapes of the vessele, of the capi- ordinary gifts of the so.me kind. tals of the pillars, and of the !aver were not Ver. 7-11 contain an enumeration of the prescribed m the directions. Bczo.leel and varioue worke already commanded to be made Aholiab would have had to doeign them after The same order is observed, except that here such a deecription 88 Moeee could give of the the tabernacle itself is placed first, and the "pattern" which be had eeen in the mount. altar of incense te.kes its nature.I position next In doing this, there would be much room for to the candlestick. the exercise of inventive power and taete. Ver. 10. The olotha of service. Rather Ver. 5.-In outting of Btonea---i.e., "in " the vestments of office "--i.e., the dis- gem-cutting." The fabric of the tabernacle tinguishing vestments of the High Priest, WllB entirely of mete.I, cloth, and wood. In which he alone wllS allowed to wear. These oarving of timber. Rather "cutting." The were the blue robe, the ephod, the girdle of word is the same 88 that used ol the atones. the epbod, and the breOBt-plate (eh. x.xviii And no ornamental "clll"Ving " of the wood- 6-35). The holy garments. The rest of the work was prescribed. High Priest's dress--i.e., the linen drawers, Ver. 6.-Aholia.b appears to have bad the the diapered tonic, the inner girdle and the entire charge of the textile fabrics, both mitre (ib. 39, 43; Lev. xvi. 4), which con- woven and embroidered (eh. xxxviii. 23). stituted his whole apparel on the great day of Of the tribe of Dan. It is remarkable that atonement. The garments of his aone--i.e, Hiram, the chief artist employed by Solomon the linen drawers, tonics, girdles, a.nd caps, for the ornamental work of the temple, was mentioned in eh. xxviii. 40, 42 also a descendant of Dan (2 Chron. ii. H).