In | The Construction of the Tabernacle

The projected construction (Ex 25–26) begins with the Ark, table and lampstand, and the narrated account (Ex 36–37) begins with the Tabernacle structure itself. Some scholars believe there is a simple explanation for the two different orders of construction. The first account begins with the structure’s central features and the second has more practical concerns.

Victor Hamilton has suggested the situation of a first-time homebuyer as an analogy. He asks, “Which does a first-time homebuyer do first: purchase a home and then get the furniture, or get the furniture and then purchase a home?” Before it made sense to build things like the Ark and lampstand, there needed to be a place to put them.