Exodus 25:31-40

Exodus 25:31-40

[31] And thou shalt make  a candlestick  of pure  gold:  of beaten work  shall the candlestick  be made:  his shaft,  and his branches,  his bowls,  his knops,  and his flowers,  [32] And six  branches  shall come  out of the sides  of it; three  branches  of the candlestick  out of the one  side,  and three  branches  of the candlestick  out of the other  side:  [33] Three  bowls  made like unto almonds,  with a knop  and a flower  in one  branch;  and three  bowls  made like almonds  in the other  branch,  with a knop  and a flower:  so in the six  branches  that come  out of the candlestick.  [34] And in the candlestick  shall be four  bowls  made like unto almonds,  with their knops  and their flowers.  [35] And there shall be a knop  under two  branches  of the same, and a knop  under two  branches  of the same, and a knop  under two  branches  of the same, according to the six  branches  that proceed  out of the candlestick.  [36] Their knops  and their branches  shall be of the same: all it shall be one  beaten work  of pure  gold.  [37] And thou shalt make  the seven  lamps  thereof: and they shall light  the lamps  thereof, that they may give light  over against  it.  [38] And the tongs  thereof, and the snuffdishes  thereof, shall be of pure  gold.  [39] Of a talent  of pure  gold  shall he make  it, with all these vessels.  [40] And look  that thou make  them after their pattern,  which was shewed  thee in the mount. 

What does Exodus 25:31-40 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

This piece of furniture was probably similar in size to the table of showbread ( Exodus 25:39). It stood opposite that table in the holy place against the south (left) wall. It weighed about75 pounds. The tabernacle craftsmen fashioned it in the form of a stylized plant or tree. It connoted life and fertility.
"The signification of the seven-armed candlestick is apparent from its purpose, viz. to carry seven lamps, which were trimmed and filled with oil every morning, and lighted every evening, and were to burn throughout the night (chap. xxvii20 , 21 , xxx7 , 8; Lev. xxiv3 , 4). As the Israelites were to prepare spiritual food in the shew-bread in the presence of Jehovah, and to offer continually the fruit of their labour in the field of the kingdom of God, as a spiritual offering to the Lord; so also were they to present themselves continually to Jehovah in the burning lamps, as the vehicles and media of light, as a nation letting its light shine in the darkness of this world (cf. Matt. Exodus 25:14; Exodus 25:16; Luke xii35; Phil. ii15). The oil, through which the lamps burned and shone, was, according to its peculiar virtue in imparting strength to the body and restoring vital power, a representation of the Godlike spirit, the source of all the vital power of man; whilst the oil, as offered by the congregation of Israel, and devoted to sacred purposes according to the command of God, is throughout the Scriptures a symbol of the Spirit of God, by which the congregation of God was filled with higher light and life. By the power of this Spirit, Israel, in covenant with the Lord, was to let its light shine, the light of its knowledge of God and spiritual illumination, before all the nations of the earth. In its seven arms the stamp of the covenant relationship was impressed upon the candlestick; and the almond-blossom with which it was ornamented represented the seasonable offering of the flowers and fruits of the Spirit, the almond-tree deriving its name ... from the fact that it is the earliest of all the trees in both its blossom and its fruit (cf. Jeremiah 1:11-12). The symbolic character of the candlestick is clearly indicated in the Scriptures. The prophet Zechariah (chap4) sees a golden candlestick with seven lamps and two olive-trees, one on either side, from which the oil-vessel is supplied; and the angel who is talking with him informs him that the olive-trees are the two sons of oil, that is to say, the representatives of the kingdom and priesthood, the divinely appointed organs through which the Spirit of God was communicated to the covenant nation. And in Revelation 1:20, the seven churches, which represent the new people of God, i.e, the Christian Church, are shown to the holy seer in the form of seven candlesticks standing before the throne of God." [1]
"In company with the Table attesting Yahweh"s Presence in bounty and the Ark attesting Yahweh"s Presence in mercy and Revelation , the Lampstand symbolized Yahweh"s Presence in perpetual wakefulness, through the reminder of the almond tree and the continual brightness of the living fire (cf. Numbers 17:16-26 [2]). The watcher over Israel never nodded, much less slept ( Psalm 121:4)." [2]
Like the showbread, the burning lamps may have symbolized both the character of God and the calling of Israel. The seven-branched lampstand (menorah) has been and is a popular symbol of Judaism and Israel even today around the world. A bas relief of the lampstand that stood in Herod"s Temple is still visible on an inside panel on the Arch of Titus that stands in Rome. The Romans built this arch following Titus" destruction of Jerusalem in A.D70.
"The lampstand is commonly taken to be a type of Christ, usually on the basis of Revelation 1:4 [4]. It has also been taken as a symbolic image of the Law." [5]