The Meaning of Exodus 26:31 Explained

Exodus 26:31

KJV: And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:

YLT: And thou hast made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen, work of a designer; he maketh it with cherubs;

Darby: And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus; of artistic work shall it be made, with cherubim.

ASV: And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim the work of the skilful workman shall it be made.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And thou shalt make  a vail  [of] blue,  and purple,  and scarlet,  and fine twined  linen  of cunning  work:  with cherubims  shall it be made: 

What does Exodus 26:31 Mean?

Study Notes

vail
The inner veil, type of Christ's human body Matthew 26:26 ; Matthew 27:50 ; Hebrews 10:20 . This veil, barring entrance into the holiest, was the most expressive symbol of the truth that "by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified"; Romans 3:20 ,; Hebrews 9:8 . Rent by an unseen hand when Christ Died Matthew 27:51 thus giving instant access to God to all who come by faith in Him, it was the end of all legality; the way to God was open. It is deeply significant that the priests must have patched together again the veil that God had rent, for the temple services went on yet for nearly forty years. That patched veil is Galatianism--the attempt to put saint or sinner back under the law. (Cf) Galatians 1:6-9 Anything but "the grace of Christ" is "another gospel," and under anathema.

Context Summary

Exodus 26:26-37 - The Veil And The Screen
The boards that made the sides and back of the Tabernacle were of wood covered with gold, and set in sockets of silver. They were knit together by the five long bars that passed through the rings, parallel with the ground. The veil typified the separation between man and God, the awful barrier that sin has caused, which shuts out from the enjoyment of God all save those who can enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus. Men had impressed on them their unworthiness to approach God. The cherubic forms woven on the veil reminded them of Genesis 3:24. They were led to anticipate the hour when a new and living way would be opened.
The division of the Tabernacle suggests two degrees of nearness to God, or two stages in Christian living. You may know the great brazen altar which is Calvary; and the showbread table and candlestick; but there is something beyond these for those who have learned the meaning of the rent veil and the Cross! See Matthew 27:51; Galatians 2:20. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 26

1  The ten curtains of the tabernacle
7  The eleven curtains of goats' hair, the covering of rams' and badgers' skins
15  The boards of the tabernacle, with their sockets and bars
31  The veil for the ark
36  The hanging for the door

What do the individual words in Exodus 26:31 mean?

And You shall make a veil woven of blue and purple and scarlet [thread] and linen fine woven an design with artistic shall be woven it of cherubim
וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ פָרֹ֗כֶת תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י וְשֵׁ֣שׁ מָשְׁזָ֑ר מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה חֹשֵׁ֛ב יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָ֖הּ כְּרֻבִֽים

וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ  And  You  shall  make 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
פָרֹ֗כֶת  a  veil  woven 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: פָּרֹכֶת  
Sense: curtain, veil.
תְּכֵ֧לֶת  of  blue 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּכֵלֶת  
Sense: violet, violet stuff.
וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן  and  purple 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַרְגָּמָן  
Sense: purple, red-purple.
שָׁנִ֖י  scarlet  [thread] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁנִי  
Sense: scarlet, crimson.
וְשֵׁ֣שׁ  and  linen 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֵׁשׁ 
Sense: something bleached white, byssus, linen, fine linen.
מָשְׁזָ֑ר  fine  woven 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׁזַר  
Sense: to twist, be twisted.
מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה  an  design 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַעֲשֶׂה  
Sense: deed, work.
חֹשֵׁ֛ב  with  artistic 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: חָשַׁב 
Sense: to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count.
יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה  shall  be  woven 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
כְּרֻבִֽים  of  cherubim 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: כְּרוּב  
Sense: cherub, cherubim (pl).