Old Testament · Law

Exodus 27

The Altar and Courtyard

Bronze altar, oil for the lamp. The way into God's presence begins with sacrifice and ends with light.

Berean Standard Bible BSB KJV

1“You are to build an altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high.

2Make a horn on each of its four corners, so that the horns are of one piece, and overlay it with bronze.

3Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots for removing ashes, its shovels, its sprinkling bowls, its meat forks, and its firepans.

4Construct for it a grate of bronze mesh, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the mesh.

5Set the grate beneath the ledge of the altar, so that the mesh comes halfway up the altar.

6Additionally, make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.

7The poles are to be inserted into the rings so that the poles are on two sides of the altar when it is carried.

8Construct the altar with boards so that it is hollow. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

9You are also to make a courtyard for the tabernacle. On the south side of the courtyard make curtains of finely spun linen, a hundred cubits long on one side,

10with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and silver hooks and bands on the posts.

11Likewise there are to be curtains on the north side, a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

12The curtains on the west side of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide, with ten posts and ten bases.

13The east side of the courtyard, toward the sunrise, is to be fifty cubits wide.

14Make the curtains on one side fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases,

15and the curtains on the other side fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases.

16The gate of the courtyard shall be twenty cubits long, with a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It shall have four posts and four bases.

17All the posts around the courtyard shall have silver bands, silver hooks, and bronze bases.

18The entire courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, with curtains of finely spun linen five cubits high, and with bronze bases.

19All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, including all its tent pegs and the tent pegs of the courtyard, shall be made of bronze.

20And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.

21In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations to come.

Understand This

Exodus 27, explained

What Exodus 27 is saying

Specifications are given for the bronze altar of burnt offering (acacia wood overlaid with bronze, with horns at each corner), the courtyard enclosure of fine linen curtains with bronze pillars and silver hooks, and the provision of pure olive oil for the lampstand to burn continually. Aaron and his sons are charged with maintaining the eternal flame.

The background behind it

The bronze altar's placement at the courtyard entrance means it is the first thing encountered—sacrifice precedes all access to God's presence. The courtyard dimensions (100 by 50 cubits) create a sacred precinct accessible to all Israelites, while the inner structures restrict access to the priesthood.

Themes running underneath

The altar at the entrance establishes that atonement is the prerequisite for approaching God. The perpetual lamp symbolizes God's continuous presence and Israel's continuous worship obligation. The graduated access (courtyard for all, Holy Place for priests, Most Holy for the high priest alone) maps a theology of mediation.

Why it still matters

The placement of the altar teaches that genuine encounter with God begins with honest reckoning—acknowledging the need for atonement before presuming intimacy. The perpetual flame speaks of an unbroken relationship that requires ongoing faithfulness.

This is one chapter. BibleKey does all 1,189.

Tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and follow every cross-reference without losing your place.

Get BibleKey

All 40 chapters of Exodus · Every book of the Bible · Browse by topic

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.