You Shall Have No Other Gods:
The Book of Exodus

Lesson 26 The People Begin Constructing the Tabernacle
the book of Exodus 35:4—37:9

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for the book of Exodus
cross references in the book of Exodus
next lesson: The Tabernacle Is Completed

This material coordinates with Lesson 26 on pages 129–133 in the study book You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”—the book of Exodus 20:1–6

welcome to our in-depth study of the book of Exodus
We invite interested groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson from this 28-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. These online study pages link to our free lesson video overviews, as well as to a glossary and cross references in the biblical text. Other study aids include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus has been granted an imprimatur and can be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons on any online study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the book of Exodus 33:1—35:3
Lesson 25 Despite the People’s Sin, the LORD Renews His Covenant contains crucial information about what’s going on in the book of Exodus. While the LORD initially announces that he doesn’t intend to travel to the land of Canaan with the Israelites, Moses persuades God to reconsider. Moses’ primary concern seems to be what’s best for the LORD, but Moses also doesn’t want to be left by himself to ride herd on the Israelites, who’ve recently demonstrated that trying to keep them on the straight and narrow is quite a challenge. Although the building of the tabernacle hasn’t yet occurred in the biblical text, the thirty-third chapter of the book of Exodus describes Moses entering the tent of meeting, another name for the tabernacle. It’s noteworthy that only Moses and Joshua are able to enter into the tabernacle when the cloud appears to indicate God’s presence, and that after Moses leaves the tent, Joshua remains there with the LORD. The thirty-fourth chapter then backtracks chronologically to describe God telling Moses that no human can see his face and live. The LORD agrees to allow Moses to see his back. While Moses is on the mountain, the LORD asks him to write on the two stone tablets that he’s brought with him to replace those that were broken in connection with the incident involving the golden calf. Scripture fails to note exactly what words the LORD wrote on the first tablets. What God dictates for Moses to write on the replacement tablets, however, repeats or expands worship requirements in the Ten Commandments. When Moses returns to the camp of the Israelites after being on the mountain with God, the people observe his face glowing and are frightened. Because of his closeness to God, Moses appears to have taken on some characteristics of the LORD.

deja vu (36:06)
The biblical text for this lesson may seem more repetitive even than usual because it describes the Israelites beginning to construct the tabernacle and its accoutrements, and not merely Moses receiving instructions from God about how that construction should be done. Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps talks about the people’s generosity in giving valuable materials needed. They also are generous with their time and talent. The Israelites are so generous in bringing materials to be used, in fact, that their offerings exceed what’s needed. Moses has to ask them to stop. While the text describes a large number of Israelites assisting in building the tabernacle, when it comes to the ark, the lead craftsman Bezalel, who’s been filled by the Holy Spirit in order to do the work, handles the construction.


The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study from Turning to God’s Word match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 26, “The People Begin Constructing the Tabernacle,” on pages 129–133 in the study book.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about the Israelites’ generosity?
This account isn’t the first time in the book of Exodus that the people have been willing to provide materials to be used in connection with worship.

?  When in the recent past have the Israelites donated valuable items to be used in worship?
?  How might the way that experience turned out for them be coloring the way that they determine how much to give now?
?  What criteria do you use to determine how much you give to your parish, your diocese, and charitable organizations?

holy—you could look it up in our archives
The book of Exodus lists instructions for constructing the tabernacle, the place where God intends to dwell with his people as they travel to the land of Canaan. To learn more about this holy structure and what the word holy should mean to Christians, read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

more about those offerings
The Israelites’ offerings for the tabernacle and its furnishings are a type of sacrifice. The word sacrifice means “to set apart” or “to make holy”; no sacrifice occurs without violence. In the case of the religious sacrifices we make during Lent and at other times, the violence we experience is self-inflicted. We willingly give up something in order to make space for God. If we then fail to allow for an encounter with God, there’s no point to our sacrifice. To learn more about how holiness is a means to an end and not the end in itself, watch the video overview that accompanies this lesson.

?  Consider the purpose of holiness, which involves setting aside time and space.
?  What are the Israelites sacrificing when they make material offerings for the tabernacle?
?  What’s suggested by the Israelites giving more valuable materials instead of less than required for construction of the tabernacle and its furnishings?
?  What do you think the people hope to gain from their generosity?
?  If the Israelites fail to use the tabernacle as a place to encounter the LORD, what good are their sacrificial offerings?

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the passage in this lesson from the book of Exodus 35:4—37:9.

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out when a person or place is mentioned in the biblical text under more than one name or more than one spelling. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the biblical text for every lesson in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the book of Exodus 35:4—37:9 (NIV)

round black doveclose with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following short prayer based on this lesson’s text from the book of Exodus.

O God, you described in great detail the tabernacle
and all of its furnishings as a place set apart where you could dwell.
Enable us to create space where you can dwell
within each of us in all the circumstances of our lives.
Help us respect the need to be set apart or made holy
in order to establish room for your presence.
We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ,
who models the moral behavior toward which we aspire. Amen.

Lesson 27 The Tabernacle Is Completed, the book of Exodus 37:10—38:31
Lesson 25 Despite the People’s Sin, the LORD Renews His Covenant, the book of Exodus 33:1—35:3

you also may like our two-part study of the prophets
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided examines the prophets in their historical context using the First and Second Books of the Kings and other Old Testament passages written before the Babylonian Exile in 586 B.C. Volume II: Restoration & Redemption looks at the post-exilic prophets. This 51-lesson Catholic Bible study builds on The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. Click on the books’ covers to view a sample lesson from each volume.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer your questions and to offer support. You may use this email to contact us directly if you’re interested in starting a Turning to God study or in having your study schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.