And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.

EXODUS 25:38KJV
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Exodus 25:38 (KJV)

What does Exodus 25:38 mean?

Exodus 25:38 states that both the tongs and the snuffdishes used for the lampstand in the tabernacle must be made of pure gold. This verse highlights that even the tools for maintaining the lampstand were to be crafted from the finest materials, showing the importance of every detail in the tabernacle’s worship.

In this passage, God is giving Moses specific instructions on Mount Sinai about how to build and furnish the tabernacle, which was the portable sanctuary for Israel’s worship. The verse focuses on the utensils used to care for the golden lampstand, emphasizing that not just the main objects, but even the supporting tools, were to reflect holiness and value by being made of pure gold.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 25:38

  • tongs (מַלְקָחִים, malqāḥîm): This word refers to small pincers or tongs, used to tend the lamps. Their inclusion shows that even mundane tasks in the tabernacle were treated with reverence.
  • snuffdishes (מַחְתּוֹת, maḥtôt): This term means small dishes or pans, likely used to collect the burnt wicks or ashes from the lamps. Their purpose was practical, but their material—pure gold—shows their sacred role.
  • pure (זָהָב טָהוֹר, zāhāv tāhôr): The word for "pure" means something that is clean, unalloyed, or unmixed. This stresses that the gold used was of the highest quality, set apart for holy use.
  • gold (זָהָב, zāhāv): Gold was the most precious metal available, symbolizing value and purity in Israelite worship. Its use for even the smallest items underscores the honor given to God.

Why Exodus 25:38 matters

  • Exodus 25:38 clarifies that every aspect of worship in the tabernacle, even the maintenance tools, was to be treated with the highest respect and made from the best materials.
  • This verse emphasizes that holiness in worship was not just about the main objects but extended to every detail, showing a comprehensive approach to reverence.
  • By specifying pure gold for these utensils, the verse connects to the larger theme of the tabernacle as a place set apart for God, where nothing common or ordinary was allowed.

Where else these words appear

“tongs” Hebrew H4457 · used in 6 verses

  • Exodus 37:23 And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold.
  • Numbers 4:9 And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it:
  • 2 Chronicles 4:21 And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfect gold;

“snuffdishes” Hebrew H4289 · used in 19 verses

  • Exodus 27:3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.
  • Numbers 4:14 And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and put to the staves of it.
  • Numbers 16:39 And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:

“pure” Hebrew H2889 · used in 87 verses

  • Genesis 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
  • Exodus 39:30 And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
  • Deuteronomy 12:15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.