The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

EXODUS 27:18KJV
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Exodus 27:18 (KJV)

What does Exodus 27:18 mean?

Exodus 27:18 gives the specific measurements and materials for the courtyard that surrounded the tabernacle: it was to be 100 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 5 cubits high, with linen curtains and bases (sockets) made of bronze. This verse is part of the detailed instructions God gave Moses for building the tabernacle and its surrounding area.

In this passage, God is speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, giving him exact directions for constructing the sacred space where Israel would worship. The measurements and materials (fine linen and bronze) set apart the courtyard as a special, ordered place, emphasizing both its accessibility and its boundary from the ordinary camp. The verse highlights the importance of careful obedience to God’s design in Israel’s worship life.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 27:18

  • "Court" (חָצֵר, chatser): This word refers to an enclosed area, often used for a yard or courtyard. Here, it marks out a distinct, set-apart space for worship, not just an open field.
  • "Fine twined linen" (שֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר, shesh mashzar): This phrase describes high-quality, tightly twisted linen, which would have been both durable and visually impressive, setting a tone of purity and distinction for the tabernacle area.
  • "Sockets" (אֶדֶן, eden): These are the bases or foundation pieces for the posts holding up the linen curtains. Made of bronze (נְחשֶׁת, nechoshet), they provided stability and durability, showing that even the support structures were carefully specified.

Why Exodus 27:18 matters

  • This verse clears up the size and layout of the tabernacle courtyard, helping readers visualize the actual space where Israel gathered for worship and sacrifices.
  • The emphasis on exact measurements and materials shows that the tabernacle was not just a makeshift tent, but a carefully planned and constructed place, reflecting God’s order and holiness.
  • By connecting to the wider instructions in Exodus, this verse helps readers see how every detail of Israel’s worship life was meant to be intentional and set apart, not left to chance or personal preference.

Where else these words appear

“twined” Hebrew H7806 · used in 21 verses

  • Exodus 26:1 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.
  • Exodus 28:8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
  • Exodus 38:18 And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court.

“linen” Hebrew H8336 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 41:42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
  • Exodus 35:6 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
  • Exodus 39:3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.

“sockets” Hebrew H134 · used in 39 verses

  • Exodus 26:19 And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.
  • Exodus 35:11 The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,
  • Exodus 38:19 And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver.

“height” Hebrew H6967 · used in 43 verses

  • Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
  • 1 Kings 6:20 And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
  • 2 Chronicles 6:13 For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,