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[115]
As to the tabernacle itself, Moses placed it in the middle of that
court, with its front to the east, that, when the sun arose, it might send
its first rays upon it. Its length, when it was set up, was thirty cubits,
and its breadth was twelve [ten] cubits. The one of its walls was on the
south, and the other was exposed to the north, and on the back part of
it remained the west. It was necessary that its height should be equal
to its breadth [ten cubits]. There were also pillars made of wood, twenty
on each side; they were wrought into a quadrangular figure, in breadth
a cubit and a half, but the thickness was four fingers: they had thin plates
of gold affixed to them on both sides, inwardly and outwardly: they had
each of them two tenons belonging to them, inserted into their bases, and
these were of silver, in each of which bases there was a socket to receive
the tenon; but the pillars on the west wall were six. Now all these tenons
and sockets accurately fitted one another, insomuch that the joints were
invisible, and both seemed to be one entire and united wall. It was also
covered with gold, both within and without. The number of pillars was equal
on the opposite sides, and there were on each part twenty, and every one
of them had the third part of a span in thickness; so that the number of
thirty cubits were fully made up between them; but as to the wall behind,
where the six pillars made up together only nine cubits, they made two
other pillars, and cut them out of one cubit, which they placed in the
corners, and made them equally fine with the other. Now every one of the
pillars had rings of gold affixed to their fronts outward, as if they had
taken root in the pillars, and stood one row over against another round
about, through which were inserted bars gilt over with gold, each of them
five cubits long, and these bound together the pillars, the head of one
bar running into another, after the nature of one tenon inserted into another;
but for the wall behind, there was but one row of bars that went through
all the pillars, into which row ran the ends of the bars on each side of
the longer walls; the male with its female being so fastened in their joints,
that they held the whole firmly together; and for this reason was all this
joined so fast together, that the tabernacle might not be shaken, either
by the winds, or by any other means, but that it might preserve itself
quiet and immovable continually.
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