Essay zu Schemot 38:78

Parallel to 27:1–8, the major omission is “to receive its ashes” (27:3), which does not relate to the actual construction.

Corresponding to 27:9–19, there are a number of wording divergencies from the earlier passage, but none of these is particularly significant.

A new section enters here, continuing to achieve the effect of impressing the audience. Previously the reader was to be struck by the Israelites’ zeal in piling up contributions for the new sanctuary (36:3–7); now, toward the end of the actual construction work, there is a full accounting of the considerable material that went into it. The list follows the standard order of value: gold, silver, and bronze.

Only one line is used to record the making of the basin; the parallel account in 30:17–21 says much more about its function. There is a brief allusion in this verse about the “mirrors” which were the raw material for the basin; Cassuto (1967) sees this as a contemporary citing of what must have been a well-known tradition about the special contribution of the Israelite women, above and beyond the official contributions listed in Chap. 35.