The KJV Holy Bible

 

Exodus Chapter Twenty Five

 

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,

4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,

5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,

6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,

7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.

8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.

12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.

13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.

15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.

16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.

17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

23 Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.

25 And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.

26 And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.

27 Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.

28 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.

29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.

30 And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.

31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.

32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:

33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.

34 And in the candlesticks shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.

35 And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.

36 Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.

37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.

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

39 Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.

40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

 

 

Esoteric Interpretation & Commentary

 

The Hermetic Blueprint of Exodus: The Architecture of the Inner Temple and the Golden Candlestick

"Exodus Chapter Twenty-Five initiates one of the most Profound sections of Esoteric Anatomy in the entire biblical text. While Moses (the Spiritual Will) is Completely Absorbed in the Divine Mind on the Mountain, he Receives the Exact, Mathematical Blueprints for the Tabernacle. In Hermeticism, this Tabernacle is not a literal tent; it is the Microcosm—the Perfected Spiritual Architecture of the human body and Mind. Having purged the lower ego and received the Universal Law, the Adept must now Actively Build a Purified Internal Vessel (a Sanctuary) capable of housing the Blazing Frequency of the Absolute. This chapter maps the construction of the Deepest Recesses of the brain and nervous system, establishing the Ark, the Table, and the Central Pillar of Spiritual Illumination."

 

 

Verses 1-8: The Willful Offering and the Transmuted Metals - "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass... And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." 

The construction of the Divine Inner Temple cannot be Forced; it requires the "Willing Heart," meaning the Absolute, uncoerced Devotion of the Subconscious Faculties. The materials demanded—gold, silver, and brass—are classic Alchemical Elements Representing the Transmuted States of the Human Soul. Gold is Pure, Indestructible Spirit; Silver is the Purified, Reflective Intuition (the Lunar Mind); and Brass Represents the Fortified, Polished Physical/Etheric Vehicle. The Divine does not impose its Presence upon the Chaotic, Unregenerated Mind; the Adept must Consciously Forge these Refined Internal Virtues to Create a Stable, Clean Sanctuary where the Higher Self can safely Reside Without Destroying the Physical Vessel.

 

 

Verses 10-16: The Ark of the Covenant and the Indestructible Center - "And they shall make an ark of shittim wood... And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about... And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee." 

The Ark of the Covenant Represents the Deepest, Most Protected Sanctuary of human Consciousness—Esoterically corresponding to the Third Ventricle of the Brain and the Pineal Gland (the Seat of the Soul). It is constructed of shittim wood (Acacia), a Sacred, Incorruptible wood that symbolizes the Purified, Eternal Etheric body. Overlaying it with Gold "within and without" signifies that the Adept's Spiritual Center must be Perfectly Authentic; there can be no discrepancy between the Inner Spiritual State and the outer manifestation. The "testimony" placed inside represents the Immutable Universal Laws (the Ten Commandments) Locked Permanently Into the Very Core of the Adept’s Being.

 

 

Verses 17-22: The Mercy Seat and the Equilibrium of the Hemispheres - "And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold... And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat... And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another... and there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims..." 

The Mercy Seat is the exact Focal Point of Divine Communion. The two Cherubim represent the Supreme Universal Polarities: masculine and feminine, active and passive, and physiologically, the left and right hemispheres of the brain. They are made of "beaten work," meaning this Perfect Mental Equilibrium is Forged through Intense Alchemical Friction and Discipline, not easily cast. Their wings touch, and they face one another, symbolizing Perfect Internal Harmony. The Divine Voice does not speak from the Active Left or the Passive Right; it speaks from the Absolute, Silent, empty space between them. True Gnosis is received only when the dualities of the human Mind are brought into Complete and Perfect Stillness.

 

 

Verses 23-30: The Table of Shewbread and the Provision of the Mind - "Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood... And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway." 

The Table of Shewbread (the Bread of the Presence) Represents the Conscious Mind's Continuous offering of its Spiritual Fruits to the Higher Self. Just as the Divine provides daily Manna from heaven to nourish the Soul, the Adept must Continuously synthesize their earthly experiences and meditations into "bread" to offer back to the Spirit. It is the Alchemical cycle of Reciprocity: the Universe nourishes the Adept with Truth, and the Adept nourishes the Internal Temple with Disciplined, Spiritualized Thought. This exchange must happen "alway," signifying a State of Unbroken, Perpetual Mindfulness.

 

 

Verses 31-37: The Golden Candlestick and the Seven Centers of Illumination - "And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made... And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side... And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps, that they may give light over against it." 

The Golden Candlestick (Menorah) is one of the most potent symbols in Esoteric Theosophy and Hermeticism. It Represents the central nervous system and the Spiritualized endocrine system. The central shaft is the spine (the Sushumna in Eastern traditions), and the branches are the primary nerve channels (Nadis). The Seven lamps correspond perfectly to the Seven primary Energy Centers (Chakras) of the etheric body, as well as the Seven sacred planets of ancient astrology. Forged of Pure, beaten gold, this symbolizes the Kundalini or Spiritual Fire rising through a Perfectly Purified nervous system, fully Illuminating the Inner Sanctuary of the Mind so that no darkness or Unconscious shadow remains within the human Temple.