The KJV Holy Bible

 

Exodus Chapter Forty

 

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

3 And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.

4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.

5 And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.

6 And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.

8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.

9 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.

10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.

11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.

12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:

15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

16 Thus did Moses: according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he.

17 And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.

18 And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.

19 And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses.

20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:

21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the Lord commanded Moses.

22 And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.

23 And he set the bread in order upon it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses.

24 And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.

25 And he lighted the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses.

26 And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:

27 And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the Lord commanded Moses.

28 And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.

29 And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the Lord commanded Moses.

30 And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.

31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:

32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses.

33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:

37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

38 For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

 

 

Esoteric Interpretation & Commentary

 

The Hermetic Blueprint of Exodus: The Assembly of the Microcosm and the Descent of the Absolute

"Exodus Chapter Forty is the grand culmination of the Great Work mapped out in the book. All the disjointed elements, faculties, and vessels of the Psyche have been forged, Purified, and inspected. Now, they must be assembled into a single, Unified organism. The raising of the Tabernacle represents the final integration of the human Microcosm. Once the Energetic boundaries are set and the faculties are anointed with Divine grace, the Supreme Alchemical event occurs: the descent of the Shekinah, the Glory of the Absolute. The chapter reveals the Ultimate State of Gnosis—when the Divine Mind fully occupies the human Temple, even the Individualized Spiritual Will must dissolve and yield entirely to the overwhelming presence of the Light."

 

 

Verses 1-3 & 17: The First Day and the Assembly of the Inner Temple - "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail... And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up." 

The erection of the Tabernacle occurs on the "first day of the first month," signifying the dawn of a completely New Spiritual cycle and Psychological epoch for the Adept. The fragmented pieces of the Psyche—the Ark, the Altars, the Candlestick, the Veils—are no longer isolated achievements. The Spiritual Will (Moses) actively connects and raises them into a single, cohesive vertical structure. The physical body, the Emotional matrix, the rational Intellect, and the Higher Intuitive faculties are finally perfectly aligned. The Microcosm is fully assembled, standing erect and ready to operate as a Singular, Unified Conduit for the Divine.

 

 

Verses 9-10 & 13: The Holy Unction and the Sealing of the Frequencies - "And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy... And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office." 

Before the Temple can be activated, every Individual vessel and every Psychological faculty must be anointed. The anointing oil is the Pure, Descending Prana—the Active Electrical grace of the Holy Spirit. By applying this oil to the Tabernacle and to the Rational Intellect (Aaron), the Spiritual Will permanently seals the vibrational frequency of the Mind. The intellect is now fully enveloped in its protective auric armor (the holy garments) and saturated with Divine Energy. The Inner and outer natures of the Adept are irrevocably consecrated; they are no longer instruments of the ego, but Holy Vessels Dedicated Entirely to the Absolute.

 

 

Verses 33-35: The Completion of the Work and the Dissolution of the Will - "And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." 

This is the Supreme Climax of Esoteric Alchemy. The moment the outer boundary (the court gate) is sealed, the "work" is finished. Immediately, the Divine Cloud (the Mystery of the Unmanifest) and the Glory (the blazing Light of the Shekinah/Higher Self) descend and completely fill the Internal Sanctuary. The most profound Esoteric Truth lies in verse 35: Moses (the Individualized Spiritual Will) is not able to enter. In the Ultimate State of Samadhi or Gnosis, when the Universal Mind fully occupies the human vessel, the illusion of a separate, Individualized Will is completely overwhelmed and dissolved. The Adept no longer "does" the work; the Absolute simply IS.

 

 

Verses 36-38: The Permanent Guide and the Rhythms of the Journey - "And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys." 

The Great Work of Exodus concludes not with an ending, but with the establishment of a permanent Internal Guidance system for the journey ahead. The Cloud by day and the Fire by night represent the Unwavering Presence of the Higher Self guiding the Adept through both the bright, Waking Consciousness (day) and the dark, Unconscious trials (night). The lower faculties (Israel) no longer move based on earthly logic, ambition, or panic. They move only when the Spirit moves, and they rest when the Spirit rests. The Mind has Achieved Total Surrender to the Cosmic Rhythm. The human Temple is now successfully operating in Perfect, Unbroken Harmony with the Divine.