Exodus 38:21-31

Account of the amount of metal employed in the construction of the Tent of Meeting. A -very late addition" to the narrative (Di., in agreement with We. and others): notice (1) in v.25 f. the census of Numbers 1 (v.46) is presupposed, although according to P (Numbers 1:1 compared with Exodus 40:17) this did not take place till a whole month after the Tabernacle was completed and erected; (2) the Levites, who are first appointed to their official duties in Numbers 3, are already (cf. Numbers 4:33) represented as acting under Ithamar's superintendence; (3) -wave-offering" (vv.24, 29) appears in the same weakened sense as in Exodus 35:22; (4) the writer, while passing over altogether the silver offered voluntarily (Exodus 25:3; Exodus 35:5 f., Exodus 35:24), to all appearance (comp. v.26 with Exodus 31:13-14) misunderstands Exodus 30:11-16, treating the poll-tax there imposed, at the time of a census, in order to form a fund for the maintenance of daily worship, as if it were a contribution of silver in kind, for the construction of the sanctuary.