Exodus 27:1-8

Exodus 27:1-8

[1] And thou shalt make  an altar  of shittim  wood,  five  cubits  long,  and five  cubits  broad;  the altar  shall be foursquare:  and the height  thereof shall be three  cubits.  [2] And thou shalt make  the horns  of it upon the four  corners  thereof: his horns  shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay  it with brass.  [3] And thou shalt make  his pans  to receive his ashes,  and his shovels,  and his basons,  and his fleshhooks,  and his firepans:  all the vessels  thereof thou shalt make  of brass.  [4] And thou shalt make  for it a grate  of network  of brass;  and upon the net  shalt thou make  four  brasen  rings  in the four  corners  thereof. [5] And thou shalt put  it under the compass  of the altar  beneath,  that the net  may be even to  the midst  of the altar.  [6] And thou shalt make  staves  for the altar,  staves  of shittim  wood,  and overlay  them with brass.  [7] And the staves  shall be put  into the rings,  and the staves  shall be upon the two  sides  of the altar,  to bear  [8] Hollow  with boards  shalt thou make  it: as it was shewed  thee in the mount,  so shall they make  it.

What does Exodus 27:1-8 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The height of this altar was four and a half feet. This height has led some commentators to suggest that a step-like bench or ledge may have surrounded it on which the priests stood when they offered sacrifices. [1] In view of the command prohibiting steps up to Israel"s altars ( Exodus 20:26), a ramp seems more probable (cf. Leviticus 9:22). However there may have been neither a ramp nor steps. The altar had four horns ( Exodus 27:2), one on each corner, to which the priests applied blood ritually ( Exodus 29:12). People occasionally clung to this altar as a place of refuge (cf. 1 Kings 1:50-51; 1 Kings 2:28). The priests also bound some animals to these horns when they sacrificed them ( Psalm 118:27). There was a grate ( Exodus 27:4) halfway to the ground inside the altar that allowed air to circulate under the sacrifices and ashes to fall to the ground below. The "ledge" appears to have projected out from the altar about half way up its sides. Perhaps the priests stood on this ledge while placing the offerings on the altar, or the ledge may have been on the inside of the altar to hold the grate.
This altar received the offerings of the Israelites. God met the Israelite where he was, in the courtyard, rather than where He was, within the veil. Nevertheless the Israelite had to make a special effort to approach God by entering the courtyard to present his offering (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
"The position of the Altar just inside the entrance to the court made it as clear as symbology could that the beginning of fellowship between God and man must be in sacrifice." [2]
The Book of Hebrews viewed this altar as a prototype of the better altar, which is Jesus Christ ( Hebrews 13:10).