You may have noticed a gap between the verse today and the verse yesterday. That happened for two reasons. First, I realized that at my current pace, I wouldn’t be finished blogging the Bible for another 20 years. That’s not a bad thing; certainly there are worse pursuits than spending time every day deeply entrenched in Bible study. But I would like to see the end of this work in my own life (Maybe. Hopefully.).
The other reason is that most of the last thirty plus verses relates to information about the Tabernacle. Bezalel and Oholiab are directing the people to build the various components, so this information is valuable to future Jewish audiences who want to know the specifics. And to us, who also want to know the exactness by which God operates.
In my own personal reading, I stopped at Exodus 38:24 because that’s where it seems like Moses stops. After all has been said and done, he takes a few verses to describe how much it all cost.
The answer? A lot of money.
To be fair, it’s not nearly as much as the Temple cost, which came in at several billion dollars. But also, to be just as fair, the Tabernacle was more of a tent in the wilderness. The Temple was a permanent structure designed to be a monument as much as it was a building.
So how much did the Tabernacle cost? Let’s break it down by material and by weight, which will help us determine the overall cost.
- Gold: 29 talents and 730 shekels.
- Silver: 100 talents and 1,775 shekels.
- Bronze: 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.
Using Biblical measurements, we know that each talent weighs approximately 75 pounds, so that’s 2,175 pounds of gold, 7,500 pounds of silver, and 5,250 pounds of bronze. Based on current market prices, those numbers together add up to $122,397,720 ($118,393,080 for gold, $3,991,200 for silver, and $13,440 for bronze)
But wait, there’s shekels! 730 shekels of gold equals 18.35 pounds and costs $998,856.56; 1,775 shekels of silver comes out to 44.61 pounds and costs $23,739.66; and 2,400 shekels of bronze is 60.32 pounds and costs $154.42. The tally on just the shekels of material is $1,022,750.64.
Altogether, the material cost of the Tabernacle is $123,420,471. Feel free to check my math on that, because there’s a greater than zero chance I messed something up somewhere along the way. If you find that I missed something, email me at brady@coffeeandaBible.com and I will absolutely correct it in the article.
And keep in mind, that number doesn’t include the fabrics or labor cost or anything else that would be required. It’s strictly the cost for the three precious metals used in the Tabernacle. The actualized number in today’s world could easily be much higher.
Where did Israel get all that money? First, remember that there was a lot of Israelites; at least a couple million people left in the Exodus. Second, remember that they “plundered the Egyptians” on the way out the door. That gave them significant resources.
But more than that, remember that this number represents their heart in giving to God. We may not have that kind of money to give to God, but just like the widow’s mites in Mark 12:41-44, even tiny amounts are still noticed by God.
