Exodus 31 (WEB)

Exodus 31

¹ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

² “Behold, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

³ I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship,

⁴ to devise skillful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze,

⁵ and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all kinds of workmanship.

⁶ Behold, I myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all who are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you:

⁷ the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat that is on it, all the furniture of the Tent,

⁸ the table and its vessels, the pure lamp stand with all its vessels, the altar of incense,

⁹ the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels, the basin and its base,

¹⁰ the finely worked garments—the holy garments for Aaron the priest, the garments of his sons to minister in the priest’s office—

¹¹ the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded you they shall do.”

¹² The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹³ “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Most certainly you shall keep my Sabbaths; for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.

¹⁴ You shall keep the Sabbath therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

¹⁵ Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death.

¹⁶ Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

¹⁷ It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.’”

¹⁸ When he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave Moses the two tablets of the covenant, stone tablets, written with God’s finger.

Around Exodus 31

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Exodus 31 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

The plans are set, and now God names the builders. He says, “I have called by name Bezalel” of the tribe of Judah, whom he has filled with the Spirit of God in wisdom, understanding and every kind of craft: gold, silver, bronze, stone-cutting and carving. Oholiab of the tribe of Dan will work with him, and God has put wisdom in all the skilled people, so that they can make everything he has commanded. Then comes a word about the Sabbath. It is a sign between God and Israel throughout their generations, rooted in the six days of creation and the seventh day of rest. The chapter says that whoever works on that day shall be put to death. It closes with Moses receiving the two tablets of the covenant, “written with God’s finger.”

Background

This ends the long set of instructions that began in Exodus 25. It is notable that the first person described as filled with the Spirit of God in this book is a craftsman. The Sabbath command appears here as a sign of the covenant, and the penalty is harsh by modern standards. Jewish tradition keeps the seventh day as Sabbath, and Christians differ on how the command applies, with many observing Sunday as a day of worship and rest. See also Genesis 2 and Exodus 20.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 23 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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