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Exodus

About this book
Chapter 31

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,⁠ 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God⁠ in skill, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,⁠ 4 to make artistic designs for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze, 5 and with cutting and setting stone, and with cutting wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6 Moreover, I have also given him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given ability to all the specially skilled, that they may make everything I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the atonement lid that is on it, all the furnishings of the tent, 8 the table with its utensils, the pure lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 9 the altar for the burnt offering with all its utensils, the large basin with its base, 10 the woven garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons, to minister as priests, 11 the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the Holy Place. They will make all these things just as I have commanded you.” 12 The Lord said to Moses, 13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must 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 So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it must surely be put to death; indeed, if anyone does any work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. 16 The Israelites must keep the Sabbath by observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”⁠

The Tablets and the Golden Calf

18 He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Exodus 31:2 and 1 Kings 7:14

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

1 Kings echoes Exodus 31, describing Hiram as a craftsman given skill, understanding, and knowledge, the same qualities attributed to Bezalel. This connects Hiram’s temple work to Bezalel’s earlier role, creating a narrative continuity between the texts.

Passages

Exodus 31:2

Hebrew Bible
1 The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God in skill, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to make artistic designs for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze,
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Exodus

1 Kings 7:14

Hebrew Bible
12 Around the great courtyard were three rows of chiseled stones and one row of cedar beams, like the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the hall of the palace. 13 King Solomon sent for Hiram of Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. He had the skill and knowledge to make all kinds of works of bronze. He reported to King Solomon and did all the work he was assigned. 15 He fashioned two bronze pillars; each pillar was 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference. 16 He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was 7½ feet high.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Kings

References

"... Craftsmanship or skill in any area of human endeavor lies at the heart of biblical wisdom, because wisdom is a concept as wide and all encompassing as creation, which in ancient thought included culture. Thus Whybray’s attempt to label the wisdom of “manual skill” as “nonsignificant” seems to read into biblical texts long-standing Western dichotomies of culture and nature (nomos and physis) and theory and praxis that run counter to the evidence ... A further exploration of a generic element in our key biblical texts (Proverbs 3:19–20; 24:3–4; Exodus 31:1–3; 1 Kings 7:13–14) can help us in our quest to understand wisdom in relation to creation and human affairs. It is the “statement of (the builder’s) wisdom.” Its origin is in Mesopotamian hymns and annals that celebrate royal building projects ..."
Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, “Cosmos, Temple, House: Building and Wisdom in Ancient Mesopotamia and Israel,” in From the Foundations to the Crenellations: Essays on Temple Building in the Ancient Near East and Hebrew Bible, ed. Richard S. Ellis et al. (Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 2010), 399–421.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Exodus 31:2 and 1 Kings 7:14

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