Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Uzi Silber <uzisilber AT gmail.com>]

Karl,
You many have seen it, but in case you haven't, Richard Elliot
Friedman does a great job measuring in 'who wrote the bible?'

Uzi Silber



On Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 3:50 PM, K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com> wrote:
> B Hebrew:
>
> I just read Exodus 26 and decided to try to model in Google Sketchup the
> tabernacle and other constructions connected with it. This was done to see
> if I can get a better handle on the technical terminology used.
>
> I know it is not exact, but in round figures, I used the measurement of 1.5
> ft / cubit.
>
> From verse 15, I read it to say that the planks holding the tent up are
> vertical. Verse 16 they are ten cubits (15 feet, about 5 meters) tall by a
> cubit and a half wide (about 2 1/4 feet, 3/4 meter), and from other
> descriptions probably about 6–9 inches thick. Wow! Try to buy planks like
> that at your local lumber yard! I bet you would find it difficult.
>
> It’s very unlikely that Israel got those planks by bringing them from Egypt
> when they left, so that gives an idea of the types of trees that were still
> found at that time in Sinai—big trees, able to produce such massive planks.
>
> This also gives a very different picture of the tent—20 beams long by six
> beams wide plus corner pieces, in meters about 15 meters long by five meters
> wide by five meters tall. In round figures, 45 feet long by 15 feet wide by
> 15 feet high. That’s a big tent. Far different from all the illustrations
> I’ve ever seen that make it seem much smaller.
>
> This has changed the way I think the tent cloths were made and joined
> together. To be honest, I’m not sure how that was done. As a result, I did
> not finish making the model.
>
> This is just from chapter 26, I’ll see how this is modified when I read the
> later chapters that describe the actual construction process in greater
> detail. Hopefully that will clear up some of my questions raised by trying
> to make the model.
>
> Sent for your information, and comments.
>
> Karl W. Randolph.
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