So there will be eight frames and sixteen silver bases — two under each frame. The redundancy of the verse (repeating verse 24's count) is characteristic of Exodus' legal style: important numbers are stated, then restated. The silver bases that ground every frame in the tabernacle come from the census tax that represented the ransom of every Israelite's life. Ninety-six silver bases from ninety-six half-shekels per capita — the tabernacle's foundation is literally grounded in the redeemed lives of the covenant community. The structure that houses God's presence rests on the ransom of the people God protects.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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