For those who are curious about the amounts of materials used in the tabernacle, A shekel is about 0.4 ounces,* and a talent is 3000 shekels. Thus, the amount of gold was 35, 092 ounces, worth $66,323,880 at the current dollar value of $1890 per ounce, and the silver used was 120,710 ounces, worth $29,29,631.7 at $24.27 per ounce. 7,080 pounds of bronze at $18.24 per pound is $129, 134.
This may seem like an impressive amount to spend on a "tent," but this was to be the meeting place between God and His people for 40 years until they arrived in the promised land, and continued in use for that purpose until Solomon built the temple hundreds of years later. We read earlier in Exodus 36:2-7 that the people gave so generously for the construction of the tabernacle out of the several generations' worth of wages they collected from the Egyptians (Exodus 3:22) that they were finally told not to give more because there was too much on hand.
More than the sheer monetary value of the metals, we should be impressed with the brilliant design for both use and portability, and with the skills and ingenuity God gave the men and women to make the tabernacle out in the desert, far away from any established industrial base. Despite the difficult circumstances, it was all ready for assembly on "the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month," (Exodus 40:17)
*The shekel could be between 7 and 14 grams depending on the era; I used 11 grams since that is most commonly cited on various websites)
For those who are curious about the amounts of materials used in the tabernacle, A shekel is about 0.4 ounces,* and a talent is 3000 shekels. Thus, the amount of gold was 35, 092 ounces, worth $66,323,880 at the current dollar value of $1890 per ounce, and the silver used was 120,710 ounces, worth $29,29,631.7 at $24.27 per ounce. 7,080 pounds of bronze at $18.24 per pound is $129, 134.
This may seem like an impressive amount to spend on a "tent," but this was to be the meeting place between God and His people for 40 years until they arrived in the promised land, and continued in use for that purpose until Solomon built the temple hundreds of years later. We read earlier in Exodus 36:2-7 that the people gave so generously for the construction of the tabernacle out of the several generations' worth of wages they collected from the Egyptians (Exodus 3:22) that they were finally told not to give more because there was too much on hand.
More than the sheer monetary value of the metals, we should be impressed with the brilliant design for both use and portability, and with the skills and ingenuity God gave the men and women to make the tabernacle out in the desert, far away from any established industrial base. Despite the difficult circumstances, it was all ready for assembly on "the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month," (Exodus 40:17)
*The shekel could be between 7 and 14 grams depending on the era; I used 11 grams since that is most commonly cited on various websites)