The Bronze Altar

The altar is built in full: its size, horns, bronze covering, utensils, grate, rings, and poles are all made, and its hollow frame is prepared for transport. Every feature serves both sacrifice and movement.

B¹ezalel constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. ²He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze. ³He made all the altar’s utensils of bronze — its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans. ⁴He made a grate of bronze mesh for the altar under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom. ⁵At the four corners of the bronze grate he cast four rings as holders for the poles. ⁶And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. ⁷Then he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar for carrying it. He made the altar with boards so that it was hollow.