Exodus 27 · Verse 20

Exodus 27:20

And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

Exodus 27:20, King James Version

Exodus 27:20 in other translations

BSB	And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.
WEB	“You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.
ASV	And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.
YLT	‘And thou--thou dost command the sons of Israel, and they bring unto thee pure beaten olive oil for the light, to cause the lamp to go up continually;
DARBY	And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee olive oil, pure, beaten, for the light, to light the lamp continually.
BBE	Give orders to the children of Israel to give you clear olive oil for the lights, so that a light may be burning there at all times.
Webster	And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring the pure olive-oil beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

What does Exodus 27:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 27:20-21

20-21. pure oil olive beaten--that is, such as runs from the olives when bruised and without the application of fire. for the light ... Aaron and his sons--were to take charge of lighting it in all time coming.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 20 Pure oil olive beaten - That is, such oil as could easily be expressed from the olives after they had been bruised in a mortar; the mother drop, as it is called, which drops out of itself as soon as the olives are a little broken, and which is much purer than that which is obtained after the olives are put under the press. Columella, who is a legitimate evidence in all such matters, says that the oil which flowed out of the fruit either spontaneously, or with little application of the force of the press, was of a much finer flavour than that which was obtained otherwise. Quoniam longe melioris saporis est, quod minore vi preli, quasi luxurians, defluxerit - Colum., lib. xii., c. 50. To cause the lamp to burn always - They were to be kept burning through the whole of the night, and some think all the day besides; but there is a difference of sentiment upon this subject. See the note on Exo 27:21. This oil and continual flame were not only emblematical of the unction and influences of the Holy Ghost, but also of that pure spirit of devotion which ever animates the hearts and minds of the genuine worshippers of the true God. The temple of Vesta, where a fire was kept perpetually burning, seems to have been formed on the model of the tabernacle; and from this the followers of Zeratusht, commonly called Zoroaster, appear to have derived their doctrine of the perpetual fire, which they still worship as an emblem of the Deity.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 27:20-21

The pure oil signified the gifts and graces of the Spirit, which all believers receive from Christ, the good Olive, and without which our light cannot shine before men. The priests were to light the lamps, and tend them. It is the work of ministers, by preaching and expounding the Scriptures, which are as a lamp, to enlighten the church, God's tabernacle upon earth. Blessed be God, this light is not now confined to the Jewish tabernacle, but is a light to lighten the gentiles, and for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Exodus 27:20 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאַתָּ֞הve.'a.Tahand youH859

תְּצַוֶּ֣ה\׀te.tza.Vehyou will commandH6680

אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853

בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] people ofH1121

יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

וְיִקְח֨וּve.yik.Chuso they may bringH3947

אֵלֶ֜יךָ'e.Lei.khato youH413

שֶׁ֣מֶןShe.menoil ofH8081

זַ֥יִתZa.yitoliveH2132

זָ֛ךְzakhpureH2134

כָּתִ֖יתka.TitpressedH3795

לַמָּא֑וֹרla.ma.'orfor the lightH3974

לְהַעֲלֹ֥תle.ha.'a.Lotto lift upH5927

נֵ֖רnera lampH5216

תָּמִֽיד\׃ta.MidcontinuallyH8548

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 27:20

Leviticus 24:1-4
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the Lord continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations. He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the Lord continually.
Psalms 23:5
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Zechariah 4:11-14
Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
Judges 9:9
But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
Exodus 39:37
The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light,
Exodus 25:31-37
And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers. …
Revelation 11:4
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

pure oil olive beaten.That is, such oil as could be easily expressed from the olives, after they had been bruised in a mortar; and which is much purer than that obtained after the olives are put under the press.
39:37; Le 24:2-4; Jud 9:9; Ps 23:5; Zec 4:11-14; Re 11:4
for the light.
25:31-37
to cause the lamp.Josephus says, that the whole of the seven lamps burned all night; and that in the morning four were extinguished, and three burned the whole of the day. Such might have been the practice in his time; but it appears sufficiently evident from ch. 30:8, and 1 Sa 3:3, that they were anciently extinguished in the morning.
to burn. Heb. to ascend up.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Exodus 27:19
All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
Exodus 27:20
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
Exodus 27:21
In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Read all of Exodus 27

Exodus 27:20 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y tú mandarás á los hijos de Israel que te traigan aceite puro de olivas, molido, para la luminaria, para hacer arder continuamente las lámparas.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et toi, tu commanderas aux fils d’Israël, et ils t’apporteront de l’huile d’olive pure, broyée, pour le luminaire, pour faire luire les lampes continuellement.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und du, du sollst den Kindern Israel gebieten, daß sie dir reines, zerstoßenes Olivenöl bringen zum Licht, um die Lampen anzuzünden beständig.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Præcipe filiis Israël ut afferant tibi oleum de arboribus olivarum purissimum, piloque contusum, ut ardeat lucerna semper