Exodus 26:7 · Bible study
Exodus 26:7 Commentary: Goats' Hair Curtains
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study the goats' hair curtains over the tabernacle: their protective function, material, and what they reveal about God's covering and humility.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The goats' hair curtains were the outer protective layer over the tabernacle, shielding the inner sanctuary from weather and damage.
- Key words: yᵊriʿa (curtain) and ʿiz (goat's hair), coarse, common material, linked to Bedouin tents (Song 1:5).
- Main debate: Whether the primary significance is practical (weather protection) or typological (symbolizing Christ's humility or the church's lowly state).
- Theological theme: God provides complete covering for his dwelling; humility and protection are valued over outward splendor.
- Best use: Preaching on God's attention to detail, the value of ordinary service, and the need for spiritual covering.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You are to make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven curtains in all.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“You shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a covering over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains.
KJV King James Version 1769
And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make them.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`And thou hast made curtains of goats' hair , for a tent over the tabernacle; thou dost make eleven curtains:
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And thou shalt make curtains of goats' [hair] for a tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make them.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Thou shalt make also eleven curtains of goats' hair, to cover the top of the tabernacle.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Harás asimismo cortinas de pelo de cabras para una cubierta sobre el tabernáculo; once|strong="H0259, H6240" cortinas harás.
Farás também cortinas de pelo de cabras para uma tenda sobre o tabernáculo; onze cortinas farás.
Tu feras des tapis de poil de chèvre, pour servir de tente sur le tabernacle; tu feras onze de ces tapis.
Du sollst auch eine Decke aus Ziegenhaar machen zur Hütte über die Wohnung von elf Teppichen.
Ook zult gij gordijnen uit geiten haar maken tot een tent over den tabernakel; van elf gordijnen zult gij die maken.
Farai pure dei teli di pel di capra, per servir da tenda per coprire il tabernacolo: di questi teli ne farai undici.
Urobisz też opony z sierści koziej na namiot ku zakrywaniu przybytku z wierzchu; jedenaście takich opon urobisz.
И сделай покрывала на козьей шерсти, чтобы покрывать скинию; одиннадцать покрывал сделай таких;
「你要用山羊毛 織 十一 幅幔子，作 為帳幕 以上的 罩棚。
And you are to make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the House, eleven curtains.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 26:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the goats' hair curtains served as the outer protective layer for the tabernacle. Cambridge Bible notes that Bedouin tents are made similarly from goats' hair, a material that sheds rain effectively. Gill and Matthew Henry emphasize the coarser quality compared to the inner linen curtains, with Henry adding that the bronze clasps used to couple them show that unity can be strong even with humble materials. Keil and Delitzsch treat them as the outer tent over the dwelling. The consensus is clear: these curtains provided necessary shelter from the elements while also carrying a symbolic weight, Gill sees in them Christ's lowly outward appearance and the church's humble condition in the world.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Practical protection view: The verses describe physical covering from weather; cross-references to Bedouin tents and the need for durability support this reading (Cambridge Bible, Keil-Delitzsch).
- Typological humility view: The coarse, dark hair points to Christ's human lowliness (Philippians 2) and the church's outward affliction (Gill, Matthew Henry).
What is clear: The curtains served as a protective outer covering for the tabernacle, made from coarse goats' hair, reflecting God's care for the sanctuary's durability and the community's shared labor in providing it.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose of the goats' hair curtains | They functioned as an outer covering to protect the inner tabernacle from sun, rain, and wear. | Some interpreters (Gill, Matthew Henry) see a clear typological meaning pointing to Christ's humility or the church's outward lowliness. Others (Cambridge Bible, Keil-Delitzsch) focus on practical and historical context without extending allegory. |
| Significance of the number eleven | Eleven curtains were used because the set needed to be larger than the inner ten curtains to provide complete coverage. | Gill suggests the extra curtain was for the entrance, since there was no linen curtain there. Some see symbolic meaning in the odd number (incompleteness? extra protection?), while others treat it as purely functional. |
| Material symbolism | Goats' hair was a common, practical material for tents in the ancient Near East. | Some traditions read the coarse, dark hair as symbolizing penitence, mourning, or Christ's taking on human flesh. Others see no inherent symbolic value beyond its utility. |
| Role of women in construction | The goats' hair was spun by women (Exodus 35:26), showing broad community participation. | Some emphasize this as affirming women's ministry in the church's building, while others see it as a historical note without contemporary application. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The tabernacle was a mobile sanctuary for Israel during the wilderness journey. Goats' hair was the standard tent-making material for desert peoples, including the Bedouin, who wove it into dark, durable cloth that withstood sun and rain. The instructions in Exodus 26 describe a layered system of four coverings: fine linen, goats' hair, rams' skins, and sea cow hides. This goats' hair layer, the second covering, consisted of eleven curtains, each thirty cubits long and four cubits wide, larger overall than the inner linen set of ten. The curtains were sewn into two groups (five and six), then coupled with fifty bronze clasps and loops. The extra curtain allowed the sixth to be doubled over the front entrance, forming a protective overhang (verse 9). The material was spun by women whose hearts stirred them (Exodus 35:26), showing the whole community contributed. This design ensured the sacred inner space was shielded from weather and damage, a practical and theological demonstration of God's provision for a dwelling place among his people.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources (Clarke, Cambridge Bible, Gill, Keil-Delitzsch, etc.) note no significant textual variants for Exodus 26:7. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The verse stands as received.
Reception History
Early Christian interpreters often allegorized the tabernacle's coverings. Origen and Augustine saw the goats' hair as representing the penitential life or the Lord's humanity, coarse but protecting. In Reformation commentaries, Matthew Henry and John Gill developed the typology strongly: the outer curtains prefigured Christ's lowly appearance and the church's suffering in the world. Modern scholarship, rooted in archaeology and anthropology, emphasizes the practical Bedouin parallels (Cambridge Bible, Keil-Delitzsch) and the verse's role in the tabernacle's structural design. The goats' hair covering has also been sung in hymns of refuge and provision, though no specific hymn is named.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Protection from the elements. The goats' hair curtains formed a tough outer cover that kept rain, heat, and dust off the beautiful inner curtains. God does not only provide beauty; he provides durability and protection for his dwelling.
- Humility and covering. Like the goats' hair, which is dark and coarse, the outer appearance of the tabernacle was modest. This points to Christ, who appeared in lowly human form (Philippians 2:7-8), and to the church, which is often humble outwardly yet glorious within (1 Peter 3:3-4).
- Unity across difference. The eleven curtains were coupled into one tent with bronze clasps. Though less valuable than gold, the bronze held just as securely. God values unity among his people, even when the materials of our lives seem ordinary.
Five-point outline
- Goats' hair: a common, sturdy material, God uses ordinary things for sacred purposes.
- Eleven curtains instead of ten, intentional design for complete coverage.
- Two sets coupled together, the church united across groups.
- Bronze clasps instead of gold, faithfulness over flashiness.
- The sixth curtain doubled at the entrance, extra protection where the tent opened to the outside world.
Illustration hooks
- A tarpaulin over a prized vehicle: the tarp is plain but vital for protection.
- A rain jacket over a nice suit: the jacket may be ugly, but it keeps the suit dry.
- When moving house, the strongest boxes are often the most battered cardboard, not the decorated ones.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God care about goats' hair curtains? What does this have to do with my life?
- Does the plain outer covering mean the tabernacle was ugly? Or is there a beauty in humility?
- What does it mean that the covering was made by women spinning goats' hair? Does God value ordinary work?
Leading a Discussion
This verse describes the second layer of the tabernacle covering, coarse goats' hair curtains that protected the inner sanctuary. As you study, notice that God gave detailed instructions for every part of the dwelling place, even the parts that no one would see from the inside. Consider what this says about God's attention to both the visible and invisible aspects of worship.
Discussion questions
- What do you notice about the materials used for the outer covering? How do they compare to the inner curtains of fine linen?
- Why do you think God specified eleven curtains instead of ten? What practical difference might that make?
- Gill sees these curtains as representing Christ's humble human appearance. Matthew Henry focuses on their protective function. Which interpretation speaks to you more, and why?
- The Bedouin still use goats' hair for tents. How does this historical connection help you read the passage?
- In what areas of your life do you need God's covering, something that shelters and protects while you worship and serve?
- This covering was made by women who were willing workers (Exodus 35:26). How does the involvement of ordinary people in building the tabernacle affect your view of serving God?
- What does it mean that the outer covering was plain but the inner was beautiful? How does this shape your understanding of the church today?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 25:4 | blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair, |
| Exodus 26:1 | “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubim. You shall make them with the work of a skillful workman. |
| Exodus 26:9 | You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shall double over the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tent. |
| Exodus 26:12 | The overhanging part that remains of the curtains of the tent—the half curtain that remains—shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. |
| Exodus 26:14 | You shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of sea cow hides above. |
| Exodus 35:6 | blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair, |
| Exodus 35:23 | Everyone with whom was found blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, and sea cow hides, brought them. |
| Exodus 35:26 | All the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats’ hair. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke identifies the material as goats' hair, the same fabric described in his note on Exodus 25:4, and notes that it served as the second covering for the tabernacle, beneath the outer layer.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible School connects the tabernacle's goat-hair curtains directly to Bedouin tent-making, still done the same way in their time. The curtains, each thirty by four cubits and stitched together, formed a single large covering capable of keeping out heavy rain. Their dark colour is noted in Song of Solomon.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Also thou shalt make curtaines of goates heare, to be a couering vpon the Tabernacle: thou shalt make them to the number of eleuen curtaines.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill interprets the goats' hair curtains as a type of Christ's humble outward appearance and
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the goats' hair curtains were made one more in number than the inner ones and hung a yard lower on each side. Their purpose was strictly protective and concealing: they shielded the more beautiful curtains beneath from weather and from public view.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch point out that the tabernacle's outer covering of goats' hair matches the material and construction still used by Bedouin Arabs for their tents. They give exact dimensions: eleven curtains, each thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry sees a spiritual lesson in the tabernacle's outer coverings. The goats' hair curtains are coupled with brass clasps rather than gold, teaching that the bonds of unity among God's people are not measured by