Exo 31:3-6 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 3. I have filled him with the spirit of God ] . In wisdom ] , chochmah , from chacham , to be wise, skilful , or prudent , denoting the compass of mind and strength of capacity necessary to form a wise man : hence our word wisdom , the power of judging what is wise or best to be done; from the Saxon, [Anglo-Saxon], to teach, to advise , and [Anglo-Saxon], to judge ; hence [Anglo-Saxon], the doom or judgment of the well taught, wise , or prudent man . Understanding ] tebunah , from ban or bun , to separate, distinguish, discern ; capacity to comprehend the different parts of a work, how to connect, arrange, &c., in order to make a complete whole . Knowledge ] daath , denoting particular acquaintance with a person or thing; practical , experimental knowledge.

‏ Exodus 31:3-6

Verse 3. I have filled him with the spirit of God] See Clarke on Ex 28:3.

In wisdom] , chochmah, from chacham, to be wise, skilful, or prudent, denoting the compass of mind and strength of capacity necessary to form a wise man: hence our word wisdom, the power of judging what is wise or best to be done; from the Saxon, [Anglo-Saxon], to teach, to advise, and [Anglo-Saxon], to judge; hence [Anglo-Saxon], the doom or judgment of the well taught, wise, or prudent man.

Understanding] tebunah, from ban or bun, to separate, distinguish, discern; capacity to comprehend the different parts of a work, how to connect, arrange, &c., in order to make a complete whole.

Knowledge] daath, denoting particular acquaintance with a person or thing; practical, experimental knowledge.

Verse 4. Cunning works] machashaboth, works of invention or genius, in the goldsmith and silversmith line.

Verse 5. In cutting of stones, &c.] Every thing that concerned the lapidary's, jeweller's, and carver's art.

Verse 6. In the hearts of all that are wisehearted I have put wisdom] So every man that had a natural genius, as we term it, had an increase of wisdom by immediate inspiration from God, so that he knew how to execute the different works which Divine wisdom designed for the tabernacle and its furniture. Dark as were the heathens, yet they acknowledged that all talents, and the seeds of all arts, came from God. Hence Seneca: Insita nobis omnium artium semina, magisterque ex occulto Deus producit ingenia.

In the same way Homer attributes such curious arts to Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, and Vulcan, the god of handicrafts.

ωςδοτετιςχρυσονπεριχευεταιαργυρωανηρ

ιδριςονηφαιστοςδεδαενκαιπαλλαςαθηνη

τεχνηνπαντοιηνχαριενταδεεργατελειει.

Odyss., l. vi., ver. 232.

As by some artist, to whom VULCAN gives

His skill divine, a breathing statue lives;

By PALLAS taught, he frames the wondrous mould,

And o'er the silver pours the fusile gold. -POPE.

And all this the wisest of men long before them declared; when speaking of the wisdom of God he says, I, Wisdom, dwell with Prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions; Pr 8:12. See Clarke on Ex 28:3, to which the reader is particularly desired to refer. There is something remarkable in the name of this second superintendent, Aholiab, the tabernacle of the father, or, the father is my tabernacle; a name nearly similar in its meaning to that of Bezaleel, See Clarke on Ex 31:2.