“And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 26:33 Mean?
"And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy." The veil in the tabernacle creates the most significant boundary in Israelite worship: the separation between the Holy Place (where priests served daily) and the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies, where God's presence dwelt above the ark). Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and only once a year, on the Day of Atonement.
The veil represented both access and separation — God was present behind it, but unapproachable except through prescribed ritual. When Jesus died, this veil tore from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), signaling that the barrier between God and humanity had been permanently removed.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does knowing about the veil change your appreciation for the access to God you have through Jesus?
- 2.What does it mean that the veil tore from top to bottom — initiated by God, not by human effort?
- 3.Do you take your access to God's presence for granted — and what would change if you didn't?
- 4.How does the contrast between the high priest's annual terror and your casual daily prayer reflect the magnitude of what Jesus accomplished?
Devotional
The veil divided. Holy from Most Holy. Accessible from unapproachable. The place where priests could go from the place where only one priest could go, once a year, with blood.
God was behind the veil. That's the staggering reality of the tabernacle. The Creator of the universe chose to dwell in a tent, in a room, behind a curtain. Close enough to be in the camp. Separated enough that casual approach was lethal. The veil wasn't decorative. It was protective. What it protected wasn't God from people — it was people from God. His unmediated holiness would destroy anyone who entered unprepared.
Every thread of that veil said: I am here, but you cannot come closer. Not yet. Not like this. The high priest could come once a year, covered in blood, surrounded by incense, trembling with the knowledge that one wrong move meant death. That was the best the old covenant could offer: annual, terrified access for one representative.
And then Jesus died. And the veil tore. From top to bottom — not from bottom to top, which would suggest human effort. From the top. God himself ripped the curtain open. The barrier he erected to protect his people from his holiness he destroyed to give his people access to his presence.
Every time you pray — casually, quietly, without blood and incense — you're walking through a torn veil. What used to cost the high priest terror and trembling now costs you nothing. Because it cost Jesus everything.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent,.... At the east end of the tabernacle, which lay open and…
(Compare Exo. 36:8-33.) The tabernacle was to comprise three main parts, the tabernacle Exo 26:1-6, more strictly…
Two veils are here ordered to be made, 1. One for a partition between the holy place and the most holy, which not only…
under the clasps the clasps mentioned in v.6, which must have been (vv.2, 3) at a distance of 5 × 4 (20) cubits from the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture