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Exodus 35

Exodus 35: Whoever Is of a Willing Heart

Exodus 35: Moses calls Israel to Sabbath rest and a freewill offering for the tabernacle, and the same people who gave gold for a calf now give it freely to God.

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Exodus 35: Whoever Is of a Willing Heart
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Exodus 35Study this chapter → · World English Bible · public domain

Exodus 35: Whoever Is of a Willing Heart

After the golden calf, God’s people are asked to give again - and this time the gold flows freely. Exodus 35 opens the final section of the book (chapters 35-40), where everything God instructed Moses to build on Mount Sinai in chapters 25-31 finally takes shape. Moses first repeats the Sabbath command, then calls the whole congregation to bring a freewill offering of gold, silver, dyed cloth, hides, wood, oil, spices, and gemstones for the tabernacle. The people, so recently guilty of melting their jewelry into an idol, respond instead with “a willing heart” - bringing so much material that Moses will need to tell them to stop in the following chapter. The chapter closes by naming Bezalel and Oholiab, two craftsmen filled with the Spirit of God, to lead the work.

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Quick Answer

Exodus 35 records Moses giving Israel the Sabbath command and calling for a freewill offering of materials and skilled labor for the tabernacle, and the people respond with such immediate, willing generosity that the chapter closes with the naming of Bezalel and Oholiab to lead the construction.

About Exodus 35

Exodus 35 begins the final major section of the book, where everything God commanded on Mount Sinai in chapters 25-31 is finally put into motion. Moses assembles “all the congregation of the children of Israel” and relays two things: the Sabbath law, restated from Exodus 20, and a call for a freewill offering. The list of materials he names - gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, sea cow hides, acacia wood, oil, spices, and onyx stones - repeats almost word for word the list God first gave Moses in Exodus 25:3-7. Instruction is becoming construction.

The chapter opens, notably, not with the offering but with the Sabbath: “six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of solemn rest to the LORD.” Even the sacred work of building God’s dwelling place does not override the rhythm of rest God commanded at creation and again at Sinai. Exodus brackets the entire tabernacle-instruction section (chapters 25-31) with the Sabbath command on both ends - a reminder that the craftsmen about to be praised for their skill are still bound to rest one day in seven.

What makes the chapter remarkable is timing. This is the same generation that, only three chapters earlier, stripped off its gold earrings to build a calf to worship in Moses’ absence. Now the text piles up language of willingness: “whoever is of a willing heart” (v.5), “everyone whose heart stirred him up” (v.21), “as many as were willing-hearted” (v.22), “all the women who were wise-hearted” (v.25), “everyone whose heart made them willing” (v.29). Four times in one chapter, the text insists this offering is uncoerced. The same materials once melted into an idol are now given, freely and abundantly, to build the place where God will actually dwell among his people - a quiet but pointed reversal. The pattern recurs centuries later when David appeals for temple offerings in 1 Chronicles 29, using the same language of a willing heart.

The chapter closes by naming Bezalel, son of Uri, of the tribe of Judah, and Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan - craftsmen “filled with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship,” appointed both to build and to teach others. It is one of the Old Testament’s clearest statements that the Spirit of God equips people for skilled, practical work, not only for prophecy or leadership - an idea the New Testament later develops into the doctrine of spiritual gifts distributed across the whole body of believers (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12:6-8).

Full Chapter Text

Exodus 35 (World English Bible)

  1. Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said to them, “These are the words which the LORD has commanded, that you should do them.
  2. ‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of solemn rest to the LORD: whoever does any work in it shall be put to death.
  3. You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations on the Sabbath day.’”
  4. Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,
  5. ‘Take from amongst you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD’s offering: gold, silver, bronze,
  6. blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair,
  7. rams’ skins dyed red, sea cow hides, acacia wood,
  8. oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense,
  9. onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate.
  10. “‘Let every wise-hearted man amongst you come, and make all that the LORD has commanded:
  11. the tabernacle, its outer covering, its roof, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets;
  12. the ark, and its poles, the mercy seat, the veil of the screen;
  13. the table with its poles and all its vessels, and the show bread;
  14. the lamp stand also for the light, with its vessels, its lamps, and the oil for the light;
  15. and the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle;
  16. the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its vessels, the basin and its base;
  17. the hangings of the court, its pillars, their sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court;
  18. the pins of the tabernacle, the pins of the court, and their cords;
  19. the finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place - the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons - to minister in the priest’s office.’”
  20. All the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.
  21. They came, everyone whose heart stirred him up, and everyone whom his spirit made willing, and brought the LORD’s offering for the work of the Tent of Meeting, and for all of its service, and for the holy garments.
  22. They came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought brooches, earrings, signet rings, and armlets, all jewels of gold; even every man who offered an offering of gold to the LORD.
  23. Everyone with whom was found blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, and sea cow hides, brought them.
  24. Everyone who offered an offering of silver and bronze brought the LORD’s offering; and everyone with whom was found acacia wood for any work of the service, brought it.
  25. All the women who were wise-hearted spun with their hands, and brought that which they had spun: the blue, the purple, the scarlet, and the fine linen.
  26. All the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats’ hair.
  27. The rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate;
  28. with the spice and the oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.
  29. The children of Israel brought a free will offering to the LORD; every man and woman whose heart made them willing to bring for all the work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by Moses.
  30. Moses said to the children of Israel, “Behold, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
  31. He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship;
  32. and to make skilful works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze,
  33. in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all kinds of skilful workmanship.
  34. He has put in his heart that he may teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
  35. He has filled them with wisdom of heart to work all kinds of workmanship, of the engraver, of the skilful workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of those who do any workmanship, and of those who make skilful works.

World English Bible. Public domain.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main message of Exodus 35?

Exodus 35 records Moses calling Israel to observe the Sabbath and bring a freewill offering of materials and skilled labor for building the tabernacle. The people respond with immediate, overflowing generosity, and Bezalel and Oholiab are named to lead the Spirit-gifted craftsmen carrying out the work.

Who wrote Exodus 35?

Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses, the central figure relaying God’s instructions throughout this chapter. Scholarly dating places the composition in the fifteenth century BC under the early exodus view (tied to 1 Kings 6:1), or the thirteenth century BC under the later view (correlated with Egyptian records under Ramesses II).

When was Exodus written?

Traditional dating places the exodus and the giving of the law at Sinai in the fifteenth century BC, with Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch following soon after. The later scholarly view places the exodus in the thirteenth century BC. Either way, Exodus 35 sits at the hinge between God’s tabernacle instructions and Israel’s actual construction of it.

What does “whoever is of a willing heart” mean?

The phrase in verse 5 makes the tabernacle offering explicitly voluntary - no tax, no quota, only what each person chooses to give. The principle recurs throughout the chapter (“everyone whose heart stirred him up,” “as many as were willing-hearted”) and is restated in the New Testament at 2 Corinthians 9:7, “God loves a cheerful giver.”

How does Exodus 35 connect to the golden calf story in Exodus 32?

The same congregation that stripped off its gold jewelry to build an idol in Exodus 32 now strips off gold jewelry again - this time to build the tabernacle. The chapter reads as a quiet but pointed reversal, redirecting the exact same generosity that once fueled rebellion toward worship of the LORD.

Who were Bezalel and Oholiab?

Bezalel, of the tribe of Judah, and Oholiab, of the tribe of Dan, are the two craftsmen Moses names as “filled with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship” to lead the tabernacle’s construction. They were first appointed by God directly in Exodus 31:1-6; Exodus 35 announces that appointment to the people and adds that both men were also gifted to teach others their skills.

What is the significance of the Sabbath command at the start of Exodus 35?

Moses restates the Sabbath law before calling for the tabernacle offering, making clear that even sacred construction work does not suspend the weekly rhythm of rest God commanded at creation and at Sinai. Exodus brackets the entire tabernacle-instruction section (chapters 25-31) with the Sabbath command on both ends, framing the craftsmen’s skill within a larger rhythm of worshipful rest.

How does Exodus 35 connect to 1 Chronicles 29?

Centuries later, King David uses nearly identical language when he calls Israel to give freely toward building the temple: “who then offers willingly to consecrate himself today to the LORD?” (1 Chronicles 29:5). Both passages present freewill giving, not compulsion, as the pattern for funding God’s dwelling place among his people.

How many verses are in Exodus 35?

Exodus 35 contains 35 verses, moving from the Sabbath command and the call for offerings (verses 1-19), through the people’s abundant response (verses 20-29), to the naming of Bezalel and Oholiab as the Spirit-gifted craftsmen who will lead the work (verses 30-35).

Reading Plans Featuring This Chapter

Sources & Further Reading

  1. The Bible Project - Exodus 19-40 Explainer
  2. Exodus 35 - World English Bible (source text)
  3. Got Questions - What was the tabernacle in the Old Testament?
  4. Bible Gateway - Exodus 35 (BSB)

About Psalm Selah

Psalm Selah is the cinematic indie-folk project of Psalmody Press, a male and female duo bringing Scripture into the sonic world of contemporary indie - fingerpicked acoustic guitar, cello-led strings, brushed drums, mandolin shimmer, and two voices used as a per-song lever (a raw male lead, an ethereal female lead, harmony, duo, or solo). The duo works in the tradition of Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire,” Hozier, Bon Iver, Sleeping at Last, Sandra McCracken, and Andrew Peterson, with Hans Zimmer’s intimate-to-cinematic dynamic range. Their signature compositional move is build choreography - every song-structure transition is locked 1:1 to an instrumentation event, so the song’s shape is its instrumentation order. Their signature lyric move is the structural Selah - a held silence inside the song, sonic and lyrical, where the listener is asked to pause and consider what was just said. They are setting every chapter of the Bible to song, with particular attention to the wisdom literature, the parables of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, the apocalyptic books, and the chapters of Scripture where careful, lyrical attention rewards close listening.

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Published: 2026-07-02 · Last updated: 2026-07-02 Written by: Reid Wender, Editorial Director, Psalmody Press