Exodus 20:25

“And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, etc.] If they chose instead of an earthen one to make one of stone, as they might in rocky places, where they came, and in such an one where they now were, Mount Sinai, under which hill an altar was built, (<022404>Exodus 24:4), thou shall not build it of hewn stone; which would require time and occasion expense, to hew and polish them in an artificial way; but it was to be built of rude and unpolished stones, just as they were taken out of the quarry, or found lying by the way, and which were laid up in an heap one upon another, and was done with little trouble, and without any ornament, and easily separated and thrown down, when become useless:…”

“thou shalt not build it of hewn stone, &c.--that is, carved with figures and ornaments that might lead to superstition.”

“Nothing could be more appropriate as the commencement of the book of the covenant than these regulations for public worship. The rules for the building of altars must have been old and accepted, and are not inconsistent with the directions for the construction of the altar of the court of the tabernacle, Exodus 27:1-8 (compare Joshua 22:26-28). return to 'Top of Page' Footnotes: Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliographical Information Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on Exodus 20". "Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bnb/exodus-20.html. 1870. StudyLight.org &copy;&#160;2001-2026 Powered by Lightspeed Technology”

“And: Deu 27:5, Deu 27:6; Jos 8:31 build it of hewn stone: Heb. build them with hewing Exodus 20:26”