Exodus 38:8

“And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, etc.] Not of the brass of the offering, for of that were made the brazen altar, its grate and vessels, the sockets of the court and court gate, and the pins of the tabernacle, (<023829>Exodus 38:29-31) but no mention is made there of the laver; for that was made, as here said, of the looking glasses of [the women] assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; though these are called looking glasses, it is not to be supposed that they were made of glass as ours are; for of what use could such be in the making of a brazen laver? Some indeed choose to read the words “with the looking glasses” f991, and…”

“laver of brass . . . of the looking glasses of the women--The word mirrors should have been used, as those implements, usually round, inserted into a handle of wood, stone, or metal, were made of brass, silver, or bronze, highly polished [WILKINSON]. It was customary for the Egyptian women to carry mirrors with them to the temples; and whether by taking the looking glasses of the Hebrew women Moses designed to put it out of their power to follow a similar practice at the tabernacle, or whether the supply of brass from other sources in the camp was exhausted, it is interesting to learn how zealously and to a vast extent they surrendered those valued accompaniments of the female toilet. of the…”

“See the marginal reference. The women who assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting were most probably devout women who loved the public service of religion. The giving up of their mirrors for the use of the sanctuary was a fit sacrifice for such women to make (compare Exodus 35:22 note). return to 'Top of Page'”

“This laver signified the provision that is made in the gospel for cleansing our souls from the pollution of sin by the merit of Christ, that we may be fit to serve the holy God in holy duties. This is here said to be made of the looking - glasses of the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle. It should seem these women were eminent for devotion, attending more constantly at the place of public worship than others, and notice is here taken of it to their honour. These looking - glasses were of the finest brass, burnished for that purpose. In the laver, either they were artfully joined together, or else molten down and cast anew; but it is probable the laver was so brightly…”

“38:8 While the plans for the washbasin (30:17-21) were included in the instructions to the priests (29:38–30:38), here its construction is reported in logical sequence. • This bronze, which could be polished to a mirror-like finish, was probably of especially high quality, as was fitting for use in God’s Tabernacle.”

“the laver: Exo 30:18-21, Exo 40:7, Exo 40:30-32; Kg1 7:23-26, Kg1 7:38; Psa 26:6; Zac 13:1; Joh 13:10; Tit 3:5, Tit 3:6; Heb 9:10; Jo1 3:7; Rev 1:5, looking glasses, or, brazen glasses, The word maroth, from raah, to see, denotes reflectors, or mirrors, of any kind. That these could not have been looking glasses, as in our translation, is sufficiently evident, not only from the glass not being then in use, but also from the impossibility of making the brazen laver of such materials. The first mirrors known among men, were the clear fountain and unruffled lake. The first artificial ones were made of polished brass, afterwards of steel, and when luxury increased, of silver; but at a very early…”