The area thus formed was divided into two unequal portions, the outer one zo cubits, the inner ro cubits long. The latter was thus a cube of ro cubits. This was the Most Holy place, into which the high-priest alone could enter. It as separated from the outer portion of the sanctu ary by four pillars of acacia wood, gilded, on which was hung,, by means of hooks of gold, a veil of the richest material, and most beautifully adorned. At the outer entrance of the tabernacle there were five pillars of acacia wood, also gilded, and resting on bases of brass, on which was bung by golden hooks a veil adorned with needlework. This veil, Josephus says, came down to the middle of the pillars, and over it there was another of coarser materials, which served to protect it from the weather, and which could be drawn up with cords so as to afford a view of the more costly veil behind. Besides supporting the veils, these pillars probably contributed to the support of a framework on which the coverings of the roof were stretched.
No details are given either in the Bible or by Josephus of the construction of the roof ; the coverings of it are alone mentioned. These cover ings are minutely described by the historians. They were four in number. First came one made of ten curtains of delicate texture of byssus in various colours, and adorned with figures of cherubim ; each curtain was 28 cubits in length, and 4 in breadth ; they were hung five on each side, these being probably sewed together (Rashi on Exod. xxvi. 3), so as to form a sheet 20 cubits by 28, and the two sheets were coupled together by loops and taches of gold. The second covering was formed by eleven curtains of goats' hair, each 30 cubits in length and 4 in breadth ; these were fastened (probably sewed) together, five on one part, and six on the other ; and the two sheets thus formed were to be joined by loops and taches of brass. The third covering was of rams' skins dyed red, probably a kind of morocco leather (see this art.) ; and the fourth was of tachash skins [TAclusla The dimensions of these are not given in the Bible. Josephus says that they both projected so as to protect the other coverings from rain and sunshine ; but Rashi and others are of opinion that the leather and skin coverings were only for the top, and did not reach to the sides. There is some countenance given to this by the use of the word ;61:05n, ver. 14; but this pro *: : • bably applies only to the tachash skins, and may intimate that these were used to cover the places on the top where the curtains were joined.
Such were the coverings of the Tabernacle ; the question now arises, how were thcy adjusted ? Assuming that the roof of the Tabernacle was flat, we may suppose the arrangement to have been as follows :—First, we have two large curtains of byssus, each 20 cubits by 28; with which have to be covered two sides, each 3o x ro cubits, and a roof also 3o x ro. Suppose then one curtain
stretched from the front backwards it would cover 20 cubits of the roof, and hang down over zo cubits in length of the sides ; attached to this by the loops and golden taches the other curtain would cover the remaining ro cubits of roof and wall, leaving a space uncovered at the base to show the silver sockets. This meets one condition of the text ; it brings the juncture of the two curtains exactly over the veil at the entrance of the Holy of Holies (ver. 33) ; but it labours under the disad vantage of representing the costly innermost cover ing as concealed for two-thirds of its surface be tween the walls of the tabernacle and the outer covering of goats-hair cloth. This objcction, how ever, may be obviated, as Rahr suggests, by sup posing that the byssus curtain was made to cover the insia'e of the boards, so as to form a sort ot tapestry. On other. grounds this is probable, and there is no serious objection to it ; for though it has been asked, how could the same curtain cover both a flat roof and perpendicular wall ? there seems no great difficulty in conceiving an adjustment of the framework of the roof by which this might be accomplished.
The byssus curtain being thus adjusted so as to cover the wall inside, which had else been left bare, and on this account unseemly, the goats-hair curtain was placed over it, but so as to fall down outside the walls. As this curtain had It pieces, there were 5 cubits to spare. The covering seems to have been so placed that one half of these was to the front and the other half to the back ; and whiist the part at the back hung loose down (ver. 12), the part at the front was fOlded back, so as to form a kind of penthouse or projecting roof (dert4cart rapaa-30 04ov, Joseph.) and sides. In this way a small portico was formed ; and thus we get the three parts of which Josephus says the whole consisted. It is worthy of notice that while the byssus covering was only 28 cubits in length, this of goat's hair was 30 ; and that the difference between these two is just the difference between the inside and the outside measurement (allowance being made in the latter for the thickness of the boards, which was one cubit). This confirms the suggestion that the one hung within and the other without the walls.