Exodus 27 describes the bronze altar of burnt offering, the outer court surrounding the tabernacle, and the command to keep a lamp burning continually. These questions are for small groups, Sunday classes, and personal study. Each set moves from what the text says, to what it means, to how it shapes everyday life.
Exodus 27 at a Glance
The chapter opens with instructions for building the altar: its dimensions, horns, bronze fittings, and carrying poles. Then it turns to the courtyard, with its hangings, pillars, sockets, and the gate screen made of colored and fine linen. It closes with the olive oil for the lamp, kept by Aaron and his sons from evening to morning.
Read the chapter as a movement from the place of sacrifice, to the enclosed space around the presence of God, to the steady light that continues within it. The questions below follow that path, so a leader can use them without a separate summary.
Observation Questions
Use these first to make sure everyone has read the text closely and agrees on what it actually records. Keep the discussion on the words in front of you before moving on to meaning.
Exodus 27:1-2
1 “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square: and its height shall be three cubits. 2 You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it; and you shall overlay it with brass.
(WEB)
Read these first to introduce the altar and its construction. Hearing the specific dimensions and materials helps the group picture the place of sacrifice before discussing its meaning.
Exodus 27:9-10
9 “You shall make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen one hundred cubits long for one side: 10 and its pillars shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.
(WEB)
These verses open the description of the courtyard and its hangings. Reading them aloud helps the group feel the enclosure the text describes and prepares them for questions about boundaries.
Exodus 27:16
For the gate of the court shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; their pillars four, and their sockets four.
(WEB)
The gate screen is the most colorful and detailed part of the courtyard. Reading this verse slowly lets the group notice the care taken to make the entrance both beautiful and clearly marked.
Exodus 27:19
All the instruments of the tabernacle in all its service, and all its pins, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
(WEB)
This verse gathers up the bronze instruments and pins of the whole structure. Reading it draws attention to the durability and everyday service that surround worship.
Exodus 27:20-21
20 “You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. 21 In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute forever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
(WEB)
End the reading with the command about the lamp, which closes the chapter on a note of continual light. Reading it last leaves the group with an image of steady faithfulness to carry into discussion.
Memory Verse for Exodus 27
Exodus 27:20
“You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.
(WEB)
This verse is short and clear, and it names the people’s part in providing oil for the light. Memorizing it helps the group hold onto the idea that God’s presence is sustained by shared, willing offering.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you care about the details of how we come before you, from the altar to the lamp. Help us to see our ordinary work as a place where you are present, and give us willing hearts to bring what we have. Keep our attention steady, so that our faith does not go dark between the days. Make this group a place of faithful service and honest prayer. Amen.
