Neville Goddard on Exodus 36:20-38 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Exodus 36 in context

Scripture Focus

20And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up.

21The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half.

22One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.

23And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward:

24And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.

25And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards,

26And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

27And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.

28And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.

29And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners.

30And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets.

31And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,

32And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward.

33And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.

34And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

35And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work.

36And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.

37And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework;

38And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass.

Exodus 36:20-38

Biblical Context

The passage describes the tabernacle's framework—boards, sockets, bars, and veil—showing how a sacred space is built through orderly construction. It records how the structure stands, joins, and awaits entrance into the Presence.

Neville's Inner Vision

Your life is not a mere tent of wood and gold, but a living state of consciousness being assembled within you. The boards that stand upright symbolize the fixed attitudes that will bear the weight of your experience; the twenty boards on one side and the other side reflect the many facets of awareness you allow to stand in your room of mind. The silver sockets underneath are the supporting beliefs, the posture you keep in faith, that keep each board level and secure. The bars that connect the boards are the continuous line of imagination, intention and feeling, that hold the whole structure together. The veil sewn with blue, purple, scarlet, and linen is the boundary you set between outer appearance and inner Presence; entering through the door is entering the awareness that all you desire is already yours in consciousness. When you overlay the boards with gold, you acknowledge the value of your thoughts; when you accept that the Presence dwells within you, you become the builder of a sacred space where your aims can manifest. Remember, the outer world is a reflection of your inner arrangement.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Close your eyes and rebuild your day as if you occupy a tabernacle of awareness; revise one limiting belief into a sturdy I AM presence and feel it real by sustaining a quiet, faithful emotion for a minute.