According to Exodus 27, what were the dimensions of the Tabernacle’s bronze altar?
Answer
Five by five by three cubits
According to Exodus 27, the Tabernacle’s bronze altar measured five by five by three cubits.
The altar was square in plan: five cubits long and five cubits wide. Its height was three cubits. Exodus says it was made from acacia wood and overlaid with bronze, with horns on its four corners. Bronze grating, utensils, poles, and other fittings were associated with it.
This was the large altar for burnt offerings in the courtyard, where sacrifices were presented. It should not be confused with the smaller gold incense altar inside the sanctuary. The bronze altar stood nearer the entrance of the courtyard and was central to the sacrificial system described for the Tabernacle.
A cubit was an ancient unit based approximately on the length of a forearm, but its exact modern equivalent is uncertain. Therefore, the biblical dimensions are best reported in cubits rather than converted into a single precise modern measurement.