They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
Exodus 38:8 NIV
Who were these women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the Tabernacle, and how did they serve? The short answer is that we don’t know. What would have been common knowledge when Exodus was written has been lost to us today.
It is probably safe to say that these women were unmarried, otherwise they would have been serving in their homes. And it is likely that they were Levites, since that was the tribe responsible for assisting the priests. These women could have been involved in washing the priest’s clothes, preparing their meals, mixing the oil and incense, and baking the bread used in the Tabernacle. There are any number of jobs they could have done to assist in the proper functioning of the Tabernacle. But all of that is really speculation.
Dealing with Obscure Passages
It is good to remember that the Bible was written long ago. Some of what would have been well known then, such as the women who served, has been lost to us today. And cultural practices that were acceptable then, like marrying multiple wives, are no longer acceptable today. As we read and study the Bible, we should recognize that some parts will be obscure to us. And to recognize the cultural difference between then and now.
I do believe that God will make clear to us what we need to know: what will be useful to us in growing in our faith and serving Him. But knowing who these women were and what they did, why we should not boil a kid in its mother’s milk, and what baptism for the dead is all about probably will not help us to accomplish that. Those are interesting topics to investigate. And I would not want to discourage anyone from looking into them. But we should spend more time on the topics that Scripture spends more time on. Topics that are much more profitable to our spiritual growth.
