Contradiction with Exodus 25:8
Exodus 25:8 talks about making a sanctuary so God can dwell among the Israelites, while Exodus 27:12 describes specific details of the courtyard, which may seem trivial compared to the overarching purpose.
Exodus 25:8: And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Contradiction with Exodus 26:1
Exodus 26:1 begins detailing the construction of the tabernacle itself, which some might see as more central than the courtyard described in Exodus 27:12, raising questions of priority in worship structure.
Exodus 26:1: Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle [with] ten curtains [of] fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: [with] cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them. [of cunning...: Heb. the work of a cunning workman, or, embroiderer]
Contradiction with Exodus 25:10
Instructions for building the Ark of the Covenant in Exodus 25:10 appear more spiritually significant than the courtyard’s size and construction in Exodus 27:12.
Exodus 25:10: And they shall make an ark [of] shittim wood: two cubits and a half [shall be] the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
Contradiction with 1 Kings 6:2
The scale of Solomon's temple in 1 Kings 6:2 can seem grander and more permanent compared to the mobile, temporary design of the tabernacle courtyard mentioned in Exodus 27:12.
1 Kings 6:2: And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof [was] threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty [cubits], and the height thereof thirty cubits.
Contradiction with Exodus 34:1
God's instructions to make new tablets focus on law and covenant, contrasting the detailed physical descriptions of the tabernacle structures in Exodus 27:12, emphasizing law over structure.
Exodus 34:1: And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon [these] tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.