Exodus 27:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The atmosphere is quite dark, and interpretations of it vary among scholars. Dom Calmet, in his depiction and illustration of the altar of burnt offerings, describes a brass network suspended on rings attached to the altar's horns, which covers the entire area within the altar and descends under its own weight to about halfway down (v. 5). He notes that fire was spread across this network, allowing the ashes to fall through it. The Anglican Commentary suggests that beside the altar, there was a platform roughly half its height, from which a net-like grill extended to the ground.