Exodus: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13a 13b 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30a 30b 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38a 38b 39 40
26:1 VE ET HA MISHKAN TA'ASEH ESER YERIY'OT SHESH MASHZAR U TECHELET VA ARGAMAN VE TOLA'AT SHANI KERUVIM MA'ASEH CHOSHEV TA'ASEH OTAM
וְאֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן תַּעֲשֶׂה עֶשֶׂר יְרִיעֹת שֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר וּתְכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתֹלַעַת שָׁנִי כְּרֻבִים מַעֲשֵׂה חֹשֵׁב תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם
KJ (King James translation): 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.
BN (BibleNet translation: Next, you shall build the tabernacle, with ten curtains of fine twined linen, in blue and purple and scarlet, and you shall adorn them with keruvim made by the hand of a skilled artisan.
MISHKAN: "The Tabernacle" is the standard English rendition. Click here for a thorough background essay.
YERIY'OT: But we are talking about a small pilgrimage vehicle, for transporting the Tablets across the desert. We have the box for them in the last chapter, and a table for ceremonies surrounding the Tablets, with bowls and candles and a few other bits and bobs for the libations. How much do they need, in the desert? How much can they transport, in the desert? A tabernacle, large enough that it requires ten sets of curtains? And still more Keruvim? As a description of the needs of the Second Temple, maybe.
SHESH MASHZAR: Why is linen called SHESH? Is it from Shoshana = white? Which is itself from Susa, the winter capital in Achaemenid Persia. The lily too - though probably it was Susa that took its name from the lily, rather than the other way around. But evidence for dating the text either way.
TECHELET VA ARGAMAN VE TOLA'AT SHANI: For an explanation of the colours, see my notes at Exodus 25:4.
KERUVIM: This is apparently a contradiction, but in fact not. Exodus 20:4 stated very clearly that "You shall not make for yourselves any graven images", which seems to rule out both the brass Keruvim of Exodus 25:18 and the tapestry Keruvim here. But neither is "graven": one is "molten" and the other "sewn", and apparently that is okay. Also, Exodus 20:4 continues: "nor any kind of likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is on the Earth beneath, or that is in the water under the Earth..." and these keruvim are not naturalistic representations, but science fiction creatures, fantasy-beasts, loosely based on real creatures but still, not findable in reality.... and therefore, it turns out, permitted.
See also verse 31, below.
26:2 ORECH HA YERIY'AH HA ACHAT SHEMONEH VE ESRIM BA AMAH VE ROCHAV ARBA BA AMAH HE YERIY'AH HA ECHAT MIDAH ACHAT LE CHOL HA YERIY'OT
אֹרֶךְ הַיְרִיעָה הָאַחַת שְׁמֹנֶה וְעֶשְׂרִים בָּאַמָּה וְרֹחַב אַרְבַּע בָּאַמָּה הַיְרִיעָה הָאֶחָת מִדָּה אַחַת לְכָל הַיְרִיעֹת
KJ: The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure.
BN: The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be of the same measure.
At roughly 18 inches per cubit, that makes 42 feet of curtain, which is longer than your bay-window by some distance. But why 6 feet of width? Curtains don't have thickness beyond the nature of their material, a half inch even if it's tapestry. Is this the distance between them, hanging in such a manner that it creates compartments? The next verse suggests something different, though it is far from obvious what.
Or perhaps we shouldn't be translating YERIYOT as curtains - and then it makes perfect sense. Drapes, not curtains. What we have are long strips of cloth, 42 feet in length because that is the distance from the ground on one side of the Mishkan to the ground on the other side, each one four feet wide; these will be draped over the Mishkan to provide it with a roof, each strip joined to the next as in the description below. Illustrations as well as fuller detail can be found here (though a caveat that it interprets the Mishkan as a Christian symbol).
Or perhaps we shouldn't be translating YERIYOT as curtains - and then it makes perfect sense. Drapes, not curtains. What we have are long strips of cloth, 42 feet in length because that is the distance from the ground on one side of the Mishkan to the ground on the other side, each one four feet wide; these will be draped over the Mishkan to provide it with a roof, each strip joined to the next as in the description below. Illustrations as well as fuller detail can be found here (though a caveat that it interprets the Mishkan as a Christian symbol).
26:3 CHAMESH HA YERIY'OT TIHEYEYNA CHOVROT ISHAH EL ACHOTAH VE CHAMESH YERIY'OT CHOVROT ISHAH EL ACHOTAH
חֲמֵשׁ הַיְרִיעֹת תִּהְיֶיןָ חֹבְרֹת אִשָּׁה אֶל אֲחֹתָהּ וְחָמֵשׁ יְרִיעֹת חֹבְרֹת אִשָּׁה אֶל אֲחֹתָהּ
KJ: The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.
BN: Five drapes shall be coupled together, woman to sister; and the other five drapes shall likewise be coupled, woman to sister.
Wonderful poetry, this connecting of the drape-hooks as being a woman and her sister; in English we call it coupling, which has a sexual connotation missing in this sororitorial alternative. It parallels the ISH EL ACHIV of the last chapter (verse 20).
26:4 VE ASIYTA LUL'OT TECHELET AL SEPHAT HA YERIY'AH HA ECHAT MI KATSAH BA CHOVARET VE CHEN TA'ASEH BI SEPHAT HA YERIY'AH HA KIYTSONAH BA MACHBERET HA SHENIT
וְעָשִׂיתָ לֻלְאֹת תְּכֵלֶת עַל שְׂפַת הַיְרִיעָה הָאֶחָת מִקָּצָה בַּחֹבָרֶת וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה בִּשְׂפַת הַיְרִיעָה הַקִּיצוֹנָה בַּמַּחְבֶּרֶת הַשֵּׁנִית
KJ: And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.
BN: And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outer drape of the first set; and likewise you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outer drape of the second set.
This is real detail, down to the needlepointing.
LUL'OT: Israeli kibbutznikim who have taken their turns on the rota in the chicken farm will be amused to discover that the feminine of Lulim means curtain-loops. Or doesn't in fact, but the pointing is confusing here, and it requires verse 5 to clarify it: there it is LULA'OT (לֻלָאֹת), which it probably should be here as well; but at the very least LULE'OT. The confusion stems, as so often, from the sheva below the second letter, which is generally silent.
ECHAT: Normally this would either be ECHAD (feminine) or ACHAT (masculine); this is an unusually androgenous variant.
MACHBERET: Usually used today to mean "an exercise book" - logical if you think about it: reams of paper looped together to make a single "ring-binder". Why does CHOVARET in the first phrase become MACHBERET in the second phrase, and yet the two phrases are in parallel? Is the latter perhaps another textual error? MACHBERET re-appears in the next verse too.
26:5 CHAMISHIM LULA'OT TA'ASEH BA YERIYAH HA ECHAT VA CHAMISHIM LULA'OT TA'ASEH BIK'TSE HA YERIYAH ASHER BA MACHBERET HA SHENIT MAKBIYLOT HA LULA'OT ISHAH EL ACHOTAH
חֲמִשִּׁים לֻלָאֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה בַּיְרִיעָה הָאֶחָת וַחֲמִשִּׁים לֻלָאֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה בִּקְצֵה הַיְרִיעָה אֲשֶׁר בַּמַּחְבֶּרֶת הַשֵּׁנִית מַקְבִּילֹת הַלֻּלָאֹת אִשָּׁה אֶל אֲחֹתָה
KJ: Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.
BN: You shall make fifty loops in the one drape, and fifty loops in the edging of the drape in the second set; the loops shall be opposite each other.
Roughly one every fifteen inches.
26:6 VE ASIYTA CHAMISHIM KARSEY ZAHAV VE CHIBARTA ET HA YERIY'OT ISHAH EL ACHOTAH BA KERASIM VE HAYAH HA MISHKAN ECHAD
וְעָשִׂיתָ חֲמִשִּׁים קַרְסֵי זָהָב וְחִבַּרְתָּ אֶת הַיְרִיעֹת אִשָּׁה אֶל אֲחֹתָהּ בַּקְּרָסִים וְהָיָה הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶחָד
KJ: And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.
BN: And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the drapes to each other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be one whole.
KERASIM: The third verb we have encountered for things being covered over - and necessary, I guess, with all this layering. See my notes at Exodus 25:17 through 22.
26:7 VE ASIYTA YERIY'OT IZIM LE OHEL AL HA MISHKAN ASHTEY ESREH YERIY'OT TA'ASEH OTAM
וְעָשִׂיתָ יְרִיעֹת עִזִּים לְאֹהֶל עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן עַשְׁתֵּי עֶשְׂרֵה יְרִיעֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם
KJ: And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.
BN: And you shall make drapes of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven drapes.
ASHTEY-ESREH: meaning eleven; another unusual variant; usually it is either ECHAD-ESREH or ACHAT-ASARAH.
Note that the tent is made of goat hair, as any Bedouin tent still is.
But why eleven drapes, and not the expected twelve? This will become clear later on. See verse 31 ff.
26:8 ORECH HE YERIY'AH HA ACHAT SHELOSHIM BA AMAH VE ROCHAV ARBA BA AMAH HA YERIY'AH HA ECHAT MIDAH ACHAT LE ASHTEY ESREH YERIY'OT
אֹרֶךְ הַיְרִיעָה הָאַחַת שְׁלֹשִׁים בָּאַמָּה וְרֹחַב אַרְבַּע בָּאַמָּה הַיְרִיעָה הָאֶחָת מִדָּה אַחַת לְעַשְׁתֵּי עֶשְׂרֵה יְרִיעֹת
KJ: The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure.
BN: The length of each drape shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each drape four cubits; the eleven drapes shall all have the same measurements.
26:9 VE CHIBARTA ET CHAMESH HA YERIY'OT LEVAD VE ET SHESH HA YERIY'OT LEVAD VE CHAPHALTA ET HA YERIY'AH HA SHISHIT EL MUL PENEY HA OHEL
וְחִבַּרְתָּ אֶת חֲמֵשׁ הַיְרִיעֹת לְבָד וְאֶת שֵׁשׁ הַיְרִיעֹת לְבָד וְכָפַלְתָּ אֶת הַיְרִיעָה הַשִּׁשִּׁית אֶל מוּל פְּנֵי הָאֹהֶל
KJ: And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle.
BN: And you shall couple five drapes by themselves, and six drapes by themselves, and then double over the sixth drape at the very front of the tent.
CHAPHALTA: The same root word that gave us the Cave of Machpelah; the latter because it is a double-cave.
26:10 VE ASIYTA CHAMISHIM LULA'OT AL SEPHAT HA YERIY'AH HA ECHAT HA KIYTSONAH BA CHOVARET VA CHAMISHIM LULA'OT AL SEPHAT HA YERIY'AH HA CHOVERET HA SHENIT
וְעָשִׂיתָ חֲמִשִּׁים לֻלָאֹת עַל שְׂפַת הַיְרִיעָה הָאֶחָת הַקִּיצֹנָה בַּחֹבָרֶת וַחֲמִשִּׁים לֻלָאֹת עַל שְׂפַת הַיְרִיעָה הַחֹבֶרֶת הַשֵּׁנִית
KJ: And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.
BN: And you shall make fifty loops on the edge of whichever drape is the outermost in the first set, and fifty loops on the edge of whichever drape is the outermost in the second set.
26:11 VE ASIYTA KARSEY NECHOSHET CHAMISHIM VE HEVE'TA ET HA KERASIM BA LULA'OT VE CHIBARTA ET HA OHEL VE HAYAH ECHAD
וְעָשִׂיתָ קַרְסֵי נְחֹשֶׁת חֲמִשִּׁים וְהֵבֵאתָ אֶת הַקְּרָסִים בַּלֻּלָאֹת וְחִבַּרְתָּ אֶת הָאֹהֶל וְהָיָה אֶחָד
KJ: And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.
BN: And you shall make fifty clasps of brass, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.
After a while you begin to think that maybe Mosheh must have spent forty days on the mountain, going over these architectural drawings in such detail. God, what a bore! Why couldn't YHVH just say "Let there be a Mishkan... and there was a Mishkan", and it was evening, and it was morning... Mind you, having lived with an architect and witnessed how they work, forty days is a remarkable achievement. Where was the risk assessment, where was the open bidding, where were the zoning and planning applications...?
26:12 VE SERACH HA ODEPH BE YERIY'OT HA OHEL CHATSI HA YERIY'AH HA ODEPHET TISRACH AL ACHOREY HA MISHKAN
וְסֶרַח הָעֹדֵף בִּירִיעֹת הָאֹהֶל חֲצִי הַיְרִיעָה הָעֹדֶפֶת תִּסְרַח עַל אֲחֹרֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן
KJ: And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle.
BN: And as for the overhanging part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.
Take a look at drawing 2, here - the same link that I gave at verse 2 (and worth bookmarking if you are going on through the next several chapters of Exodus).
Take a look at drawing 2, here - the same link that I gave at verse 2 (and worth bookmarking if you are going on through the next several chapters of Exodus).
26:13 VE HA AMAH MI ZEH VE HA AMAH MI ZEH BA ODEPH BE ORECH YERIY'OT HA OHEL YIHEYEH SARU'ACH AL TSIDEY HA MISHKAN MI ZEH U MI ZEH LE CHASOTO
וְהָאַמָּה מִזֶּה וְהָאַמָּה מִזֶּה בָּעֹדֵף בְּאֹרֶךְ יְרִיעֹת הָאֹהֶל יִהְיֶה סָרוּחַ עַל צִדֵּי הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה לְכַסֹּתוֹ
KJ: And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it.
BN: And the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, of that which remains over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it.
26:14 VE ASIYTA MICHSEH LA OHEL OROT EYLIM ME'ADAMIM U MICHSEH OROT TECHASHIM MI LEMA'LAH
וְעָשִׂיתָ מִכְסֶה לָאֹהֶל עֹרֹת אֵילִם מְאָדָּמִים וּמִכְסֵה עֹרֹת תְּחָשִׁים מִלְמָעְלָה
KJ: And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins.
BN: And you shall make a covering for the tent out of rams' skins dyed red, and with a covering of sealskins on top.
TECHASHIM: Seal skins? We encountered them once before - in Exodus 25:5. Where would Mosheh have found seal skins, given that the Red Sea route didn't take them close to any shops, and they weren't in the habit of trading with the wandering Bedou? In the Midyanite desert anyway, on the far side of the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. But if they have crossed the Sea of Reeds, and their journey is taking them inland along the Mediterranean, as we have surmised in this commentary, the Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) would have been readily available, as it was in Yisra-El itself later. Today, alas, the Monk Seal is an endangered species, as is the Hawaiian Monachus schauinslandi; while its Caribbean cousin, Monachus tropicalis, is extinct.
TECHASHIM: Seal skins? We encountered them once before - in Exodus 25:5. Where would Mosheh have found seal skins, given that the Red Sea route didn't take them close to any shops, and they weren't in the habit of trading with the wandering Bedou? In the Midyanite desert anyway, on the far side of the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. But if they have crossed the Sea of Reeds, and their journey is taking them inland along the Mediterranean, as we have surmised in this commentary, the Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) would have been readily available, as it was in Yisra-El itself later. Today, alas, the Monk Seal is an endangered species, as is the Hawaiian Monachus schauinslandi; while its Caribbean cousin, Monachus tropicalis, is extinct.
ME'ADAMIM: Or ME ADAMIM? I asked this earlier I think.
pey break; end of 3rd fragment
26:15 VE ASIYTA ET HA KERASHIM LA MISHKAN ATSEY SHITIM OMDIM
וְעָשִׂיתָ אֶת הַקְּרָשִׁים לַמִּשְׁכָּן עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים עֹמְדִים
KJ: And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.
Meaning: as per the detailed architectural "drawing" written out in the verses above.
Light coming from the south, because that is the direction of the sun, at its zenith.
Yet another covering - this one takes us back to the SOCH'CHIM in Exodus 25:20.
It really is quite fortunate, on reflection, that they spent all those years as AVADIM in Egypt; had they remained as simple shepherds and goatherds, as they were before then, they would not have had all these expert gold and silversmiths, weavers and tapestry-makers, plasterers and joiners etc available to undertake this work, with whatever tools they had remembered to pack with the matzah, on the night of flight from the fear of Pharaoh.
BN: And you shall make the planks for the tabernacle out of acacia wood, standing upright.
KERASHIM: Planks, as in the decking of ships, but here used both for the floor and the side-walls.
YADOT: A YAD is a "hand"; a "tenon" is "a projecting piece of wood made for insertion into a mortise in another piece", so "hand" is an excellent metaphor.
BERIYACH: definitely a cross-beam here, and in 35:11, 36:31... but the same word is used for "a bolt" (which is sort of cross-bam, I suppose, since you put it across the door and the doorpost to create a solidity) in Judges 16:3 and Nehemiah 3:3.
KERASHIM: Planks, as in the decking of ships, but here used both for the floor and the side-walls.
26:16 ESER AMOT ORECH HA KARESH VE AMAH VA CHATSI HA AMAH ROCHAV HA KERESH HA ECHAD
עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת אֹרֶךְ הַקָּרֶשׁ וְאַמָּה וַחֲצִי הָאַמָּה רֹחַב הַקֶּרֶשׁ הָאֶחָד
KJ: Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.
BN: The length of each plank shall be ten cubits, and the breadth of each plank one and a half cubits.
26:17 SHETEY YADOT LA KERESH HA ECHAD MESHULAVOT ISHAH EL ACHOTAH KEN TA'ASEH LE CHOL KARSHEY HA MISHKAN
שְׁתֵּי יָדוֹת לַקֶּרֶשׁ הָאֶחָד מְשֻׁלָּבֹת אִשָּׁה אֶל אֲחֹתָהּ כֵּן תַּעֲשֶׂה לְכֹל קַרְשֵׁי הַמִּשְׁכָּן
KJ: Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
BN: There shall be two tenons in each board, joined one to the other; thus you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle.
MESHULAVOT: The root(SHALAV) is all about the notches, which are necessary to make the joining possible. 1 Kings 7:28 and 29 is the only other occasion of its appearance in the Tanach; the account of Hu-Ram's builders putting Shelomoh's Temple together - worth reading the whole chapter (click herehttps://biblehub.com/nlt/1_kings/7.htm) for a comparison of these two architectural ventures, and also of the two key players, Hu-Ram there, Betsal-El about to enter stage left here.
26:18 VE ASIYTA ET HA KERASHIM LA MISHKAN ESRIM KERESH LIPH'AT NEGBAH TEYMANAH
וְעָשִׂיתָ אֶת הַקְּרָשִׁים לַמִּשְׁכָּן עֶשְׂרִים קֶרֶשׁ לִפְאַת נֶגְבָּה תֵימָנָה
KJ: And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.
BN: And you shall make the planks for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side southward...
A wonderful pragmatism. NEGBAH, as we saw repeatedly in Genesis, is used to mean the south, because that was the dry part of the land of Kena'an, and NAGAV means dry; so if you are in Israel and you go towards the dry part, you go south. TEYMANAH also means south, because it is a very useful direction-finder to name a country when you are travelling: say you are in Georgia and you want to describe where south is, without having to point because you don't know: just say "head towards Florida" (or head towards Armenia if you are in the other Georgia). Unfortunately this only works for Teyman (and this is why I have used Georgia for my example), if you are standing somewhere on the east of the river Jordan, near the Iraqi border, in Midyan, say. Here, though, both words for south are used in conjunction, and you cannot be in both places simultaneously; another example then of the Redactor needing to satisfy both versions of the legend (the Midyanite which crossed the Red Sea, the Yisra-Eli which crossed the Sea of Reeds), and doing so by including both.
26:19 VE ARBA'IM ADNEY CHESEPH TA'ASEH TACHAT ESRIM HA KERESH SHENEY ADANIM TACHAT HA KERESH HA ECHAD LISHTEY YEDOTAV U SHENEY ADANIM TACHAT HA KERESH HA- ECHAD LISHTEY YEDOTAV
וְאַרְבָּעִים אַדְנֵי כֶסֶף תַּעֲשֶׂה תַּחַת עֶשְׂרִים הַקָּרֶשׁ שְׁנֵי אֲדָנִים תַּחַת הַקֶּרֶשׁ הָאֶחָד לִשְׁתֵּי יְדֹתָיו וּשְׁנֵי אֲדָנִים תַּחַת הַקֶּרֶשׁ הָאֶחָד לִשְׁתֵּי יְדֹתָיו
KJ: And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.
BN: And you shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty planks: two sockets under one plank for its two tenons, and two sockets under the next plank for its two tenons...
ADNEY...ADANIM: As with the use of ishah and achot in verse 3, so now adon, which means "lord", is used here to mean a socket.
26:20 U LE TSELA HA MISHKAN HA SHENIT LIPH'AT TSAPHON ESRIM KARESH
וּלְצֶלַע הַמִּשְׁכָּן הַשֵּׁנִית לִפְאַת צָפוֹן עֶשְׂרִים קָרֶשׁ
KJ: And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards:
BN: And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards.
26:21 VE ARBA'IM ADNEYHEM KASEPH SHENEY ADANIM TACHAT HA KERESH HA ECHAD U SHENEY ADANIM TACHAT HA KERESH HA ECHAD
וְאַרְבָּעִים אַדְנֵיהֶם כָּסֶף שְׁנֵי אֲדָנִים תַּחַת הַקֶּרֶשׁ הָאֶחָד וּשְׁנֵי אֲדָנִים תַּחַת הַקֶּרֶשׁ הָאֶחָד
KJ: And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
BN: And their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under one plank, and two sockets under the next plank.
As this goes on and on in its detail, we begin to think that YHVH was far more interested in the design of his palace, right down to the curtains and the door-handles, than he was in the laws that he was giving to his people. Just imagine Mosheh having to deal with this: he's been given a day-pass into Heaven, with the privilege of meeting YHVH, and he wants to know YHVH's view on employment law, are zero hours contracts acceptable and where do we set minumum wage, and what about abortion, and gun control, and are you sure about the death penalty for harmless homosexuals and coerced adulteresses ...and all YHVH wants to discuss is the drapes. Then maybe it was Yah and not YHVH who he met! (Maybe it was Jacob Zuma, when he had hoped for Nelson Mandela!)
26:22 U LE YARKETEY HA MISHKAN YAMAH TA'ASEH SHISHAH KERASHIM
וּלְיַרְכְּתֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן יָמָּה תַּעֲשֶׂה שִׁשָּׁה קְרָשִׁים
KJ: And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards.
BN: And for the rear of the tabernacle westward you shall make six planks.
26:23 U SHENEY KERASHIM TA'ASEH LIMKUTS'OT HA MISHKAN BA YARCHATIM
וּשְׁנֵי קְרָשִׁים תַּעֲשֶׂה לִמְקֻצְעֹת הַמִּשְׁכָּן בַּיַּרְכָתָיִם
KJ: And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.
BN: And you shall make two planks for the corners of the rear of the tabernacle.
26:24 VA YIHEYU TO'AMIM MI LEMATA VE YACHDAV YIHEYU TAMIM AL ROSHO EL HA TABA'AT HA ECHAT KEN YIHEYEH LISHNEYHEM LISHNEY HA MIKTSO'OT YIHEYU
וְיִהְיוּ תֹאֲמִם מִלְּמַטָּה וְיַחְדָּו יִהְיוּ תַמִּים עַל רֹאשׁוֹ אֶל הַטַּבַּעַת הָאֶחָת כֵּן יִהְיֶה לִשְׁנֵיהֶם לִשְׁנֵי הַמִּקְצֹעֹת יִהְיוּ
KJ: And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners.
BN: And they shall be double underneath, and exactly the same for the finish for the top, as far as the first ring; the same for both; they shall be for the two corners.
TABA'AT here is the singular of TABA'OT in chapter 25; see my note to 25:26 where TABA'OT and TAB'OT are discussed.
26:25 VE HAYU SHEMONAH KERASHIM VE ADNEYHEM KESEPH SHISHAH ASAR ADANIM SHENEY ADANIM TACHAT HA KERESH HA ECHAD U SHENEY ADANIM TACHAT HA KERESH HA ECHAD
וְהָיוּ שְׁמֹנָה קְרָשִׁים וְאַדְנֵיהֶם כֶּסֶף שִׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר אֲדָנִים שְׁנֵי אֲדָנִים תַּחַת הַקֶּרֶשׁ הָאֶחָד וּשְׁנֵי אֲדָנִים תַּחַת הַקֶּרֶשׁ הָאֶחָד
KJ: And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
BN: Thus there shall be eight planks, and their sockets of silver, making sixteen sockets: two sockets under one plank, and two sockets under the next plank.
26:26 VE ASIYTA VERIYCHIM ATSEY SHITIM CHAMISHA LE KARSHEY TSELA HA MISHKAN HA ECHAD
וְעָשִׂיתָ בְרִיחִם עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים חֲמִשָּׁה לְקַרְשֵׁי צֶלַע הַמִּשְׁכָּן הָאֶחָד
KJ: And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
BN: And you shall make cross-beams of acacia wood: five for the planks on one side of the tabernacle...
BERIYACH: definitely a cross-beam here, and in 35:11, 36:31... but the same word is used for "a bolt" (which is sort of cross-bam, I suppose, since you put it across the door and the doorpost to create a solidity) in Judges 16:3 and Nehemiah 3:3.
26:27 VE CHAMISHA VERICHIM LE KARSHEY TSELA HA MISHKAN HA SHENIT VA CHAMISHA VERICHIM LE KARSHEY TSELA HA MISHKAN LA YARCHATIM YAMAH
וַחֲמִשָּׁה בְרִיחִם לְקַרְשֵׁי צֶלַע הַמִּשְׁכָּן הַשֵּׁנִית וַחֲמִשָּׁה בְרִיחִם לְקַרְשֵׁי צֶלַע הַמִּשְׁכָּן לַיַּרְכָתַיִם יָמָּה
KJ: And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.
BN: And five cross-beams for the planks on the other side of the tabernacle, and five cross-beams for the planks of the side of the tabernacle, for the rear part westward...
Again that word Yamah gives away the date of the writing. The Yam in question... perhaps the Bitter Lakes if this was at Sinai, because the Mediterranean would have been to the north; there is no other sea to the west until you reach the Atlantic, beyond Morocco. From Midyan it might have been the Red Sea. From Yeru-Shalayim, or anywhere in Yisra-El, the Mediterranean was a mere dozen or so miles west.
26:28 VE HA BERIYACH HA TIYCHON BETOCH HA KERASHIM MAVRI'ACH MIN HA KATSEH EL HA KATSEH
וְהַבְּרִיחַ הַתִּיכֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַקְּרָשִׁים מַבְרִחַ מִן הַקָּצֶה אֶל הַקָּצֶה
KJ: And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.
BN: And the middle beam between the planks, so that it can pass through from end to end.
26:29 VE ET HA KERASHIM TETSAPEH ZAHAV VE ET TAB'OTEYHEM TA'ASEH ZAHAV BATIM LA BERIYCHIM VE TSIPIYTA ET HA BERIYCHIM ZAHAV
וְאֶת הַקְּרָשִׁים תְּצַפֶּה זָהָב וְאֶת טַבְּעֹתֵיהֶם תַּעֲשֶׂה זָהָב בָּתִּים לַבְּרִיחִם וְצִפִּיתָ אֶת הַבְּרִיחִם זָהָב
KJ: And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold.
BN: And you shall overlay the planks with gold, and make their rings of gold for holders for the cross-beams; and you shalt overlay the cross-beams with gold.
We can presume that gold by now is implicitly to be understood as "pure gold"?
26:30 VE HAKEMOTA ET HA MISHKAN KE MISHPATO ASHER HAR'EYTA BA HAR
וַהֲקֵמֹתָ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן כְּמִשְׁפָּטוֹ אֲשֶׁר הָרְאֵיתָ בָּהָר
KJ: And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount.
BN: And you shall erect the tabernacle according to the fashion which has been shown you here on the mountain.
samech break; end of fourth fragment
26:31 VE ASIYTA PHAROCHET TECHELET VE ARGAMAN VE TOLA'AT SHANI VE SHESH MASHZAR MA'ASEH CHOSHEV YA'ASEH OTAH KERUVIM
וְעָשִׂיתָ פָרֹכֶת תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר מַעֲשֵׂה חֹשֵׁב יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָהּ כְּרֻבִים
KJ: And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
BN: And you shall make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; and you shall adorn them with keruvim made by the hand of a skilled artisan.
KERUVIM: repeating verse 1, practically verbatim.
PHAROCHET: Or properly PAROCHET, the missing curtain from verse 7, the reason why there were six on one side and five on the other in verses 3 and 9; the twelfth is this one, the veil that separates the Devir, the Holy of Holies, from the remainder of the Mishkan, as described in verse 33 below. See also my noteto Exodus 25:17.
26:32 VE NATATAH OTAH AL ARBA'AH AMUDEY SHITIM METSUPIM ZAHAV VA VEYHEM ZAHAV AL ARBA'AH ADNEY CHASEPH
וְנָתַתָּה אֹתָהּ עַל אַרְבָּעָה עַמּוּדֵי שִׁטִּים מְצֻפִּים זָהָב וָוֵיהֶם זָהָב עַל אַרְבָּעָה אַדְנֵי כָסֶף
KJ: And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.
BN: And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks being of gold, upon four sockets of silver.
26:33 VE NATATAH ET HA PAROCHET TACHAT HA KERASIM VE HEVE'TA SHAMAH MI BEYT LA PAROCHET ET ARON HA EDUT VE HIVDIYLAH HA PAROCHET LACHEM BEYN HA KODESH U VEYN KODESH HA KADASHIM
וְנָתַתָּה אֶת הַפָּרֹכֶת תַּחַת הַקְּרָסִים וְהֵבֵאתָ שָׁמָּה מִבֵּית לַפָּרֹכֶת אֵת אֲרוֹן הָעֵדוּת וְהִבְדִּילָה הַפָּרֹכֶת לָכֶם בֵּין הַקֹּדֶשׁ וּבֵין קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים
KJ: And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.
BN: And you shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and bring the Ark of the Testimony inside the veil; and the veil shall provide a separation for you between the holy place and the Holy of Holies.
KODESH: As noted previously, the word really means "separate", and the concept of "holiness" is really the making of a distinction between the mundane and the significant, the sacred and the profane. What this phrasing does is to establish levels of separateness. In the same way there is the Shabbat, every week, and there is Shabbat Shabbaton, a "Sabbath of Sabbaths', which is a name for Yom Kippur. Here we have KODESH for the holiness of the MISHKAN, and KODESH HA KADASHIM for the Holy of Holies within the MISHKAN.
26:34 VE NATATA ET HA KAPORET AL ARON HA EDUT BE KODESH HA KADASHIM
וְנָתַתָּ אֶת הַכַּפֹּרֶת עַל אֲרוֹן הָעֵדֻת בְּקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים
KJ: And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.
BN: And you shall put the ark-cover on the Ark of the Testimony in the Holy of Holies.
26:35 VE SAMTA ET HA SHULCHAN MI CHUTS LA PAROCHET VE ET HA MENORAH NOCHACH HA SHULCHAN AL TSELA HA MISHKAN TEYMANAH VE HA SHULCHAN TITEN AL TSELA TSAPHON
וְשַׂמְתָּ אֶת הַשֻּׁלְחָן מִחוּץ לַפָּרֹכֶת וְאֶת הַמְּנֹרָה נֹכַח הַשֻּׁלְחָן עַל צֶלַע הַמִּשְׁכָּן תֵּימָנָה וְהַשֻּׁלְחָן תִּתֵּן עַל צֶלַע צָפוֹן
KJ: And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.
BN: And you shall set up the table on the outside of the veil, and the candlestick shall be mounted against the table on the south side of the tabernacle, with the table placed on the north side.
Light coming from the south, because that is the direction of the sun, at its zenith.
26:36 VE ASITA MASACH LE PHETACH HA OHEL TECHELET VE ARGAMAN VE TOLA'AT SHANI VE SHESH MASHZAR MA'ASEH ROKEM
וְעָשִׂיתָ מָסָךְ לְפֶתַח הָאֹהֶל תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר מַעֲשֵׂה רֹקֵם
KJ: And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.
BN: And you shall make a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the weaver in colours.
Yet another covering - this one takes us back to the SOCH'CHIM in Exodus 25:20.
It really is quite fortunate, on reflection, that they spent all those years as AVADIM in Egypt; had they remained as simple shepherds and goatherds, as they were before then, they would not have had all these expert gold and silversmiths, weavers and tapestry-makers, plasterers and joiners etc available to undertake this work, with whatever tools they had remembered to pack with the matzah, on the night of flight from the fear of Pharaoh.
26:37 VE ASIYTA LA MASACH CHAMISHAH AMUDEY SHITIM VE TSIPIYTA OTAM ZAHAV VA VEYHEM ZAHAV VE YATSAKTA LAHEM CHAMISHA ADNEY NECHOSHET
וְעָשִׂיתָ לַמָּסָךְ חֲמִשָּׁה עַמּוּדֵי שִׁטִּים וְצִפִּיתָ אֹתָם זָהָב וָוֵיהֶם זָהָב וְיָצַקְתָּ לָהֶם חֲמִשָּׁה אַדְנֵי נְחֹשֶׁת
KJ: And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.
BN: And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be of gold; and you shall cast five sockets of brass for them.
samech break; end of fifth fragment; end of chapter 26. But not an end of the design instructions for the Mishkan, which will continue for several more chapters yet.
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