Deuteronomy 27:6

Summary

The verse instructs that the altar of Yehovah ("Yehovah", H3068) is to be built from 'avanim shelemot ("complete stones", H0068/H8003), and that burnt offerings (olot, H5930A) are then to be offered on it to Yehovah your God.

Key words

• 'avanim ("stones", H0068G) — feminine plural noun, the material specified for construction.
• shelemot ("complete", H8003) — feminine plural adjective agreeing with 'avanim; describes the stones as whole/unhewn rather than cut or shaped.
• tivneh ("you will build", H1129) — qal imperfect, second person masculine singular; expresses a future or ongoing instruction directed at the addressee.
• veha'alita ("and you will offer up", H5927I) — hiphil sequential perfect; the vav-consecutive form links this action directly to the building of the altar, marking the next step in the sequence of actions.
• Elohekha ("your God", H0430G + H9021) — masculine plural construct noun with second person masculine singular suffix, repeated twice, both times bound to the name Yehovah.

What the text says

The sentence is built as two linked instructions joined by the sequential structure common in Hebrew legal/narrative prose. The first clause, 'avanim shelemot tivneh et-mizbach Yehovah Elohekha ("complete stones you will build [the] altar of Yehovah your God"), places the direct object mizbach Yehovah Elohekha ("altar of Yehovah your God") after the verb tivneh, with the descriptive phrase 'avanim shelemot fronted for emphasis. The construct chain mizbach Yehovah ("altar of Yehovah") ties the object being built directly to the divine name, and this is followed by a second construct, Elohekha ("your God"), attached to Yehovah with the pronominal suffix -kha ("your").

The second clause, introduced by the vav-consecutive form veha'alita ("and you will offer up"), continues the action begun by tivneh: once the altar is built, offerings are placed 'alav ("on it", H5921A + suffix H9033) — literally "upon it," referring back to the altar just described. The noun olot ("burnt offerings", H5930A), plural, is the object of this offering action, and the final phrase la-Yehovah Elohekha ("to Yehovah your God") repeats the divine designation from the first clause, framing the entire verse around the double occurrence of Yehovah Elohekha.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew phrase 'avanim shelemot ("complete stones") is rendered by the LXX as λίθους ὁλοκλήρους ("whole/entire stones"), closely matching the Hebrew adjective's sense of wholeness. The Vulgate, however, renders this phrase as "de saxis informibus et impolitis" ("from shapeless and unpolished stones"), describing the stones as unformed and unworked rather than using a term equivalent to "complete." The BSB translates the same phrase as "uncut stones," interpreting shelemot as referring to stones untouched by tools rather than stones that are structurally whole.