Exodus 25:9

Summary

The verse instructs that the tabernacle (mishkan, H4908) and all its furnishings be constructed exactly according to a pattern (tavnit, H8403) that is being shown to Moses. The command closes with an instruction to execute the construction precisely "thus" (ken, H3651C) as shown.

Key words

• mar'eh ("[am] about to show", H7200G) — Hiphil participle, a causative form indicating an ongoing/imminent action ("I am causing [you] to see"), framed with the personal pronoun 'ani ("I", H0589) emphasizing the subject performing the showing.
• tavnit ("[the] pattern of", H8403) — feminine singular construct noun, appearing twice, each time governing a following noun ("pattern of the tabernacle," "pattern of all its articles"), marking a genitive relationship rather than a free-standing noun.
• mishkan ("tabernacle", H4908) — masculine singular noun with definite article ha (H9009), the object of the first tavnit construct.
• kelav ("its articles", H3627) — masculine plural construct noun with 3ms suffix v ("its"), governed by kol ("all", H3605) in construct, forming "all of its articles."
• ta'asu ("you will make [it]", H6213H) — Qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural, expressing a command or expected future action directed at multiple addressees (not just Moses alone).

What the text says

The sentence opens with the preposition ke ("according to", H9004) attached to khol ("all", H3605) and the relative particle 'asher ("that", H0834A), forming the phrase "according to all that," which sets up a comparative standard for the action described later. This standard is defined by the clause "I am showing you" ('ani mar'eh 'otkha), where the Hiphil participle mar'eh conveys a causative and continuous nuance — not a single completed act of showing, but an act in progress or about to occur.

The two direct objects of this showing are introduced by the untranslated object marker 'et (H0853): first tavnit ha-mishkan ("the pattern of the tabernacle"), then tavnit kol-kelav ("the pattern of all its articles"). Both instances of tavnit are construct-state nouns, meaning they cannot stand alone grammatically — each requires the following noun to complete its meaning, producing a chain of "pattern of X" rather than an independent noun "pattern."

The final clause, ve-khen ta'asu ("and thus you will make"), shifts from singular address (the 2nd person singular "you" embedded in 'otkha, "you", H9031) to plural address (ta'asu, 2nd masculine plural). This grammatical shift signals a change in addressee — the pattern is shown to one person, but the making is enjoined upon multiple people.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew text of this verse discusses the pattern (tavnit) shown for the tabernacle and its articles, and commands that construction follow this pattern. The LXX text provided (Swete) does not correspond to this content; instead, it describes the construction of the ark of the covenant (κιβωτὸν μαρτυρίου) from incorruptible wood with specific dimensions, matching different subject matter than the Hebrew of this verse. The Vulgate (juxta omnem similitudinem tabernaculi quod ostendam tibi, et omnium vasorum in cultum ejus) aligns with the Hebrew's structure, rendering tavnit as similitudo ("likeness") and preserving the double object structure (tabernacle and its vessels).