Exodus 16:34

Summary

The verse reports that Aaron deposited the object (the jar of manna, referred to by the earlier context) lifnei ("before", H6440G) ha'edut ("the testimony", H5715), for mishmaret ("keeping", H4931), in fulfillment of what Yehovah ("Yehovah", H3068G) had tzivvah ("commanded", H6680) to Mosheh ("Moses", H4872).

Key words

• tzivvah ("he had commanded", H6680) — Piel perfect, third person masculine singular. The Piel stem marks an intensive/directive command, and the perfect aspect places the commanding action as completed prior to Aaron's action.
• va-yannicheihu ("and he deposited it", H5117 + suffix) — Hiphil narrative form (vav-consecutive), causative: Aaron causes the object to be placed/set down. The attached pronominal suffix hu ("it") refers back to the object mentioned in the wider passage.
• liphnei ("before/in front of", H6440G construct) — construct plural noun functioning prepositionally, literally "to the face of," indicating physical positioning relative to ha'edut.
• ha'edut ("the testimony", H5715) — feminine singular noun with definite article, naming the object or place in relation to which Aaron's action occurs.
• le-mishmaret ("for keeping", H4931) — preposition le ("for") prefixed to a feminine singular noun expressing purpose: the goal of the placement is preservation/safekeeping.

What the text says

The verse divides into two clauses joined by structure rather than a coordinating conjunction at the start: a subordinate clause introduced by ka'asher ("just as", H9004 + H0834D) stating that the action conforms to what Yehovah had tzivvah ("commanded") el-Mosheh ("to Moses", H0413 + H4872), followed by the main narrative clause beginning with the vav-consecutive verb va-yannicheihu ("and he deposited it"), whose subject is Aharon ("Aaron", H0175). The Hiphil stem of yannicheihu casts Aaron as the causative agent of the deposit — he causes the object to come to rest — rather than simply "putting" it, which the plain Qal would express.

The phrase liphnei ha'edut ("before the testimony") uses a construct noun (p'nei, "face of") to describe location, a construction common in Biblical Hebrew where physical facing/position is expressed through "face" vocabulary rather than a simple locative preposition. The final phrase le-mishmaret ("for keeping") states purpose using a bare abstract noun rather than an infinitive, expressing the intended outcome (safekeeping) as a nominal goal.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders va-yannicheihu... liphnei ha'edut as ἀπέθηκεν... ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ ("he set it... before God"), substituting "God" where the Hebrew has ha'edut ("the testimony"). The Vulgate uses in tabernaculo ("in the tabernacle") for the same phrase, differing from both the Hebrew "before the testimony" and the LXX's "before God." The BSB and RV1909 follow the Hebrew more closely with "before/delante del Testimonio," while the SBLIBRE adds interpretive detail ("frente al arca del pacto," "in front of the ark of the covenant") not present in the Hebrew wording of this verse.