Exodus 26:15

Summary

Exodus 26:15 instructs the construction of the qerashim ("frames", H7175) for the mishkan ("tabernacle", H4908), specifying they are to be made of atzei shittim ("wood of acacia", H6086/H7848) and are to be omedim ("standing upright", H5975).

Key words

• 'a.Si.ta ("you will make", H6213) — qal sequential perfect, second person masculine singular; continues a chain of instructions begun earlier in the chapter, addressed to a single addressee.
• ke.ra.Shim ("frames", H7175) — masculine plural noun; the direct object of the verb, marked by the untranslated object marker 'et (H0853).
• mish.Kan ("tabernacle", H4908) — masculine singular noun, preceded by the preposition-article la ("for the", H9005+H9009), indicating purpose or destination.
• 'a.Tzei ("wood of", H6086) — masculine plural construct form; construct nouns link to a following noun to form a genitive-type phrase, here "wood of acacia."
• 'o.me.Dim ("standing upright", H5975) — qal participle, masculine plural; participles describe an ongoing state or characteristic, here modifying the frames as objects that stand upright.

What the text says

The verse opens with the narrative vav (H9001) attached to the verb 'a.Si.ta, marking continuity with prior verses in a sequence of construction instructions. The verb form is a qal sequential perfect, a grammatical pattern used in Biblical Hebrew to continue a chain of future or instructional actions — here rendered "you will make."

The object of the verb is ha-qerashim ("the frames," H7175), marked explicitly by the object marker 'et (H0853), which has no independent translation but signals the noun that follows as the direct object. The phrase la-mishkan ("for the tabernacle," H4908) uses a preposition fused with the definite article, indicating the frames' destination or purpose.

The material is specified through a construct chain: atzei shittim ("wood of acacia"), where 'atzei (H6086) is in construct state, meaning it must be paired with the following noun shittim (H7848) to complete its meaning — literally "wood(s) of acacia" rather than two separate words. The final word, 'omedim (H5975), is a qal participle describing an ongoing or characteristic state — "standing" — which modifies the frames as objects positioned upright, rather than describing a single completed action.

Differences between versions

The LXX (Swete) renders the Hebrew qerashim ("frames") with the Greek term for "pillars" (στύλους), a divergence from the Hebrew's more general term for structural boards or frames. The Vulgate uses tabulas ("boards" or "planks"), which aligns more closely with the sense of flat framing pieces than the LXX's "pillars."