Exodus 26:23

Summary

The verse instructs that two additional frames be made for the corners of the tabernacle, specifically positioned at its innermost (rear) parts. This continues the architectural specifications for the tabernacle's wooden structure.

Key words

kerashim ("frames", H7175) — masculine plural noun, referring to the wooden boards used in constructing the tabernacle's walls; here specifies the object being made.

ta'aseh ("you will make", H6213) — qal imperfect, second person masculine singular; expresses a future/ongoing directive addressed to a single addressee (traditionally understood as Moses in the wider context).

mequtz'ot ("corners of", H4742) — pual passive participle, feminine plural construct; the pual stem indicates an intensive passive sense, literally "the things caused to be cornered/cut at an angle," in construct relationship with ha-mishkan.

ha-mishkan ("the tabernacle", H4908) — masculine singular noun with definite article; the structure whose corners are being specified.

ba-yarkhatayim ("in the innermost parts", H3411) — feminine dual noun with prefixed preposition and article; the dual form indicates a paired or two-sided location, here referring to the rear/back section of the structure.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence opens with a conjunction u- ("and") joining this verse to prior instructions, followed by the object shenei qerashim ("two of frames") in construct form — the numeral shenei stands in construct relationship with qerashim, meaning literally "a pair of frames." The verb ta'aseh follows the object, a common word order in Hebrew instructional syntax where the item to be made precedes the command verb for emphasis.

The phrase li-mequtz'ot ha-mishkan uses the preposition li- ("for") attached to the pual participle mequtz'ot, which is itself in construct with ha-mishkan ("the tabernacle"). The pual form is notable: rather than a simple noun for "corner," the text uses a passive verbal form suggesting something that has been shaped or cut at an angle — the frames are "for the [things] made-cornered of the tabernacle."

The final phrase ba-yarkhatayim uses a dual noun form, indicating two flanking or paired innermost sections, rendered by translations as "back corners" or "rear parts."

Differences between versions

The LXX renders qerashim ("frames", H7175) as stylous ("pillars/posts"), a different architectural term than the Hebrew "frames." The Vulgate does not translate qerashim explicitly but implies it with alias duas ("another two"), referring back to a previously named item, and translates ba-yarkhatayim as post tergum ("behind the back"), a spatial paraphrase rather than a direct rendering of the dual noun yarkhatayim.