Exodus 26:24

Summary

Exodus 26:24 describes how the corner boards of the tabernacle frame are to be joined: paired like twins at the bottom, held together as a unit at the top through a single ring, and this arrangement applies identically to both corner boards.

Key words

• to'amim ("twins", H8380) — masculine plural noun describing the boards' relationship at the bottom; the image of "twins" suggests a matched, symmetrical pairing rather than a mere technical joint.
• tammim ("complete", H8535) — masculine plural adjective parallel to to'amim; describes the boards' condition at the top, paired with the adverb yachdav ("together", H3162B) to stress unity at the head.
• rosh ("top", H7218I) — masculine singular noun in construct form ("top of..."), taking the pronominal suffix -o ("its"), locating the point where the boards converge.
• taba'at ("ring", H2885) — feminine singular noun with definite article and the numeral achat ("one", H0259), specifying a single ring into which the tops are fitted.
• miqtzo'ot ("corners", H4740H) — feminine plural noun in construct with shnei ("two", H8147), naming the structural location (the two corners) to which the whole rule applies.

What the text says

The verse is built on four occurrences of the verb yihyu/yihyeh ("they/it will be", H1961) in the imperfect, which in this legal-instructional context functions as a directive ("they shall be/become"), rather than a simple future. This repetition creates a rhythmic, almost formulaic structure typical of construction instructions: first stating what the boards will be at the bottom (to'amim, "twins"), then what they will be at the top (tammim, "complete", reinforced by yachdav, "together"), then narrowing to the single ring (ha-taba'at ha-achat), and finally generalizing the whole rule to both corners (li-shnei ha-miqtzo'ot).

The construct chain rosh-o ("its top") ties the completion described by tammim specifically to the upper end of the boards, mirroring the mi-lemattah ("from below", H4295) that anchors to'amim to the lower end. The double construct forms li-shnei-hem ("for the two of them") and li-shnei ha-miqtzo'ot ("for the two corners") create a chiastic confirmation: the instruction first affirms the paired boards, then confirms the paired corners, giving the sentence a mirrored symmetry that matches the physical symmetry being described.

Differences between versions

The LXX (Swete) reads κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ ἔσονται ἴσοι ("they shall be equal according to the same"), rendering the Hebrew tammim ("complete") with a term of equality (ἴσοι) rather than completeness, and uses εἰς σύμβλησιν μίαν ("into one joint/connection") where the Hebrew specifies ha-taba'at ha-achat ("the one ring"), a more general term than "ring." The Vulgate's compago ("joint, fastening") similarly generalizes the specific "ring" of the Hebrew into a broader structural term. The Hebrew's twofold yihyu construction marking both corners is compressed in the Vulgate into a single statement (similis junctura servabitur, "a similar joint will be kept"), losing some of the Hebrew's repetitive parallel structure.