Exodus 26:27

Summary

Exodus 26:27 continues the specification for the tabernacle's horizontal bars, stating that five bars are required for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five more bars for the frames on the rear side, facing westward. The verse mirrors the syntax of the preceding verse describing the first side.

Key words

• chamishah ("five", H2568) — cardinal number repeated twice, quantifying the berichim on each side.
• berichim ("bars", H1280) — masculine plural, the horizontal bars that hold the vertical frames together.
• karshei ("frames of", H7175) — construct plural form, meaning it must be followed by another noun to complete its meaning ("frames of X"), here linking to tzela ("side of").
• tzela ("side of", H6763) — construct singular, likewise incomplete on its own, joined to ha-mishkan ("the tabernacle").
• yarkhatayim ("innermost parts", H3411) — dual form, indicating a paired or two-part rear structure, followed by yamah, where the final he (H9011) functions as a directional marker meaning "toward/-ward," here "westward."

What the text says

The verse is built from two parallel clauses, each following the pattern: number + berichim + le- (preposition "for") + construct chain karshei tzela ha-mishkan. This construct chain works like a series of linked possessives in English: "the frames of the side of the tabernacle." The first clause specifies ha-shenit ("the second"), marking this as the second of the tabernacle's sides being described in sequence. The second clause replaces this ordinal with la-yarkhatayim yamah, shifting focus to the rear section, described in dual form (yarkhatayim) — suggesting two rear elements or a bipartite rear structure — with the directional he suffix on yamah indicating orientation "toward the west."

The grammar itself has no verb; both clauses are nominal, listing components rather than narrating action, consistent with the technical, inventory-like style of the surrounding construction instructions.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders karshei ("frames of," plural construct) as στύλῳ ("pillar," singular dative), shifting the structural referent from frames to a single pillar. The LXX also translates yamah ("westward") as πρὸς θάλασσαν ("toward the sea"), an idiomatic equivalence reflecting the sea's location west of the land, rather than a directional suffix.

The Vulgate condenses the verse significantly: "et quinque alios in altero, et ejusdem numeri ad occidentalem plagam" ("and five others on the other side, and the same number toward the western region"), omitting explicit repetition of berichim ("bars") and karshei ha-mishkan ("frames of the tabernacle") found in the Hebrew's parallel structure.