Exodus 26:34

Summary

Exodus 26:34 instructs that the kapporet ("atonement cover", H3727) be placed on top of the ark of the testimony, and specifies that this ark stands in the innermost sacred space, described in Hebrew as "holy of holies."

Key words

• na.ta.Ta ("you will put", H5414H) — qal sequential perfect, second person masculine singular; continues a chain of prior instructions as the next required action.
• ka.Po.ret ("atonement cover", H3727) — feminine singular noun, marked with the direct object marker 'et (H0853) and the definite article ha (H9009), identifying it as a specific, previously introduced object.
• 'a.Ron ("[the] ark of", H0727) — masculine singular noun in construct state, meaning it must be followed by another noun to complete its sense ("ark of X").
• 'e.Dut ("testimony", H5715) — feminine singular noun with definite article, completing the construct phrase "ark of the testimony."
• Ko.desh ("[the] holy place of", H6944G) — masculine singular noun in construct state, paired with its plural counterpart ko.da.Shim ("holy places", H6944G) to form the phrase qodesh haqqodashim.

What the text says

The verse opens with the narrative vav (H9001) attached to na.ta.Ta, marking this as a continuation of a sequence of tabernacle instructions rather than a new independent statement. The verb form itself, a qal sequential perfect, functions here as a future/instructional "you shall put," addressed to a singular male hearer (traditionally Moses, based on the wider context of the chapter, though the verse itself only encodes the grammatical person).

The object of the placement, ha.kaPoret, is marked as definite by both the article and the direct object marker, showing it refers to an item already established in the discourse. It is placed 'al ("on", H5921A) another item: 'aRon ha'eDut, "the ark of the testimony," a construct chain where 'aRon ("ark") requires ha'eDut ("the testimony") to complete its meaning — literally "ark of the testimony."

The location of this ark is given through a second construct pair: Ko.desh haqqoda.Shim, literally "holy place of the holy places" or "holiness of holinesses." This construct-of-construct pattern, using the plural of the same root noun as the construct's completion, is a Hebrew intensifying/superlative construction — the singular noun Ko.desh ("holy place of") is defined by its own plural form ha.qqoda.Shim ("the holy [places]"), yielding the sense "the most holy place" or "the holiest of holy spaces."

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the verb differently: kata.kaly.pseis ("you will cover") with tō katapetasmati ("with the veil"), where the Hebrew simply says "you will put... on." The Hebrew term kapporet itself does not appear in the LXX's phrasing here; instead, the LXX introduces the "veil" (katapetasma) as the covering instrument, a concept not present in the Hebrew of this specific verse. The Vulgate's propitiatorium ("propitiatory," i.e., cover) and pones ("you will put") align more closely with the Hebrew's kapporet and na.ta.Ta. The Spanish SBLIBRE translates ha'eDut as "the pact" (el pacto) rather than "the testimony," a translational choice not reflected in the Hebrew 'e.Dut itself.