Exodus 27:6

Summary

The verse instructs that poles be made for the altar, specifically poles of acacia wood, and that these poles be overlaid with bronze. It continues the sequence of construction instructions for the altar described in the preceding verses.

Key words

• 'a.Si.ta ("you will make", H6213H) — qal sequential perfect, continuing the chain of instructions begun earlier in the passage; addressed to a singular "you."
• va.Dim ("poles", H0905G) — masculine plural noun, the general object first introduced before being further specified.
• ba.Dei ("poles of", H0905G) — same noun in construct plural form, linking to the following word to specify material.
• 'a.Tzei ("woods of", H6086G) — masculine plural construct, forming a construct chain with shi.Tim.
• tzi.pi.Ta ("you will overlay", H6823) — piel sequential perfect, an intensive stem indicating a thorough covering action, again continuing the instructional sequence.

What the text says

The sentence is built as two coordinated clauses joined by the narrative/sequential vav, both using the sequential perfect verb form ('a.Si.ta and tzi.pi.Ta), which in this construction carries a future/instructional force — "you shall make... and you shall overlay." This grammatical pattern continues a chain of similar instructions (the same construction appears throughout Exodus 27 for the Tabernacle's construction).

The first clause introduces the poles (va.Dim) as the object of "you will make," then specifies their location "for the altar" (la.miz.Be.ach). The phrase ba.Dei 'a.Tzei shi.Tim ("poles of woods of acacia") is a double construct chain: ba.Dei ("poles of") is bound to 'a.Tzei ("woods of"), which itself is bound to shi.Tim ("acacia"). This construction restates and specifies the material of the poles already mentioned, a common feature of Biblical Hebrew where a general noun is repeated with additional qualifying nouns.

The second clause shifts to the piel stem verb tzi.pi.Ta ("you will overlay"), an intensive stem that indicates a covering action affecting the whole object rather than a partial one. The object marker 'o.Ta (H0853) combined with the suffix -m ("them," H9038) refers back to the poles, and the final word ne.Cho.shet ("bronze", H5178A) specifies the material used for overlay, appearing without a preposition, functioning adverbially to indicate the substance applied.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate specifies "duos" ("two"), adding a numerical detail not present in the Hebrew text, which does not specify the quantity of poles. The LXX renders va.Dim ("poles") as φορεῖς ("carriers/bearers"), and translates shi.Tim ("acacia") descriptively as ξύλων ἀσήπτων ("incorruptible/imperishable woods") rather than naming the specific tree. The LXX also uses περιχαλκώσεις ("you will bronze around/overlay with bronze") as a single compound verb where the Hebrew has a verb (tzi.pi.Ta) followed by a separate noun (ne.Cho.shet).