Exodus 28:36

Summary

The verse instructs the making of a tzitz ("plate", H6731A) of pure gold, to be engraved with an inscription comparable to a seal's engraving, reading "holiness" (H6944G) "to Yehovah" (H3068G). The sentence is a continuation of prior instructions, marked by sequential verb forms.

Key words

• tzitz ("plate of", H6731A) — masculine singular noun in construct state, meaning it is grammatically bound to the following word zahav ("gold", H2091), forming "plate of gold."
• 'a.Si.ta ("you will make", H6213H) — qal sequential perfect, second person masculine singular; this verb form continues a chain of instructions begun earlier in the passage, functioning as a future/command within the narrative sequence.
• fi.tach.Ta ("you will engrave", H6605B) — piel (intensive stem) sequential perfect; the piel stem intensifies the basic action of opening/engraving, appropriate for cutting letters into metal.
• pi.tu.Chei ("engravings of", H6603) — masculine plural noun in construct state, bound to cho.Tam ("a seal", H2368), producing the phrase "engravings of a seal," a simile comparing the plate's inscription technique to seal-engraving.
• Ko.desh ("holiness", H6944G) — masculine singular noun, standing in apposition to describe the content of the inscription itself, followed by la.Yah.weh ("to Yehovah", H3068G), formed with the preposition la ("to", H9005) prefixed to the divine name.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence structure relies on two sequential perfect verbs — 'a.Si.ta ("you will make") and fi.tach.Ta ("you will engrave") — both connected by the narrative vav (H9001), which links this instruction to a preceding chain of commands rather than presenting it as an isolated statement. This grammatical chaining indicates the verse is one step within a longer sequence of construction directives.

The phrase pi.tu.Chei cho.Tam ("engravings of a seal") uses a construct relationship to create a comparative image: the engraving on the gold plate is to resemble the kind of engraving found on a seal, likely referring to a technique of cutting letters or symbols into a hard surface. The final words, Ko.desh la.Yah.weh ("holiness to Yehovah"), form the content of what is engraved — two words in simple apposition without a verb, functioning as a label or inscription rather than a full sentence.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate (VULCLEM) renders cho.Tam ("seal", H2368) with "opere caelatoris" ("the work of an engraver"), shifting from the Hebrew's noun "seal" to a descriptive phrase about the craftsman's technique. The Hebrew Ko.desh la.Yah.weh ("holiness to Yehovah") appears in Vulgate as "Sanctum Domino" ("Holy to the Lord"), and in BSB as "HOLY TO THE LORD," both treating Ko.desh as an adjective ("holy") rather than the abstract noun "holiness" found in the Hebrew grammar data. The LXXSWETE text supplied here corresponds to different subject matter (tunics and headdresses for Aaron's sons) and does not parallel the Hebrew of this verse in the provided data.