Exodus 28:39

Summary

The verse instructs the weaving of the tunic in fine linen, the making of a turban of fine linen, and the fashioning of a sash worked by an embroiderer. Three garments are specified, each tied to a particular verb of production and material.

Key words

• shibbatzTa ("you will weave", H7660) — piel sequential perfect; the piel stem intensifies the action, suggesting a technique of interweaving or checkered/textured weaving rather than simple manufacture.
• ketoNet ("tunic", H3801) — feminine singular noun, the garment worn against the body, marked with the definite article ha ("the", H9009), indicating a specific, previously known tunic.
• Shesh ("fine linen", H8336B) — appears twice (items 5 and 9), naming the material for both the tunic and the turban.
• mitzNefet ("turban of", H4701) — feminine singular construct form, grammatically bound to the following Shesh, producing "turban of fine linen."
• ma'aSeh roKem ("work of a worker in colors", H4639G + H7551) — construct chain pairing an abstract noun "work of" with a qal participle "the one doing/embroidering," describing the sash's manufacture by designating the craftsman's activity rather than naming the material directly.

What the text says

The verse is built as a sequence of three instructions, each governed by a verb in the second-person masculine form addressed to the same craftsman. The first two verbs, shibbatzTa ("you will weave", H7660) and 'aSita ("you will make", H6213H), are sequential perfects continuing a narrative chain begun earlier in the chapter, while the third verb, ta'aSeh ("you will make", H6213H), shifts to an imperfect form, marking a slight grammatical variation even though the same root and gloss are used as in the second clause. This shift in verbal aspect does not change the basic sense of instruction but shows the text alternating between completed-sequence and open/future verb forms within the same list.

The construct phrases are notable: mitzNefet Shesh ("turban of fine linen") and ma'aSeh roKem ("work of a worker in colors") both link two nouns tightly, but the second construct chain names the sash's manufacture through the participle roKem ("worker in colors", H7551) — literally "the one embroidering" — rather than stating the sash's material as was done for the tunic and turban. The Hebrew text does not explicitly state the sash's fabric, only its craftsmanship.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate (Stringesque tunicam bysso, et tiaram byssinam facies, et balteum opere plumarii) follows the Hebrew structure closely, rendering Shesh as "byssus/byssinam" and ma'aSeh roKem as "opere plumarii" ("work of an embroiderer"). The LXX text supplied here does not correspond to this verse's content; it addresses priestly entry into the tent of meeting and altar service, differing entirely in subject matter from the Hebrew of Exodus 28:39.