Exodus 28:43

וְהָיוּ עַל־אַהֲרֹן וְעַל־בָּנָיו בְּבֹאָם׀ אֶל־אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד אוֹ בְגִשְׁתָּם אֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לְשָׁרֵת בַּקֹּדֶשׁ וְלֹא־יִשְׂאוּ עָוֹן וָמֵתוּ חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָֽיו׃ ס

✦ Hebrew interlinear

Tap a word to see its entry

✦ The same verse in five languages

Hebrew

וְהָיוּ֩ עַל־אַהֲרֹ֨ן וְעַל־בָּנָ֜יו בְּבֹאָ֣ם׀ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֗ד א֣וֹ בְגִשְׁתָּ֤ם אֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ לְשָׁרֵ֣ת בַּקֹּ֔דֶשׁ וְלֹא־יִשְׂא֥וּ עָוֹ֖ן וָמֵ֑תוּ חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֛ם ל֖וֹ וּלְזַרְע֥וֹ אַחֲרָֽיו׃ ס

Greek (Septuagint)

—

Latin (Vulgate)

et utentur eis Aaron et filii ejus quando ingredientur tabernaculum testimonii, vel quando appropinquant ad altare ut ministrent in sanctuario, ne iniquitatis rei moriantur. Legitimum sempiternum erit Aaron, et semini ejus post eum.

Spanish

Aarón y sus hijos deberán ponérsela siempre que entren en la Tienda de Reunión o cuando se acerquen al altar para oficiar en el Lugar Santo. Así no cometerán ningún pecado ni morirán. Esta es una ley que Aarón y sus descendientes deberán cumplir para siempre.”

Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)

Y estarán sobre Aarón y sobre sus hijos cuando entraren en el tabernáculo del testimonio, ó cuando se llegaren al altar para servir en el santuario, porque no lleven pecado, y mueran. Estatuto perpetuo para él, y para su simiente después de él.

English

Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants.

✦ What the text says

Summary

Exodus 28:43 closes the instructions for Aaron's priestly garments by stating that these must be worn whenever Aaron or his sons enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar, so that they do not "bear guilt" and die. The verse ends by declaring this a perpetual statute for Aaron and his descendants.

Key words

ha.Yu ("they will be", H1961) — qal sequential perfect, continuing the narrative chain from previous verses; ties this verse grammatically to the preceding clothing instructions.
vo.'A ("go", H0935G) — qal infinitive construct with attached pronominal suffix -m ("their"), forming a temporal clause: "in their entering," i.e., "when they enter."
gish.Ta ("draw near", H5066G) — same construction as above, qal infinitive with suffix, parallel temporal clause: "when they approach."
yis.'U ("they will bear", H5375J) — qal imperfect, expressing an ongoing or potential future action; paired with 'a.Von ("guilt", H5771H) to form the idiom "bear guilt."
chu.Kat ("statute of", H2708) — feminine singular construct noun, grammatically linked to o.Lam ("perpetuity", H5769G), forming the fixed phrase "statute of perpetuity."

What the text says

The verse is built on two parallel temporal clauses using infinitive constructs with pronominal suffixes: be-vo'am ("when they enter") and ve-vegishtam ("or when they draw near"). This construction allows Hebrew to express "when they X" without a separate subject pronoun, since the suffix on the infinitive itself carries the subject ("their entering," "their drawing near"). Both clauses are governed by the opening sequential perfect ve-hayu ("and they will be"), which continues the narrative chain from the preceding verses about the garments.

The consequence clause ve-lo-yis'u avon va-metu ("and they will not bear guilt, and they will die") uses the idiom nasa avon ("to bear guilt/iniquity") with a qal imperfect verb, expressing a conditional or potential ongoing state, followed by a sequential perfect va-metu ("and they died/will die") that continues the same chain of consequence. The closing phrase chuqat olam lo u-le-zar'o acharav ("a statute of perpetuity for him and for his seed after him") uses two construct chains — chuqat olam and zar'o acharav — to establish continuity across generations, with the pronominal suffixes -lo ("for him") and -zar'o ("his seed") referring back to Aaron.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate opens with et utentur eis ("and they will use them"), an explicit verb and object not present in the Hebrew, which simply says ve-hayu ("and they will be [on Aaron...]") without specifying "use." The Vulgate also renders the closing formula as Legitimum sempiternum erit Aaron ("this shall be a perpetual law for Aaron"), naming Aaron directly, whereas the Hebrew uses only the pronominal suffix lo ("for him") without repeating the proper name.

This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.