Exodus 30:4

Summary

Exodus 30:4 instructs that two gold rings be made under the molding of the altar, placed on two opposite sides, to serve as holders for the poles used to carry it.

Key words

• ta'aseh ("you will make", H6213) — qal imperfect, second person masculine singular, expressing a future/ongoing instruction directed at the addressee (Moses); it appears twice in the verse (once for placing the rings, once for their positioning on the sides).
• zer ("molding", H2213) — masculine singular construct noun with a pronominal suffix (zero, "its molding"), marking the reference point ("under it") for where the rings are placed.
• tzal'otav ("its sides", H6763) — feminine plural construct noun with third-person suffix, paired with the dual shetei ("two of") to specify the two flanking sides of the object.
• batim ("holders", H1004) — masculine plural noun, literally "houses," here functioning as receptacles or sockets for the poles.
• badim ("poles", H905) — masculine plural noun, denoting the carrying rods that pass through the batim.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built around two occurrences of the verb ta'aseh ("you will make", H6213), both in the qal imperfect second-person masculine singular, addressing Moses directly as the one instructed to execute the construction. The first clause specifies the object to be made: shetei tabbe'ot zahav ("two rings of gold", H8147 + H2885 + H2091), all in construct chains that link the dual number to the material. The location is given through two prepositional phrases: mi-tachat le-zero ("from under to its molding", H8478 + H2213) and al shetei tzal'otav ("on the two of its sides", H6763), showing that the rings sit beneath the decorative rim and on two opposing faces of the object.

The second half of the verse shifts to a sequential construction introduced by the narrative vav attached to hayah ("it will become", H1961, sequential perfect), which continues the instructional sequence begun by the imperfects. This clause explains the purpose of the rings: le-vatim le-vadim ("for holders for poles", H1004 + H905), followed by the infinitive la-set ("to carry", H5375) governing the direct object marker oto ("it", H853) and the plural pronoun hemah ("them", referring to the poles). The infinitive construction with la-set expresses purpose — the poles exist specifically so that the object can be lifted and transported "by them" (bahemah).

Differences between versions

The LXX renders tabbe'ot ("rings", H2885) as δακτυλίους χρυσοῦς καθαρούς, adding "pure" (καθαρούς) as a qualifier for the gold, a detail not present in the Hebrew text given here. The LXX also translates batim ("holders", H1004) as ψαλίδες ("rings" or "clasps"), differing from the more literal "houses" sense of the Hebrew noun. The Vulgate condenses the clause about poles and carrying into "ut mittantur in eos vectes, et altare portetur" ("so that rods may be inserted into them, and the altar may be carried"), explicitly naming "altare" ("altar"), which does not appear as a lexical item in the Hebrew of this verse, where the object is referred to only by the pronoun oto ("it").