Exodus 35:27

Summary

The verse describes the leaders (ha-nesi'im) of the Israelite community bringing two categories of precious stones — onyx stones and stones for settings — intended for use on two priestly garments: the ephod and the breastpiece.

Key words

• ha.nesi'Im ("the leaders", H5387A) — masculine plural noun with definite article, marking the subject of the sentence as a specific, previously identified group of leaders.
• he.vi'u ("they brought", H0935P) — hiphil perfect of the root meaning "to come/bring." The hiphil (causative) stem indicates that the leaders caused the stones to come/arrive; the perfect aspect marks this as a completed action.
• 'av.nei ha.Sho.ham ("stones of onyx", H0068G + H7718) — a construct chain ("stones of X") specifying the material: onyx stones.
• 'av.nei ha.mi.lu.'Im ("stones of settings", H0068G + H4394) — a second construct chain using millu'im, a noun tied to the idea of filling/setting, referring to stones meant to be fitted into mountings.
• la.'e.Fod / la.cho.shen ("for the ephod" / "for the breastpiece", H0646 / H2833) — preposition + article attached to each garment noun, marking the purpose or destination of the stones just listed.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence follows a simple subject–verb–object structure: ha-nesi'im ("the leaders") is the subject, hevi'u ("they brought") is the verb, and two objects follow, each introduced by the untranslated direct-object marker 'et (H0853). The first object is avnei ha-shoham ("stones of onyx"), the second is avnei ha-millu'im ("stones of settings"). Both objects are grammatically parallel construct chains of the pattern "stones of X," which ties the general noun "stones" to a specifying term — first a mineral name (onyx), then a functional term (settings/fillings).

The final clause, la-'efod ve-la-choshen ("for the ephod and for the breastpiece"), uses the preposition le- ("to/for") attached to each garment noun. This indicates the intended use of the stones just named, rather than describing a further action. The grammar thus presents the leaders' contribution in two layers: what was brought (stones of two kinds) and for what these stones were meant (two specific priestly garments).

Differences between versions

The LXX renders avnei ha-shoham ("stones of onyx") as τοὺς λίθους τῆς σμαράγδου, using a Greek term associated with emerald/green stone rather than onyx. The LXX also compresses the second Hebrew construct phrase avnei ha-millu'im ("stones of settings") into τοὺς λίθους τῆς εἰς τὴν ἐπωμίδα ("the stones for the ephod"), merging the notion of "settings" into the purpose clause rather than keeping it as a separate descriptive term. The Vulgate uses the general term "gemmas" ("gems") for avnei ha-millu'im, where the Hebrew specifically denotes stones for settings/mountings rather than gems in general.