Exodus 35:9

Summary

Exodus 35:9 lists two categories of gemstones — onyx stones and stones for settings — specifying their destination: the ephod and the breastpiece (two priestly garments). The verse continues a list of materials that Israelites are asked to bring for the tabernacle, without a finite verb of its own.

Key words

• 'Avnei ("stones of", H0068G) — masculine plural construct, appearing twice; the construct form binds each occurrence to what follows (Shoham, Millu'im), meaning "stones of X" rather than a standalone noun.
• Shoham ("onyx", H7718) — masculine singular, names the specific stone type in the first construct pair.
• Millu'im ("settings", H4394) — masculine plural, forms the second construct pair with 'Avnei; the plural suggests multiple settings or mountings rather than a single stone type.
• La'Efod ("for the ephod", H0646 + preposition/article) — the prefixed la marks purpose/destination ("for" or "belonging to"), directing the stones toward this specific garment.
• Choshen ("breastpiece", H2833) — masculine singular, the second destination named, parallel in construction to 'Efod.

What the text says

The verse has no verb; it is a continuation of a longer list (beginning earlier in the chapter) of materials the community is instructed to contribute. Grammatically, it consists of two construct chains — 'Avnei-Shoham ("stones of onyx") and 'Avnei Millu'im ("stones of settings") — joined by ve ("and", H9002), followed by two prepositional phrases marking purpose: la'Efod ("for the ephod") and ve-la-Choshen ("and for the breastpiece"). The repeated construct structure ('Avnei X) creates a parallel rhythm: two stone-types, two garment-destinations.

The construct state itself does not specify quantity or a copula; it simply signals a possessive/descriptive relationship ("stones belonging to the category of onyx" and "stones belonging to the category of settings"). The prepositional la- prefix functions similarly for both destinations, syntactically linking the stones to their intended use.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew text of this verse (per TAHOT) lists only stones and their two destinations, with no verb. The Vulgate renders Millu'im as "gemmas ad ornatum" ("gems for ornamentation"), introducing the word "ornatum" ("ornament"), an interpretive addition not present as a distinct lexical item in the Hebrew construct 'Avnei Millu'im. The RV1909 translates the same phrase as "demás pedrería" ("other precious stones"), generalizing rather than rendering "stones of settings" literally. The LXX text supplied here corresponds to different content (a statement about skilled workers coming to labor), not to the stone-list of verse 9, so no direct comparison with the Hebrew of this specific verse is possible from the data given.