Exodus 36:20

Summary

This verse states that "he made" (the subject, unnamed here but understood as the craftsman) constructed the upright qerashim ("frames", H7175) for the mishkan ("tabernacle", H4908), specifying that they were made of acacia (shittim, H7848) wood and stood in an upright position.

Key words

• va-Ya'as ("and he made", H6213H) — qal narrative verb form with vav-consecutive, continuing the sequence of construction actions typical of this section of Exodus.
• ha-qerashim ("the frames", H7175) — masculine plural noun with definite article, marking these as previously introduced structural elements of the tabernacle.
• la-mishkan ("for the tabernacle", H4908) — preposition + article + noun, indicating the purpose/destination of the frames.
• 'atsei shittim ("wood of acacia", H6086G + H7848) — construct chain, "wood of acacia," specifying the material.
• 'omedim ("standing upright", H5975I) — qal participle, masculine plural, describing the frames' fixed vertical position rather than a completed one-time action.

What the text says

The verse follows a standard Hebrew narrative pattern: a vav-consecutive verb (va-Ya'as) opens the clause, followed by the direct object marked with 'et (H0853, untranslated), then the object itself (ha-qerashim), and finally the purpose phrase (la-mishkan). This mirrors the construction reports found throughout Exodus 36–39, where each component of the tabernacle is introduced with the same verb pattern.

The final two words, 'atsei shittim ("wood of acacia") and 'omedim ("standing upright"), function as a descriptive appendix to ha-qerashim. The construct chain 'atsei shittim specifies the material, while the participle 'omedim describes the frames' resulting posture — not that they were being erected at that moment, but that their designed state was to stand vertically. The participle form conveys a durative or characteristic quality, which some translations render as "upright" (BSB) or "para estar derechas" (RV1909), both attempts to capture this state rather than a single completed action.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate (Fecit et tabulas tabernaculi de lignis setim stantes) closely follows the Hebrew structure, rendering qerashim as "tabulas" ("boards/tablets") and preserving the participial sense with "stantes" ("standing"). The Spanish versions (RV1909, SBLIBRE) render qerashim as "tablas" and specify "madera de Sittim/acacia," matching the Hebrous construct chain closely. The LXX text supplied for this reference does not correspond to the Hebrew content of Exodus 36:20; it instead describes stones set in gold (chrysolite, beryl, onyx), material belonging to a different context (the priestly breastplate description), so no direct comparison with the Hebrew wording of this verse can be made from the provided LXX text.