Exodus 36:33

Summary

The verse describes the making of a specific bar (beriach) designated as "the middle one," whose function was to pass horizontally through the frames of the tabernacle structure, running the full length "from end to end."

Key words

• beriach ("bar", H1280) — masculine singular noun, the object being made; refers to a wooden crossbar used in the tabernacle's frame construction.
• tikhon ("middle", H8484) — masculine singular adjective modifying beriach, specifying which bar is meant (the middle one, as opposed to others made in the surrounding verses).
• livroach ("to pass through", H1272) — qal infinitive with prefixed li ("to"), expressing purpose: the bar's function is "to pass through" the frames.
• tokh ("midst of", H8432) — construct noun, forming the phrase "in the midst of the frames," locating the bar's path.
• qatzeh...qatzeh ("end...end", H7097A) — the noun is repeated with min ("from") and el ("to"), forming a merism that expresses total extension: "from the [one] end to the [other] end."

What the text says

The clause opens with va-yaas ("and he made"), a narrative qal verb continuing the account of tabernacle construction begun in the preceding verses; the subject is not restated here but carried over from context. The direct object is introduced by the marker 'et, followed by ha-beriach ha-tikhon — "the bar, the middle one" — a definite noun with a following adjective in agreement, identifying this bar as distinct from others already described.

The infinitive livroach does not simply mean "to break" (a common sense of the root H1272 elsewhere) but here denotes physical passage — "to pass through" — describing the bar's structural role rather than a separate action. The phrase be-tokh ha-qerashim ("in the midst of the frames") uses the construct noun tokh to locate this passage precisely within the row of frames. The final phrase, min-ha-qatzeh el-ha-qatzeh ("from the end to the end"), repeats the same noun qatzeh twice with contrasting prepositions, a common Hebrew construction for expressing full lateral coverage without needing a numeral or measurement.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate renders ha-beriach ha-tikhon as "vectem alium" ("another bar"), adding an explicit "another" not present as a separate lexical item in the Hebrew, though implied by the definite adjective tikhon distinguishing it from bars mentioned earlier. The Septuagint text supplied here (Swete) describes something unrelated — golden bells (κώδωνας) placed on the hem of a robe — which corresponds to different subject matter than the Hebrew verse; this reflects the LXX's differing arrangement of the tabernacle-construction material in Exodus 35–40 rather than a translation of this specific Hebrew clause.