Exodus 37:12

Summary

The verse describes two actions performed on an object (contextually, the table): a craftsman made a misgeret ("rim/frame", H4526) around it measuring one tofach ("handbreadth", H2948), and then made a zer ("molding", H2213) of zahav ("gold", H2091) placed around that same rim.

Key words

• va-ya'as ("and he made", H6213H) — qal narrative verb, repeated twice (words 2 and 9), marking two sequential completed actions by an unnamed male subject ("he").
• misgeret ("a rim of", H4526) — feminine singular noun in construct state, meaning it is grammatically bound to the following word (tofach), yielding "a rim of a handbreadth."
• tofach ("a handbreadth", H2948) — masculine singular noun functioning as the measurement unit defining the width of the rim.
• saviv ("all around", H5439G) — common gender noun used adverbially, appearing twice (words 7 and 15), each time closing out a clause to indicate the encircling placement.
• zer-zahav ("a molding of gold", H2213 + H2091) — construct chain: zer ("molding") is bound directly to zahav ("gold"), so the molding is specified as being made of gold, without any preposition needed between them.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built as two parallel clauses joined by the narrative va ("and", H9001), each opening with the same verb va-ya'as ("and he made"). This repetition creates a clear two-step structure: first the rim is made, then the gold molding is added onto it. The first clause states that "he made for it (lo, H9033) a rim of a handbreadth all around" — the construct form misgeret tofach links the noun "rim" directly to its measurement "handbreadth" without an intervening preposition, a common feature of Hebrew construct chains.

The second clause repeats the verb and introduces zer-zahav ("a molding of gold"), another construct pair, followed by le-misgarto ("for its rim", H4526 + H9023), where the preposition le ("for", H9005) plus the possessive suffix o ("its") ties the golden molding back to the specific rim already described. Both clauses end with saviv ("all around", H5439G), reinforcing that the encircling placement applies equally to the plain rim and to the gold molding fitted onto it.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate (VULCLEM) adds a specific numeric detail absent from the Hebrew text provided: quatuor digitorum ("four fingers"), quantifying the tofach ("handbreadth") measurement, and it also speaks of alteram coronam auream ("another golden crown"), phrasing the second element as a distinct crown rather than a molding tied by construct state to the rim as in the Hebrew. The LXX text given (Swete) for this reference does not correspond to this verse's content, instead describing pillars and bases (στῦλοι, βάσεις), so no direct comparison with the Hebrew wording of Exodus 37:12 can be drawn from the LXX text supplied.