Exodus 37:15

Summary

Exodus 37:15 describes the construction of the carrying poles for the table: they were made of shittim wood ("acacia", H7848) and overlaid with gold, specifically for the purpose of transporting the table.

Key words

• va-Ya'as ("and he made", H6213H) — qal narrative verb, third person masculine singular, opening the verse with sequential action typical of Hebrew narrative prose.
• baddim ("poles", H0905G) — masculine plural noun, the direct object of the making, marked by the definite article ha- ("the", H9009).
• 'atzei shittim ("wood of acacia", H6086G + H7848) — construct chain: 'atzei ("wood of") governs shittim ("acacia"), specifying the material of the poles.
• va-yTzaf ("and he overlaid", H6823) — piel narrative verb, intensive stem, indicating a thorough covering action (overlaying with gold) rather than a simple application.
• la-Set ("to carry", H5375H) — qal infinitive with prefixed preposition la- ("to"), expressing purpose: the poles exist in order to carry the table.

What the text says

The verse follows a standard Hebrew narrative pattern using two sequential verbs joined by the narrative vav ("and", H9001): va-Ya'as ("and he made") followed by va-yTzaf ("and he overlaid"). This chaining presents the construction as two consecutive actions performed by the same subject (unstated but understood as Bezalel from context in the chapter). The object marker 'et (H0853) appears three times (positions 3, 10, 15), each time signaling a definite direct object without itself being translated — first the poles, then them (via pronominal suffix -m, "them", H9038), then the table.

The construct phrase 'atzei shittim ("wood of acacia") functions adjectivally, describing the poles' material without needing a separate adjective form. The final clause, introduced by la-Set ("to carry"), is a purpose infinitive: it does not state that the poles were currently carrying anything, but explains their intended function — carrying the table. The table itself is marked with the definite article ha-shulchan ("the table", H7979), indicating a specific object already introduced earlier in the passage.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew text of this verse concerns the poles (baddim) of the table, made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold, for carrying the table. The Vulgate (VULCLEM) renders this closely, using vectes ("poles/bars") of ligna setim ("wood of shittim"), covered (circumdedit) with gold (auro), matching the Hebrew structure. However, the LXX text provided (LXXSWETE) does not correspond to this content at all — it describes bronze bases (βάσεις χαλκαῖ) and silver-covered capitals (κεφαλίδες περιηργυρωμέναι) of pillars belonging to a court (αὐλῆς), material that in the Hebrew textual tradition belongs to a different section of the tabernacle construction account. This reflects a divergence in versification/content alignment between the Hebrew verse numbering and the LXX passage supplied, rather than a translation variant of the same underlying text.