Exodus 37:18

Summary

The verse describes the construction of the lampstand's branches: six qanim ("branches", H7070G) extend from its sides, arranged as three branches from one side and three from the other side of the menorah ("lampstand", H4501).

Key words

• qanim ("branches", H7070G) — masculine plural noun, the structural arms extending from the central shaft of the lampstand.
• yotze'im ("going out", H3318L) — Qal participle masculine plural, describing the branches as continuously "going forth" from the sides, a durative/descriptive verbal form rather than a completed action.
• tzidei-ha ("her sides", H6654 + H9024) — masculine plural construct noun with feminine pronominal suffix referring back to the menorah, indicating the lampstand's own two lateral sides.
• tzidah ha'echad ("her side, the one", H6654 + H9024 + H0259) — construct form followed by the numeral "one" with definite article, singling out the first side specifically.
• tzidah hasheni ("her side, the second", H6654 + H9024 + H8145) — parallel construction using the ordinal "second" (H8145) to designate the opposite side, mirroring the first phrase.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence opens with the numeral shishah ("six", H8337) governing qanim ("branches", H7070G), followed by the participle yotze'im ("going out", H3318L), which functions descriptively — the branches are presented as a fixed structural feature "going out" from the menorah's sides, not as an event in narrative time. The phrase mi-tzidei-ha ("from her sides", H6654+H9024) uses the feminine suffix "her" to refer to the menorah (H4501), which is grammatically feminine, establishing the antecedent for all subsequent references to "side."

The verse then breaks the six branches into two groups of three, each introduced by shloshah qenei menorah ("three branches of lampstand", H7969+H7070G+H4501). This construct phrase repeats the noun menorah rather than using a pronoun, reinforcing that both sets of three branches belong to the same lampstand structure. The two sides are distinguished using ha'echad ("the one", H0259) for the first side and hasheni ("the second", H8145) for the other — a numeral paired with an ordinal, both bearing the definite article, which creates a symmetrical, almost formulaic description typical of the tabernacle construction texts.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate (sex in utroque latere, tres calami ex parte una, et tres ex altera) closely mirrors the Hebrew structure, naming six branches split three and three across two sides. The LXX text provided for this reference (Swete) describes silver-covered pillars and bronze pegs of the court, a content unrelated to the lampstand's branches described in the Hebrew — indicating a mismatch in verse correspondence between the Hebrew numbering and the LXX text supplied here.