Exodus 38:28
וְאֶת־הָאֶלֶף וּשְׁבַע הַמֵּאוֹת וַחֲמִשָּׁה וְשִׁבְעִים עָשָׂה וָוִים לָעַמּוּדִים וְצִפָּה רָאשֵׁיהֶם וְחִשַּׁק אֹתָֽם׃
✦ Hebrew interlinear
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✦ The same verse in five languages
וְאֶת־הָאֶ֜לֶף וּשְׁבַ֤ע הַמֵּאוֹת֙ וַחֲמִשָּׁ֣ה וְשִׁבְעִ֔ים עָשָׂ֥ה וָוִ֖ים לָעַמּוּדִ֑ים וְצִפָּ֥ה רָאשֵׁיהֶ֖ם וְחִשַּׁ֥ק אֹתָֽם׃
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Latin (Vulgate)
De mille autem septingentis et septuaginta quinque, fecit capita columnarum, quas et ipsas vestivit argento.
Con los veinte kilos de plata restantes, Bezalel hizo los ganchos para los postes, recubrió la parte superior de los postes e hizo las barras para unirlos.
Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)
Y de los mil setecientos setenta y cinco siclos hizo los capiteles de las columnas, y cubrió los capiteles de ellas, y las ciñó.
With the 1,775 shekels of silver he made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied bands for them.
✦ What the text says
Summary
The verse states that Bezalel used the silver amount specified (1,775 shekels, continuing the total from the preceding verse) to make hooks for the pillars, to overlay the tops of the pillars, and to fit them with bands. Three sequential actions are described using the same silver.
Key words
- 'Elef ("one thousand", H0505G) — cardinal number opening the sum; combines with the following numerals to state the total weight of silver being accounted for.
- va-Vim ("hooks", H2053) — masculine plural noun, direct object of 'asah; identifies the item fabricated from the silver, distinct from the pillars themselves.
- 'a.Sah ("he made", H6213H) — qal perfect, third person masculine singular; the first of three main verbs describing what was done with the silver.
- tzi.Pah ("he overlaid", H6823) — piel sequential perfect; the piel stem marks an intensive/causative action (covering with metal), continuing the narrative chain begun by 'asah.
- chi.Shak ("he furnished with bands", H2836B) — piel sequential perfect; parallel in form to tzipah, the third action in the sequence, taking 'otam ("them", via H0853 + suffix) as its object.
What the text says
The sentence opens with a numeral phrase — ha'Elef ("the thousand", H0505G) plus sheva hame'ot ("seven hundred", H7651/H3967) plus chamishah veshiv'im ("seventy-five", H2568/H7657) — stating a quantity (1,775) that is grammatically the object being disposed of, resumed by the verb 'asah ("he made", H6213H). The object marker 'et (H0853) before ha'Elef marks this numeral phrase as the direct object of the sentence, meaning the silver quantity itself is what is "used to make."
The three verbs 'asah, tzipah, and chishak are linked by the narrative vav (H9001), each in the sequential perfect form, indicating a chain of successive actions performed by the same subject (Bezalel, understood from context) with the same material. The piel stem of tzipah and chishak conveys an intensive or applicative sense — covering surfaces and fitting bands — as opposed to a simple qal action. The suffixed pronouns in rasheiHem ("their tops", H7218I + H9028) and 'otaM ("them", H0853 + H9038) both refer back to ha'amudim ("the pillars", H5982G), tying all three actions to the same set of objects.
Differences between versions
The Hebrew noun vavim ("hooks", H2053) is rendered differently across versions: BSB ("hooks") and SBLIBRE ("ganchos") preserve this sense, while the Vulgate ("capita columnarum," i.e., "capitals of the columns") and RV1909 ("los capiteles") render it as "capitals" rather than "hooks," shifting the object of 'asah to a different architectural element. The Vulgate also compresses the three Hebrew actions ('asah, tzipah, chishak) into two clauses ("fecit... vestivit argento"), not explicitly rendering the third action (chishak, "furnished with bands") as a separate verb, whereas SBLIBRE and BSB keep three distinct actions matching the Hebrew sequence.
This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.