Exodus 38:5

Summary

Exodus 38:5 describes the casting of four bronze rings and their placement at the four ends of the bronze grating that belonged to the altar, so that they could serve as holders for the carrying poles.

Key words

• i.yi.Tzok ("he cast", H3332H) — qal verb in narrative form, continuing the sequence of construction actions performed by the craftsman (Bezalel, per context).
• 'ar.Ba' ("four", H0702) — cardinal number in construct state, appearing twice (words 3 and 6), each time governing the noun that follows ("four of rings", "four of the ends").
• ke.tza.Vot ("ends", H7117) — feminine plural noun with definite article (ha., H9009), marking the specific edges/corners of the object already introduced.
• mikh.Bar ("grating of", H4345) — masculine singular noun in construct state, linking to ne.Cho.shet ("bronze", H5178A) to form "the grating of the bronze."
• ba.Tim ("holders", H1004N) — masculine plural noun, literally meaning "houses," here functioning as receptacles or sockets; paired with la.Ba.Dim ("for the poles", H0905G with preposition H9005) to state their purpose.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence opens with the narrative vav (va, H9001) attached to the verb yitzoq, continuing a chain of actions describing the construction of the altar's bronze grating. The verb is followed by two uses of the construct number arba' ("four"): first governing tabba'ot ("rings"), producing "four rings," and second governing ha-qetzavot ("the ends"), producing "the four ends." The preposition be- ("on/at") links the rings to their location — the four ends of an object identified afterward through a construct chain: mikhbar ha-nechoshet, "the grating of the bronze."

The final two words, batim ("holders," literally "houses") and la-baddim ("for the poles"), specify the function of these rings: they serve as receptacles into which the carrying poles are inserted. The noun batim uses a term elsewhere meaning "houses" or "containers," here applied metaphorically to sockets or holders for the poles used in transport.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate (fusis quatuor annulis per totidem retiaculi summitates, ad immittendos vectes ad portandum) closely parallels the Hebrew structure, naming four rings cast at the ends of the "retiaculum" (grating/netting) for inserting carrying poles. The LXX text provided for this reference (καὶ ἐποίησεν τὸ ἱλαστήριον ἐπάνωθεν τῆς κιβωτοῦ ἐκ χρυσίου — "and he made the mercy seat above the ark, of gold") describes a different object entirely — the golden mercy seat upon the ark — rather than the bronze rings and grating described in the Hebrew. This reflects a divergence in content between the Hebrew text at this verse number and the LXX text supplied, which corresponds to different material (gold vs. bronze) and a different tabernacle furnishing (ark's covering vs. altar's grating).