Exodus 39:26

Summary

The verse describes the alternating pattern of golden bells and pomegranates fixed around the entire lower hem of the robe (the me'il), specifying that this arrangement was for use in priestly service, in accordance with what Yehovah had commanded Moses.

Key words

• pa'amon ("a bell", H6472) — masculine singular noun, repeated twice to mark the alternating sequence with the pomegranate.
• rimmon ("a pomegranate", H7416) — masculine singular noun, paired each time with pa'amon, forming the repeating bell-pomegranate unit.
• shulei ("skirts of", H7757) — masculine plural construct form, meaning it must be followed by another noun ("skirts of the robe"), indicating the lower hem/edges as the location of the ornaments.
• sha·ret ("serve", H8334) — Piel infinitive, expressing purpose ("in order to serve/minister"), showing that the bells and pomegranates had a functional role tied to ritual service, not merely decoration.
• tzivah ("he had commanded", H6680) — Piel perfect, third person masculine singular, marking a completed past action: the command already given by Yehovah that is now being fulfilled.

What the text says

The sentence opens without a verb, simply listing the two paired items — pa'amon ("a bell", H6472) and rimmon ("a pomegranate", H7416) — repeated twice. This doubling in the Hebrew text itself iconically represents the alternating pattern: bell, pomegranate, bell, pomegranate. The construct phrase shulei ha-me'il ("skirts of the robe") locates these objects at the lower edges of the garment, and the adverb saviv ("all around", H5439G) confirms that the pattern encircles the entire hem, not just a section.

The purpose clause introduced by le-sharet ("to serve", H8334, Piel infinitive) connects the ornamented garment to its function in ritual service, though the sentence does not specify who wears it in this verse — that context comes from surrounding verses. The final clause, introduced by ka'asher ("as", H0834D) and containing tzivah ("he had commanded", H6680, Piel perfect), closes the description by anchoring the entire construction to a prior divine instruction, using the formulaic pairing of YHWH (H3068G) and Mosheh ("Moses", H4872) with the object marker 'et (H0853) preceding the name.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew text describes bells and pomegranates on the robe's hem. The BSB and RV1909 render this closely, preserving the alternating structure and the purpose clause "to minister/for ministering." The Vulgate text supplied here ("et mitras cum coronulis suis ex bysso" — "and mitres with their little crowns, of fine linen") does not correspond to the content of the Hebrew verse describing bells and pomegranates; it instead describes headgear, indicating a divergence in verse content between the Hebrew tradition reflected here and the Vulgate text as provided.