Exodus 39:7

Summary

The verse describes the placement of two stones inscribed with the names of Israel's tribes onto the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, set there as objects of remembrance for the sons of Israel, following the command Yehovah had given to Moses.

Key words

• va-Yasem ("and he put", H7760A) — qal narrative form, continuing the story sequence; grammatically third person singular ("he"), not plural.
• kitfot ("shoulder-pieces of", H3802) — feminine plural construct noun, linking directly to ha-'Efod ("the ephod", H0646) as "shoulder-pieces of the ephod."
• zikkaron ("remembrance", H2146) — singular noun in construct with 'avnei ("stones of", H0068G), forming the phrase "stones of remembrance."
• tzivah ("he had commanded", H6680) — piel perfect, marking a completed prior action; the piel stem here carries an intensive/formal sense of command.
• YHWH ("Yehovah", H3068G) — the subject of the commanding verb, followed by the object marker 'et (H0853) before Mosheh ("Moses", H4872).

What the text says

The verse opens with the narrative vav (H9001) attached to vaYasem, continuing the sequence of actions from the preceding verses describing the ephod's construction. The subject of vaYasem is grammatically singular ("he"), consistent with the singular craftsman-subject used throughout this section of Exodus 39. The direct object is marked by 'oto (H0853 + suffix H9038), "them," referring back to the stones mentioned earlier in the chapter, though not repeated by name in this verse.

The prepositional phrase 'al kitfot ha-'Efod ("on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod") specifies location using a construct chain: kitfot ("shoulder-pieces of") is grammatically bound to ha-'Efod ("the ephod"), producing a single genitive unit. A second construct chain, 'avnei zikkaron ("stones of remembrance"), functions in apposition to the earlier object "them," clarifying the stones' purpose. This purpose is extended by li-vnei Yisra'el ("for the sons of Israel"), using the preposition li (H9005) to indicate beneficiaries.

The closing clause, introduced by ka'asher ("just as," H9004+H0834D), subordinates the entire action to a prior divine command: tzivah YHWH 'et-Mosheh ("Yehovah had commanded Moses"). The piel perfect tzivah indicates this command was already completed before the narrated action, reinforcing that the placement described here executes an earlier instruction rather than introducing a new one.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate (posuitque eos... sicut præceperat Dominus Moysi) and Spanish translations (RV1909, SBLIBRE) follow the Hebrew structure closely, though SBLIBRE renders the subject as plural ("colocaron," "they placed") where the Hebrew verb vaYasem is singular. The BSB similarly reads "they fastened," diverging from the Hebrew's singular subject. The LXX text supplied here does not correspond to this Hebrew verse; it describes bronze and talents, indicating a different alignment of verses within the Greek tabernacle-construction narrative rather than a direct rendering of Exodus 39:7.