Exodus 40:26

Summary

Exodus 40:26 reports a single action: the placement of the gold altar inside the Tent of Meeting, positioned in front of the curtain. The verse specifies both the object placed and its precise location relative to another structure within the sacred tent.

Key words

• va-yaSem ("and he put", H7760H) — qal verb with narrative vav, marking this as the next sequential action in a chain of ritual-setup events.
• mizBach ("altar of", H4196) — construct noun, meaning it does not stand alone but links to the following word to form "altar of gold."
• zaHav ("gold", H2091) — absolute noun completing the construct chain, identifying the material/type of altar.
• 'Ohel ("tent of", H0168G) — construct noun linking to mo'Ed, forming the fixed phrase "Tent of Meeting."
• paRokhet ("curtain", H6532) — feminine singular noun with the definite article ha (H9009), referring to a specific, previously established curtain.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence opens with va-yaSem ("and he put", H7760H), a qal verb attached to a narrative vav (H9001), which signals continuation of a sequence of actions — this is one step among several in the account of setting up the tabernacle. The subject is not stated explicitly in this verse (it continues from prior verses), but the verb form indicates a single completed action by "he."

The object of the placing is marked by 'et (H0853), the direct object marker, followed by the construct phrase mizBach haZahav — literally "altar of the gold" (H4196 + H9009 + H2091). The construct structure means "altar" is grammatically bound to "gold," producing the compound sense "the gold altar," with the article on zaHav localizing which gold is meant (previously specified material).

The location is given in two layered prepositional phrases. First, be-'Ohel mo'Ed ("in the tent of meeting," H9003 + H0168G + H4150I) states the general location — construct phrase "tent of meeting" as a fixed designation. Second, li-fnei ha-paRokhet ("to the face of the curtain," H9005 + H6440G + H9009 + H6532) gives a more specific position: the phrase fnei (construct plural of "face") combined with li produces the spatial sense "in front of," oriented toward the definite curtain already introduced in the surrounding narrative.

Differences between versions

The LXX (Swete) renders the object as "τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῶν καρπωμάτων" ("the altar of the burnt offerings/fruits"), differing from the Hebrew mizbach hazahav ("altar of the gold"). The LXX also places this altar "παρὰ τὰς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς" ("beside the doors of the tent"), differing from the Hebrew's "before the curtain." The Vulgate (Clementine) reads "posuit et tentorium in introitu tabernaculi testimonii" ("he placed also the tent-covering at the entrance of the tabernacle of testimony"), diverging further — it does not mention an altar or gold at all in this clause, and specifies "entrance" (introitu) rather than "before the curtain."