Exodus 40:30

Summary

The verse reports two consecutive actions in the account of setting up the tabernacle: the placement of the kiyor ("laver", H3595) in a specific location, and the filling of that vessel with water for a stated purpose. The subject of both verbs is grammatically "he" (unnamed within this verse itself, established by the wider narrative context).

Key words

• vaYasem ("he put", H7760A) — qal narrative form with vav-consecutive; opens the verse and signals sequential action in the ongoing story.
• kiYor ("laver", H3595) — masculine singular noun, the object being positioned; marked by the definite article ha (H9009) and the object marker 'et (H0853).
• bein...uvein ("between...and between", H0996G) — construct form repeated twice, establishing a spatial relationship between two reference points ('Ohel mo'Ed, "tent of meeting", and hamiZbeach, "the altar").
• vaYiten ("he put/gave", H5414H) — second qal narrative verb, parallel in form to vaYasem, continuing the same narrative chain.
• ra.cheTzah ("washing", H7364) — qal infinitive introduced by the preposition le (H9005), expressing purpose: "for washing" or "in order to wash."

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built on two parallel narrative verbs, vaYasem ("he put") and vaYiten ("he put/gave"), both in the qal narrative (vav-consecutive) form. This grammatical pattern chains the two actions together as sequential steps in a single continuous account: first the placement of the kiyor, then the addition of water into it.

The location of the laver is expressed through a double construct chain, bein...uvein ("between...and between"), which frames the space between two fixed points — the 'Ohel mo'Ed ("tent of meeting") and hamiZbeach ("the altar") — without further elaboration on distance or orientation.

The word Shamah ("there", H8033G) combines the locative "there" with a directional element in this word-breakdown, pointing toward the place already established (the laver) as the destination of the water. The clause closes with the infinitive ra.cheTzah ("for washing"), governed by the preposition le, stating the functional purpose of the water without specifying who performs the washing or what is washed.

Differences between versions

The Greek (LXX) text supplied describes a cloud rising from the tabernacle and the Israelites breaking camp — content that does not correspond to the Hebrew of this verse, which concerns the placement of the laver and its water. Similarly, the Vulgate text supplied describes entering the covering of the covenant and approaching the altar "as the Lord had commanded Moses," which likewise does not match the Hebrew wording of Exodus 40:30 as given. The Hebrew text itself contains no reference to clouds, journeys, or divine commands within this specific verse.