Numbers 4:9

וְלָקְחוּ׀ בֶּגֶד תְּכֵלֶת וְכִסּוּ אֶת־מְנֹרַת הַמָּאוֹר וְאֶת־נֵרֹתֶיהָ וְאֶת־מַלְקָחֶיהָ וְאֶת־מַחְתֹּתֶיהָ וְאֵת כָּל־כְּלֵי שַׁמְנָהּ אֲשֶׁר יְשָׁרְתוּ־לָהּ בָּהֶֽם׃

✦ Hebrew interlinear

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✦ The same verse in five languages

Hebrew

וְלָקְח֣וּ׀ בֶּ֣גֶד תְּכֵ֗לֶת וְכִסּ֞וּ אֶת־מְנֹרַ֤ת הַמָּאוֹר֙ וְאֶת־נֵ֣רֹתֶ֔יהָ וְאֶת־מַלְקָחֶ֖יהָ וְאֶת־מַחְתֹּתֶ֑יהָ וְאֵת֙ כָּל־כְּלֵ֣י שַׁמְנָ֔הּ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְשָׁרְתוּ־לָ֖הּ בָּהֶֽם׃

Greek (Septuagint)

καὶ λήμψονται ἱμάτιον ὑακίνθινον καὶ τὴν λυχνίαν τὴν φωτίζουσαν, καὶ τοὺς λύχνους αὐτῆς καὶ τὰς λαβί αὐτῆς καὶ τὰς ἐπαρυστρίδας αὐτῆς, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἄγγια τοῦ ἐλαίου οἷς λειτουργοῦσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς·

Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0

Latin (Vulgate)

Sument et pallium hyacinthinum, quo operient candelabrum cum lucernis et forcipibus suis et emunctoriis et cunctis vasis olei, quæ ad concinnandas lucernas necessaria sunt:

Spanish

“Tomarán una tela azul y cubrirán el candelabro de la iluminación, sus lámparas, sus tenazas, sus platillos y todos sus recipientes de aceite, con los que lo atienden.

Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)

Y tomarán un paño cárdeno, y cubrirán el candelero de la luminaria; y sus candilejas, y sus despabiladeras, y sus platillos, y todos sus vasos del aceite con que se sirve;

English

They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand used for light, together with its lamps, wick trimmers, and trays, as well as the jars of oil with which to supply it.

✦ What the text says

Summary

Numbers 4:9 instructs that the Kohathites take a blue cloth to cover the lampstand together with its lamps, tongs, fire-pans, and all its oil vessels — the implements used in its maintenance. The verse is part of a larger list describing how sanctuary furnishings are wrapped for transport.

Key words

la.ke.Chu ("they will take", H3947G) — qal sequential perfect; continues the narrative chain begun in the surrounding verses, describing the next action in the ritual sequence.
Beged techelet — Beged ("a covering of", H0899B) in construct with techelet ("violet stuff", H8504); the construct chain identifies the cloth by its material/color, "a covering of blue-violet [cloth]."
menorat ("[the] lampstand of", H4501) — construct form beginning a chain "lampstand of the light," linking the object to its function rather than standing as an independent noun.
ne.ro.Tei.ha, mal.ka.Chei.ha, mach.to.Tei.ha — each noun (H5216A "lamps," H4457 "tongs," H4289 "fire-pans") appears in construct plural/dual with the pronominal suffix -ha ("its"), all attached back to the lampstand, forming a list of its components.
ye.sha.re.tu ("they will serve", H8334) — piel imperfect, marking ongoing or repeated service; introduced by the relative particle 'a.Sher ("which", H0834A), it defines the oil vessels by their function "with which they serve it."

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built as a chain of construct phrases, each element attached to the central noun menorat hama'or ("lampstand of the light"). Rather than listing separate coordinate objects, the text repeatedly uses 'et (the untranslated object marker) followed by nouns in construct with the pronominal suffix -ha ("its"), so that "lamps," "tongs," "fire-pans," and "vessels of oil" are all grammatically bound to the lampstand as its possessions or parts. This construct chaining creates a single extended object for the verb khi.Su ("they will cover", H3680, piel), emphasizing that all these pieces are covered as one unit.

The final clause, introduced by 'a.Sher ("which"), uses the piel imperfect ye.sha.re.tu ("they will serve") followed by la.h ("to it") and ba.hem ("by them"), specifying that the oil vessels are those instruments by which service to the lampstand is performed. The imperfect aspect here contrasts with the preceding sequential perfects (la.ke.Chu, khi.Su), shifting from completed sequential actions to a description of ongoing function.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders menorat hama'or ("lampstand of the light") as τὴν λυχνίαν τὴν φωτίζουσαν ("the lampstand, the one giving light"), converting the Hebrew construct noun into a participial description. The Vulgate condenses several items into "candelabrum cum lucernis et forcipibus suis et emunctoriis," using "emunctoriis" ("snuffers") where the Hebrew mach.to.Tei.ha denotes "fire-pans" (H4289), a difference in how the instrument's function is named.

This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.