Numbers 7:80

Summary

The verse lists two items given as part of an offering: one gold dish and its contents. It states there is one kaf ("a pan", H3709I) made of zahav ("gold", H2091), weighing 'asarah ("ten", H6235), and mele'ah ("full", H4392) of qetoret ("incense", H7004).

Key words

• kaf ("a pan", H3709I) — feminine singular noun in construct form, naming the vessel itself; construct state here links it grammatically to the descriptive elements that follow (weight and gold material).
• 'achat ("one", H259) — feminine singular cardinal number, agreeing with kaf and specifying the count of the vessel.
• 'asarah ("ten", H6235) — feminine singular numeral; no explicit unit noun (such as "shekels") appears in the Hebrew text itself — the unit is understood from context.
• zahav ("gold", H2091) — masculine singular noun, stating the material of the kaf.
• mele'ah ("full", H4392) — feminine singular adjective, agreeing with kaf, describing the vessel's state as filled with incense.

What the text says

The Hebrew clause is a tightly packed nominal sentence with no verb: kaf 'achat 'asarah zahav mele'ah qetoret — literally "a pan, one, ten, gold, full, incense." The words modify kaf in sequence: it is one pan, weighing ten (units left unstated but understood as shekels from the wider context of Numbers 7), made of gold, and full of incense. The adjective mele'ah ("full") and the noun qetoret ("incense") together describe the pan's contents, while zahav specifies its material. The absence of an explicit unit for "ten" is notable — the Hebrew relies on the reader supplying the standard measure (shekel) from the surrounding text of the chapter, where shekel weights are given for other items.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate (VULCLEM) renders kaf as mortariolum ("little mortar") rather than "pan/dish," a different vessel image than the Hebrew or the LXX. The Vulgate also explicitly inserts siclos ("shekels") after decem ("ten"), making explicit a unit that the Hebrew text leaves unstated. The LXX (LXXSWETE) uses θυίσκην, a term for a small censer, and does not add a unit word for the number δέκα ("ten"), staying closer to the Hebrew's ellipsis. The BSB and RV1909 both supply "shekels" in translation, following the same interpretive move as the Vulgate.