The Fallible Synthetic Study Bible

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Exodus 26:7–14 — The Eleven Curtains of Goat Hair. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

The Voices✦ 5 public domain

Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834

A tent over the tabernacle. The Hebrew word here used, is the regular one for a tent of skins or cloth of any sort.

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Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

An awning such as that described in Exodus 26:1-6 would have neither kept out sun nor rain. For this purpose an ordinary cloth of goats’-hair was requisite, and accordingly Moses was instructed to make a second covering, which was to be of this material, and to extend over the whole of the first, thus externally concealing it.

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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s

The Bedawin still make their tents of goats’ hair in the same way: breadths of goats’ hair cloth, it may be ¾ yd. broad, and as long as the breadth of the tent, are stitched together, and form a covering capable of keeping out the heaviest rain

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Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685

Of goats’ hair , spun, Exodus 35:26 , and woven into a stuff, like our camlet. To be a covering ; to be put next above the curtains.

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John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

these curtains of goats' hair denote the outward appearance of Christ in human nature, who, attended with all human infirmities, excepting sin, was in the form of a servant, in great meanness and poverty, covered with reproach, and had in the greatest contempt, and especially at the time of his sufferings and death; though all rich and glorious within

Gill's reading is figural (the coarse outer cloth as Christ's lowly humanity over an inner glory). It is the older typological tradition, offered to be weighed, not a claim from the Hebrew text itself.

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You are to make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven curtains in all.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·‘ā·śî·ṯā yə·rî·‘ōṯ ‘iz·zîm lə·’ō·hel ‘al- ham·miš·kān ta·‘ă·śeh ’ō·ṯām ‘aš·tê- ‘eś·rêh yə·rî·‘ōṯ

Word by word11 · parsed

וְעָשִׂ֙יתָ֙wə·‘ā·śî·ṯāYou are to makeH6213

√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine singular

wəʿāśîṯā, "and you shall make" (H6213), Qal perfect with waw—a command voiced as settled fact; the verb that drives the whole construction account, repeated to open vv. 10, 11, 14.

יְרִיעֹ֣תyə·rî·‘ōṯcurtainsH3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)Nounfeminine plural construct

עִזִּ֔ים‘iz·zîmof goat hairH5795

√ ʻêz — a she-goat (as strong), but masculine in plural (which also is used elliptically for goat's hair)Nounfeminine plural

ʿizzîm (H5795), "goats"; the coarse, dark cloth of the nomad. The Bedouin still weave their tents of black goat-hair (so Cambridge, Keil), and the same material colors the "tents of Kedar" of Song of Songs 1:5.

לְאֹ֖הֶלlə·’ō·helfor the tentH168

√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Preposition-lNounmasculine singular

ʾōhel (H168), "tent"; the technical name for this second layer—a protective awning, supported by poles and pegged with cords (Exodus 27:19), externally concealing the embroidered dwelling beneath.

עַל־‘al-overH5921

√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition

הַמִּשְׁכָּ֑ןham·miš·kānthe tabernacleH4908

√ mishkân — a residence (including a shepherd's hut, the lair of animals, figuratively, the graveArticleNounmasculine singular

hammiškān (H4908), "the dwelling"; the inner tabernacle of fine linen (vv. 1-6) which this goat-hair tent now covers and protects.

תַּעֲשֶׂ֥הta·‘ă·śehH6213

√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular

taʿăśeh (H6213), "shall you make," the same verb a second time—an emphatic doubling the English absorbs into a single clause.

אֹתָֽם׃’ō·ṯāmH853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person masculine plural

עַשְׁתֵּי־‘aš·tê-elevenH6249

√ ʻashtêy — eleven or (ordinal) eleventhNumbercommon singular construct

ʿaštê-ʿeśrēh, "eleven" (H6249 + H6240); one more breadth than the inner ten (v. 1). Gill explains the extra: it provides a covering at the tent's entrance, where no linen curtain reached.

עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה‘eś·rêh. . .H6240

√ ʻâsâr — ten (only in combination), iNumberfeminine singular

יְרִיעֹ֖תyə·rî·‘ōṯcurtains [in all]H3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)Nounfeminine plural

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And you shall make curtains of goat-hair for a tent over the dwelling—eleven curtains shall you make them.

Where the English smooths the original

עִזִּ֔ים ʿizzîm is simply "she-goats" (H5795); "hair" is not in the Hebrew. The noun is used elliptically for goat's hair, as Strong's notes—the material is named by the animal. BSB rightly supplies "hair," but the bare Hebrew says only "curtains of goats."
לְאֹ֖הֶל ləʾōhel is "for a tent" (H168), not "covering." Barnes and the Pulpit both insist on this: ʾōhel "is the regular one for a tent." BSB "for the tent" is exact; the older "covering" of the KJV obscured that this layer is itself a true tent pitched over the mishkān.
הַמִּשְׁכָּ֑ן hammiškān (H4908) is the "dwelling / residence," from the root "to settle, to dwell." BSB "tabernacle" is traditional but Latin-derived; the Hebrew names the structure as God's place-of-dwelling, distinguishing the inner dwelling from the ʾōhel (tent) thrown over it.

The Voices✦ 3 public domain

John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

The breadth of them is the same with the linen curtains, but the length of them two cubits more; the reason of which was, that they might hang down lower on either side, and the better preserve them from any injury

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Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

The additional cubit on either side (comp. Exodus 26:2 ) would hang down and form a “valance” along the sides of the tent.

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The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

This gives for the entire covering, when made up, a width of forty-four cubits, or sixty-six feet. As the entire length of the mishkan was only thirty cubits, or forty-five feet, it is evident that the tent projected considerably beyond the tabernacle

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Each of the eleven curtains is to be the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hā·’a·ḥaṯ hay·rî·‘āh lə·‘aš·tê ‘eś·rêh yə·rî·‘ōṯ ’a·ḥaṯ mid·dāh šə·lō·šîm bā·’am·māh ’ō·reḵ hā·’e·ḥāṯ hay·rî·‘āh ’ar·ba‘ bā·’am·māh wə·rō·ḥaḇ

Word by word15 · parsed

הָֽאַחַ֗תhā·’a·ḥaṯEachH259

√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iArticleNumberfeminine singular construct

hāʾaḥaṯ, "the one" (H259, ʾeḥād); the distributive "each single curtain," specifying that the dimensions govern every breadth alike.

הַיְרִיעָ֣הhay·rî·‘āhH3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)ArticleNounfeminine singular

לְעַשְׁתֵּ֥יlə·‘aš·têof the elevenH6249

√ ʻashtêy — eleven or (ordinal) eleventhPreposition-lNumbercommon singular construct

עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה‘eś·rêh. . .H6240

√ ʻâsâr — ten (only in combination), iNumberfeminine singular

יְרִיעֹֽת׃yə·rî·‘ōṯcurtainsH3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)Nounfeminine plural

אַחַ֔ת’a·ḥaṯ[is to be] the sameH259

√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iNumberfeminine singular

מִדָּ֣הmid·dāhsizeH4060

√ middâh — properly, extension, iNounfeminine singular

middāh (H4060), "measure"; the standard of identical size, the precondition for the curtains to be joined into one continuous tent.

שְׁלֹשִׁים֙šə·lō·šîmthirtyH7970

√ shᵉlôwshîym — thirtyNumbercommon plural

šəlōšîm (H7970), "thirty"; the length that lets the cloth overhang the dwelling on the sides (v. 13) and at the back (v. 12).

בָּֽאַמָּ֔הbā·’am·māhcubitsH520

√ ʼammâh — properly, a mother (iPreposition-b, ArticleNounfeminine singular

אֹ֣רֶךְ׀’ō·reḵlongH753

√ ʼôrek — lengthNounmasculine singular construct

ʾōreḵ (H753), "length"; paired below with rōḥaḇ (breadth) to give the full rectangular dimension of each breadth.

הָאֶחָ֑תhā·’e·ḥāṯH259

√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iArticleNumberfeminine singular

הַיְרִיעָ֖הhay·rî·‘āhH3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)ArticleNounfeminine singular

אַרְבַּ֣ע’ar·ba‘[and] fourH702

√ ʼarbaʻ — fourNumberfeminine singular

ʾarbaʿ (H702), "four"; the same breadth as the inner curtains—it is the length, not the width, that differs.

בָּאַמָּ֔הbā·’am·māhcubitsH520

√ ʼammâh — properly, a mother (iPreposition-b, ArticleNounfeminine singular

וְרֹ֙חַב֙wə·rō·ḥaḇwideH7341

√ rôchab — width (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine singular

wərōḥaḇ (H7341), "and breadth"; together with ʾōreḵ the two axes that, multiplied across eleven breadths, yield the whole tent-cloth's span.

Literal — word-for-word from the original

The length of the one curtain [shall be] thirty by-the-cubit, and the breadth four by-the-cubit, the one curtain; one measure for the eleven curtains.

Where the English smooths the original

שְׁלֹשִׁים֙ šəlōšîm, "thirty" (H7970)—two cubits longer than the inner linen curtains' twenty-eight (v. 2). Gill names the reason: "that they might hang down lower on either side, and the better preserve them." The number itself is the difference the English flattens into a bare figure.
בָּֽאַמָּ֔ה bāʾammāh is literally "by the cubit" (H520, from ʾēm, "mother"—the forearm as the measuring-unit). BSB "cubits" pluralizes; the Hebrew gives the singular standard, "by-the-cubit," the way one says "measured by the yard."
מִדָּ֣ה middāh, "measure / extension" (H4060), from the root "to stretch out, to mete." The clause "one middāh for the eleven" stresses uniformity—every breadth identical, so the loops and clasps would align. BSB "the same size" is accurate but loses the technical weight of a single fixed standard.

The Voices✦ 4 public domain

Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

the sixth piece was to be made double, i.e., folded together, towards the front of the tent, so as to form a kind of gable, as Josephus has also explained the passage

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Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834

The passage might be rendered, "thou shalt equally divide the sixth breadth at the front of the tent." In this way, half a breadth would overhang at the front and half at the back.

Barnes offers an alternative rendering of the doubling that differs from Keil's "gable"; the synthesis records both as live readings of an ambiguous verb.

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The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

The meaning may be, either that the sixth breadth was to be doubled back upon the fifth, or that half of it was to be doubled back upon the other half. The latter view is to be preferred, since otherwise the extra breadth would have been superfluous.

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Geneva Study BibleMarginal Notes1599

five on the one side, and five on the other, and the sixth should hang over the door of the tabernacle

The Geneva annotators read the doubled sixth breadth as draping over the entrance—a fourth live reading of v. 9 alongside Keil's "gable," Barnes's equal front-and-back division, and the Pulpit's two options. The Hebrew does not settle which.

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Join five of the curtains into one set and the other six into another. Then fold the sixth curtain over double at the front of the tent.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·ḥib·bar·tā ’eṯ- ḥă·mêš hay·rî·‘ōṯ lə·ḇāḏ wə·’eṯ- šêš hay·rî·‘ōṯ lə·ḇāḏ haš·šiš·šîṯ hay·rî·‘āh wə·ḵā·p̄al·tā ’eṯ- ’el- mūl pə·nê hā·’ō·hel

Word by word17 · parsed

וְחִבַּרְתָּ֞wə·ḥib·bar·tāJoinH2266

√ châbar — to join (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive wawVerbPielConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine singular

wəḥibbartā (H2266), "and you shall couple"; the construction-verb of the whole tabernacle—boards, curtains, and tent are all made "one" by joining (vv. 6, 11).

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

חֲמֵ֤שׁḥă·mêšfiveH2568

√ châmêsh — fiveNumberfeminine singular construct

הַיְרִיעֹת֙hay·rî·‘ōṯof the curtainsH3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)ArticleNounfeminine plural

לְבָ֔דlə·ḇāḏinto one setH905

√ bad — properly, separationPreposition-lNounmasculine singular

ləḇād (H905), "by itself"; the two sub-sets (five + six) are first assembled separately, mirroring the inner curtains (five + five, v. 3).

וְאֶת־wə·’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Conjunctive wawDirect object marker

שֵׁ֥שׁšêšand the other sixH8337

√ shêsh — six (as an overplus beyond five or the fingers of the hand)Numberfeminine singular construct

הַיְרִיעֹ֖תhay·rî·‘ōṯinto anotherH3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)ArticleNounfeminine plural

לְבָ֑דlə·ḇāḏ. . .H905

√ bad — properly, separationPreposition-lNounmasculine singular

הַשִּׁשִּׁ֔יתhaš·šiš·šîṯThen fold the sixthH8345

√ shishshîy — sixth, ordArticleNumberordinal feminine singular

haššiššîṯ (H8345), "the sixth"; the odd extra breadth—the eleventh of the whole—whose disposal at the front is the verse's special concern.

הַיְרִיעָ֣הhay·rî·‘āhcurtain {over}H3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)ArticleNounfeminine singular

וְכָפַלְתָּ֙wə·ḵā·p̄al·tādoubleH3717

√ kâphal — to fold togetherConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine singular

wəḵāpaltā (H3717), "and you shall fold double"; the contested instruction. Barnes even reads the clause as "equally divide the sixth breadth at the front," so half overhangs front and half back.

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

אֶל־’el-atH413

√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition

מ֖וּלmūlthe frontH4136

√ mûwl — properly, abrupt, iPreposition

mûl (H4136), "front / opposite," with pənê hāʾōhel, "the face of the tent"; the eastern entrance, where the inner linen ceiling did not reach and the goat-hair alone covered the doorway (Gill, citing Lightfoot).

פְּנֵ֥יpə·nê. . .H6440

√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Nouncommon plural construct

הָאֹֽהֶל׃hā·’ō·helof the tentH168

√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)ArticleNounmasculine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And you shall join five of the curtains by-themselves, and six of the curtains by-themselves; and you shall double the sixth curtain toward the front of the tent.

Where the English smooths the original

וְחִבַּרְתָּ֞ wəḥibbartā (H2266, Piel) is "and you shall join / couple"—the intensive stem of ḥābar, "to ally, to be a fellow, to band together." The same verb makes the tent "one" in v. 11, and its noun-derivatives name the very seam (ḥōḇereṯ, "the coupling," v. 10) and the "companion" curtains (ḥōḇərōṯ, v. 3). BSB "Join... into one set" is right; the verb is the root of fellowship and covenant-binding (cf. its use for being "joined" to idols, Hosea 4:17, or to the living, Ecclesiastes 9:4), not mere stitching.
לְבָ֔ד ləḇād (H905, from bādad, "to be alone") is "by itself, apart, separately." Twice the verse says the five and the six are coupled ləḇād—each set made up on its own before the two are linked. BSB "into one set... into another" captures the result but loses the recurring "by itself."
וְכָפַלְתָּ֙ wəḵāpaltā (H3717) is "and you shall fold / double over." Its sense is genuinely disputed: Cambridge renders simply "double" (the breadth laid double at the front, hanging as a valance); Keil and Josephus read it as folded forward "so as to form a kind of gable." BSB "fold the sixth curtain over double at the front" leans to the gable reading the Hebrew does not settle.

The Voices✦ 3 public domain

Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834

"And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the outside breadth of the one (curtain) at the coupling, and fifty loops on the edge of the outside breadth of the other (curtain) at the coupling."

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John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

Just in like manner, and in the same place where they were ordered to be put on the linen curtains, only these are not said to be of blue, but perhaps were wrought with goats hair

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The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

The two portions of the goats' hair covering were to be united in exactly the same way as those of the inner awning of linen. Fifty loops were to be sewn on to the edge of the extreme, or outermost, breadth of each portion, and these loops were to be connected by clasps or links.

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Make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in the first set, and fifty loops along the edge of the corresponding curtain in the second set.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·‘ā·śî·ṯā ḥă·miš·šîm lu·lā·’ōṯ ‘al śə·p̄aṯ hā·’e·ḥāṯ haq·qî·ṣō·nāh hay·rî·‘āh ba·ḥō·ḇā·reṯ wa·ḥă·miš·šîm lu·lā·’ōṯ ‘al śə·p̄aṯ hay·rî·‘āh haš·šê·nîṯ ha·ḥō·ḇe·reṯ

Word by word16 · parsed

וְעָשִׂ֜יתָwə·‘ā·śî·ṯāMakeH6213

√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine singular

חֲמִשִּׁ֣יםḥă·miš·šîmfiftyH2572

√ chămishshîym — fiftyNumbercommon plural

ḥămiššîm (H2572), "fifty"; the same count as the inner curtains' loops (v. 5), so the two coverings hang in exact register.

לֻֽלָאֹ֗תlu·lā·’ōṯloopsH3924

√ lulâʼâh — a loopNounfeminine plural

lulāʾōṯ (H3924), "loops"; the receiving eyes for the clasps—the fastening that turns two sets into one continuous tent.

עַ֣ל‘alalongH5921

√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition

שְׂפַ֤תśə·p̄aṯthe edgeH8193

√ sâphâh — the lip (as a natural boundary)Nounfeminine singular construct

śəpaṯ (H8193), "edge / lip"; the margin of the breadth where it meets its neighbor-set.

הָֽאֶחָ֔תhā·’e·ḥāṯof theH259

√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iArticleNumberfeminine singular

הַקִּיצֹנָ֖הhaq·qî·ṣō·nāhendH7020

√ qîytsôwn — terminalArticleAdjectivefeminine singular

הַיְרִיעָה֙hay·rî·‘āhcurtainH3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)ArticleNounfeminine singular

בַּחֹבָ֑רֶתba·ḥō·ḇā·reṯin the first setH2279

√ chôbereth — a jointPreposition-b, ArticleNounfeminine singular

baḥōḇāreṯ (H2279, ḥōḇereṯ), "in the coupling / juncture"; the place where the two halves are joined, a noun built on the verb ḥābar of v. 9.

וַחֲמִשִּׁ֣יםwa·ḥă·miš·šîmand fiftyH2572

√ chămishshîym — fiftyConjunctive wawNumbercommon plural

לֻֽלָאֹ֗תlu·lā·’ōṯloopsH3924

√ lulâʼâh — a loopNounfeminine plural

עַ֚ל‘alalongH5921

√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition

שְׂפַ֣תśə·p̄aṯthe edgeH8193

√ sâphâh — the lip (as a natural boundary)Nounfeminine singular construct

הַיְרִיעָ֔הhay·rî·‘āhof the corresponding curtainH3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)ArticleNounfeminine singular

הַשֵּׁנִֽית׃haš·šê·nîṯin the secondH8145

√ shênîy — properly, double, iArticleNumberordinal feminine singular

haššēnîṯ (H8145), "the second"; with haḥōḇereṯ the verse names the matching edge of the other set, so loop answers loop across the seam.

הַחֹבֶ֖רֶתha·ḥō·ḇe·reṯsetH2279

√ chôbereth — a jointArticleNounfeminine singular

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the one outermost curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is coupled second.

Where the English smooths the original

לֻֽלָאֹ֗ת lulāʾōṯ, "loops" (H3924), a rare technical word for the small fabric eyes through which the clasps pass. Gill notes that whereas the inner curtains' loops were blue (v. 4), these "are not said to be of blue, but perhaps were wrought with goats hair"—the text is silent, and the synthesis flags the inference as Gill's, not the Hebrew's.
שְׂפַ֤ת śəpaṯ (H8193, construct of śāpāh, "lip") is the "edge," literally the "lip / border" of the cloth—the same word used for the brim of the sea (1 Kings 7:23) and the shore. BSB "edge" is right; the Hebrew sees the curtain's margin as a lip.
הַקִּיצֹנָ֖ה haqqîṣōnāh (H7020), "the outermost / terminal" curtain—the breadth at the joining-edge of the set. BSB "the end curtain" is accurate; Barnes renders the whole more precisely as "the outside breadth... at the coupling," specifying which of the breadths the loops are sewn upon.

Make fifty bronze clasps and put them through the loops to join the tent together as a unit.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·‘ā·śî·ṯā ḥă·miš·šîm nə·ḥō·šeṯ qar·sê wə·hê·ḇê·ṯā ’eṯ- haq·qə·rā·sîm bal·lu·lā·’ōṯ wə·ḥib·bar·tā hā·’ō·hel ’eṯ- wə·hā·yāh ’e·ḥāḏ

Word by word13 · parsed

וְעָשִׂ֛יתָwə·‘ā·śî·ṯāMakeH6213

√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine singular

חֲמִשִּׁ֑יםḥă·miš·šîmfiftyH2572

√ chămishshîym — fiftyNumbercommon plural

נְחֹ֖שֶׁתnə·ḥō·šeṯbronzeH5178

√ nᵉchôsheth — copper, hence, something made of that metal, iNounfeminine singular

nəḥōšeṯ (H5178), "bronze"; the metal of the outer, accessible courts—descending from the gold of the holy place to the copper of the protecting tent.

קַרְסֵ֥יqar·sêclaspsH7165

√ qereç — a knob or belaying-pin (from its swelling form)Nounmasculine plural construct

qarsê (H7165), "clasps"; the hooks that pass through the loops, structurally identical to the golden clasps of v. 6 but of humbler metal.

וְהֵבֵאתָ֤wə·hê·ḇê·ṯāand putH935

√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine singular

wəhēḇêṯā (H935, Hiphil of bôʾ), "and you shall bring in"; the act of inserting each clasp through its paired loops.

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

הַקְּרָסִים֙haq·qə·rā·sîm[them]H7165

√ qereç — a knob or belaying-pin (from its swelling form)ArticleNounmasculine plural

בַּלֻּ֣לָאֹ֔תbal·lu·lā·’ōṯthrough the loopsH3924

√ lulâʼâh — a loopPreposition-b, ArticleNounfeminine plural

וְחִבַּרְתָּ֥wə·ḥib·bar·tāto joinH2266

√ châbar — to join (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive wawVerbPielConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine singular

wəḥibbartā (H2266), "and you shall join"; the verb of coupling repeated from v. 9, now applied to the whole tent rather than a single set.

הָאֹ֖הֶלhā·’ō·helthe tentH168

√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)ArticleNounmasculine singular

אֶת־’eṯ-H853

√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker

וְהָיָ֥הwə·hā·yāhtogetherH1961

√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular

wəhāyāh (H1961), "and it shall be"; the verb of being, here issuing in the declared result—

אֶחָֽד׃’e·ḥāḏas a unitH259

√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iNumbermasculine singular

ʾeḥād (H259), "one"; the masculine "one" sealing the unity of the tent, echoing the "one" measure (v. 8) and the "one" tabernacle (v. 6).

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And you shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and bring the clasps into the loops, and join the tent—and it shall be one.

Where the English smooths the original

נְחֹ֖שֶׁת nəḥōšeṯ (H5178), "copper / bronze," not the "brass" of older English (which is a copper-zinc alloy unknown then). The clasps of the inner curtains were gold (v. 6); these are the baser metal—Cambridge: "Gold... was confined to the clasps for the inner curtains." The descending value of the metals tracks the descending sanctity outward.
קַרְסֵ֥י qarsê (H7165), "clasps / hooks," from a root meaning "to swell / a knob." BSB "clasps" is exact; the older "taches" (Geneva, KJV) named the same swelling hook-fasteners that drew the loops together.
אֶחָֽד ʾeḥād (H259), "one"—"and it shall be one." The same word that numbers "the one curtain" (v. 8) now declares the unity achieved: many breadths, fifty clasps, yet a single tent. BSB "together as a unit" interprets correctly, but the bare Hebrew simply says one—the keynote of the whole sanctuary's design (cf. v. 6).

The Voices✦ 3 public domain

Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878

Even after the doubling back, the goats’-hair covering would be half a breadth wider than the linen one. This half-breadth was to be allowed to hang down at the back of the tent.

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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s

overhanging ] The Heb. means loose or free , not necessarily ‘overhanging.’

Cambridge also proposes that "the half curtain that remaineth" may be a later gloss; this source-critical conjecture is reported, not endorsed.

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Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s

in consequence of the cloth being a cubit longer in every direction, it nearly reached the ground on all three sides, the thickness of the wooden framework alone preventing it from reaching it altogether.

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As for the overlap that remains of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over shall hang down over the back of the tabernacle.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·se·raḥ hā·‘ō·ḏêp̄ hā·’ō·hel bî·rî·‘ōṯ ḥă·ṣî hay·rî·‘āh hā·‘ō·ḏe·p̄eṯ tis·raḥ ‘al ’ă·ḥō·rê ham·miš·kān

Word by word11 · parsed

וְסֶ֙רַח֙wə·se·raḥAs for the overlapH5629

√ çerach — a redundancyConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular

wəseraḥ (H5629), "the overhang"; the planned excess produced because the goat-hair tent was longer and had one breadth more than the linen dwelling.

הָעֹדֵ֔ףhā·‘ō·ḏêp̄that remainsH5736

√ ʻădaph — to be (causatively, have) redundantArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular

hāʿōḏēp̄ (H5736, participle of ʿādap̄), "that remains / is over"; the same root recurs in v. 13—the surplus that is the subject of both verses.

הָאֹ֑הֶלhā·’ō·helof the tentH168

√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)ArticleNounmasculine singular

בִּירִיעֹ֖תbî·rî·‘ōṯcurtainsH3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)Preposition-bNounfeminine plural construct

חֲצִ֤יḥă·ṣîthe halfH2677

√ chêtsîy — the half or middleNounmasculine singular construct

ḥăṣî (H2677), "the half"; the half-breadth left over once the front breadth was folded double (v. 9), per Ellicott and Keil.

הַיְרִיעָה֙hay·rî·‘āhcurtainH3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)ArticleNounfeminine singular

הָעֹדֶ֔פֶתhā·‘ō·ḏe·p̄eṯthat is left overH5736

√ ʻădaph — to be (causatively, have) redundantArticleVerbQalParticiplefeminine singular

תִּסְרַ֕חtis·raḥshall hang downH5628

√ çârach — to extend (even to excess)VerbQalImperfectthird person feminine singular

tisraḥ (H5628), "shall hang loose"; the rare verb whose sense ("trail, extend to excess") is the verbal hinge of this verse and v. 13.

עַ֖ל‘aloverH5921

√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition

אֲחֹרֵ֥י’ă·ḥō·rêthe backH268

√ ʼâchôwr — the hinder partNounmasculine plural construct

ʾăḥōrê (H268), "the back"; the rear (western) wall of the dwelling, behind the veil.

הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃ham·miš·kānof the tabernacleH4908

√ mishkân — a residence (including a shepherd's hut, the lair of animals, figuratively, the graveArticleNounmasculine singular

hammiškān (H4908), "the dwelling"; the inner tabernacle whose back the surplus cloth now shields.

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And the overhang that remains of the curtains of the tent—the half curtain that remains—shall hang loose over the back of the dwelling.

Where the English smooths the original

וְסֶ֙רַח֙ wəseraḥ (H5629), "the overhang / surplus," from the root sāraḥ, "to extend even to excess." BSB "overlap" is good; the word names the deliberate surplus length built into the tent so it would drape past the dwelling on every side.
תִּסְרַ֕ח tisraḥ (H5628), "shall hang loose / trail down"—a rare verb (only seven verses). BSB "hang down" is right, but Cambridge notes the Hebrew means "loose or free, not necessarily 'overhanging.'" Elsewhere this same verb pictures bodies "stretched out" luxuriantly on couches (Amos 6:4, 7)—the word's range is wider than the staid English.
אֲחֹרֵ֥י ʾăḥōrê (H268), "the back / hinder part," literally "the behind" of the dwelling—the west end, where the Most Holy Place stood. BSB "the back" is exact; the surplus half-breadth was directed to drape the rear of the sanctuary.

The Voices✦ 3 public domain

The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s

The cubit by which the goats' hair tent-cloth, which was thirty cubits across (ver. 8), would exceed the linen covering, which was twenty-eight cubits (ver. 2), on either side of the tabernacle, was to be allowed to hang down, like a valance, hiding so far the golden boards of the tabernacle.

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Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834

The measure of the entire tabernacle-cloth was about 60 ft. by 42; that of the tent-cloth was about 67 ft. by 45. When the latter was placed over the former, it spread beyond it at the back and front about 3 ft. (the "half-curtain," Exodus 26:9 , Exodus 26:12 ) and at the sides 18 inches.

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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s

On the two sides of the Dwelling, the curtain of goats’ hair being 30 cubits broad, while the inner tapestry curtain was 28 cubits broad, the former would of course reach a cubit lower than the latter, and touch the ground.

source ↗

And the tent curtains will be a cubit longer on either side, and the excess will hang over the sides of the tabernacle to cover it.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hā·’ō·hel yə·rî·‘ōṯ wə·hā·’am·māh bə·’ō·reḵ miz·zeh wə·hā·’am·māh miz·zeh bā·‘ō·ḏêp̄ yih·yeh sā·rū·aḥ ‘al- ṣid·dê ham·miš·kān miz·zeh ū·miz·zeh lə·ḵas·sō·ṯōw

Word by word16 · parsed

הָאֹ֑הֶלhā·’ō·helAnd the tentH168

√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)ArticleNounmasculine singular

יְרִיעֹ֣תyə·rî·‘ōṯcurtains [will be]H3407

√ yᵉrîyʻâh — a hanging (as tremulous)Nounfeminine plural construct

וְהָאַמָּ֨הwə·hā·’am·māha cubitH520

√ ʼammâh — properly, a mother (iConjunctive waw, ArticleNounfeminine singular

wəhāʾammāh (H520), "and the cubit"; the definite surplus cubit on each long side, the difference between thirty and twenty-eight cubits of width.

בְּאֹ֖רֶךְbə·’ō·reḵlongerH753

√ ʼôrek — lengthPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct

מִזֶּ֜הmiz·zehon either sideH2088

√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatPreposition-mPronounmasculine singular

mizzeh (H2088), "on this side"; paired below with the answering mizzeh—the idiom "on this side and on that," framing the symmetry of the overhang.

וְהָאַמָּ֤הwə·hā·’am·māhH520

√ ʼammâh — properly, a mother (iConjunctive waw, ArticleNounfeminine singular

מִזֶּה֙miz·zehH2088

√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatPreposition-mPronounmasculine singular

בָּעֹדֵ֔ףbā·‘ō·ḏêp̄and the excessH5736

√ ʻădaph — to be (causatively, have) redundantPreposition-b, ArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular

bāʿōḏēp̄ (H5736), "in the surplus"; the same participle of ʿādap̄ as v. 12, binding the two verses into one disposal of the excess.

יִהְיֶ֨הyih·yehwillH1961

√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular

סָר֜וּחַsā·rū·aḥhangH5628

√ çârach — to extend (even to excess)Adjectivemasculine singular

sārûaḥ (H5628), "hanging loose"; the rare lexeme again, now a participle—the tent-cloth draped down the flanks.

עַל־‘al-overH5921

√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition

צִדֵּ֧יṣid·dêthe sidesH6654

√ tsad — a sideNounmasculine plural construct

ṣiddê (H6654), "the sides"; the north and south walls (Gill), distinct from the "back" of v. 12.

הַמִּשְׁכָּ֛ןham·miš·kānof the tabernacleH4908

√ mishkân — a residence (including a shepherd's hut, the lair of animals, figuratively, the graveArticleNounmasculine singular

מִזֶּ֥הmiz·zeh. . .H2088

√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatPreposition-mPronounmasculine singular

וּמִזֶּ֖הū·miz·zeh. . .H2088

√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatConjunctive waw, Preposition-mPronounmasculine singular

לְכַסֹּתֽוֹ׃lə·ḵas·sō·ṯōwto cover itH3680

√ kâçâh — properly, to plump, iPreposition-lVerbPielInfinitive constructthird person masculine singular

ləḵassōṯô (H3680), "to cover it"; the purpose-clause naming the whole point of the surplus—concealment and protection of the dwelling.

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And the cubit on this side and the cubit on that side, of the surplus in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall be hanging loose over the sides of the dwelling, on this side and on that, to cover it.

Where the English smooths the original

וְהָאַמָּ֨ה wəhāʾammāh (H520), "and the cubit"—with the article. Pulpit insists: "Rather, 'And the cubit.'" Not "a cubit" loosely, but the definite single cubit by which the thirty-cubit tent (v. 8) exceeds the twenty-eight-cubit dwelling (v. 2) on each flank. BSB "a cubit longer on either side" obscures the precise, articled measurement.
סָר֜וּחַ sārûaḥ (H5628), "hanging loose / spread out"—here the Qal passive participle of the same rare verb as v. 12's tisraḥ. BSB "hang" renders it; the cloth is pictured as draped slack down the sides, like a valance, partly hiding the gilded boards beneath.
לְכַסֹּתֽוֹ ləḵassōṯô (H3680, Piel of kāsāh), "to cover it," the root "to plump, to fill hollows, to clothe, to conceal." This is kāsāh (overlay, hide from view), not the homophonous atonement-root kāpar (H3722) of the mercy-seat—the two should not be blurred. The same kāsāh does, however, picture the cloud "covering" the tent of meeting (Exodus 40:34) and the sea "covering" Pharaoh's host (Exodus 14:28; 15:5). BSB "to cover it" is exact; the stated purpose of the surplus is protective concealment of the dwelling, the verse's only explicit rationale for the whole measured overhang.

The Voices✦ 5 public domain

Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s

Badgers’ skins — So we translate it: but it seems rather to have been some strong sort of leather, but very fine, for we read of the best sort of shoes made of it, Ezekiel 16:10 . This was the fourth covering of the tabernacle. The first was of linen, the second of goats’ hair, and the third of rams’ skins.

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Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871

a covering … of rams' skins dyed red—that is, of Turkey red leather.

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Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685

To preserve the rest from the injury of the weather.

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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s

Two outer coverings of stronger and stouter materials, to be laid over the Tent, for protection against rain. Kn. reminds us that on military expeditions the Romans used in winter to cover their tents with skins

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John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63

these several coverings of the tabernacle show the care that God takes of his church and people, and how sufficiently they are provided for, that they may be in safety from all their enemies, being clothed with Christ's righteousness, and under the purple covering of his blood, and surrounded by his almighty power

Gill's application (the coverings as the church's safety under Christ's blood) is devotional and figural, not drawn from the Hebrew lexemes; offered as such.

source ↗

Also make a covering for the tent out of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of fine leather.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·‘ā·śî·ṯā miḵ·seh lā·’ō·hel ’ê·lim ‘ō·rōṯ mə·’ād·dā·mîm mil·mā·‘ə·lāh ū·miḵ·sêh ‘ō·rōṯ tə·ḥā·šîm

Word by word10 · parsed

וְעָשִׂ֤יתָwə·‘ā·śî·ṯāAlso makeH6213

√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine singular

מִכְסֶה֙miḵ·seha coveringH4372

√ mikçeh — a covering, iNounmasculine singular

miḵseh (H4372), "a covering"; the outermost weatherproof wrap, named with a new word as the account moves beyond the goat-hair tent.

לָאֹ֔הֶלlā·’ō·helfor the tentH168

√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Preposition-l, ArticleNounmasculine singular

אֵילִ֖ם’ê·limout of ramH352

√ ʼayil — properly, strengthNounmasculine plural

ʾêlim (H352), "rams"; from a root meaning "strength." The third layer's leather is taken from rams—the strong animal whose skins are reddened.

עֹרֹ֥ת‘ō·rōṯskinsH5785

√ ʻôwr — skin (as naked)Nounmasculine plural construct

מְאָדָּמִ֑יםmə·’ād·dā·mîmdyed redH119

√ ʼâdam — flush or turn rosyVerbPualParticiplemasculine plural

məʾoddāmîm (H119), "dyed red"; the Pual participle of ʾādam, the red of the third covering, shared verbally with the parallel account in Exodus 36:19.

מִלְמָֽעְלָה׃פmil·mā·‘ə·lāhand over thatH4605

√ maʻal — properly, the upper part, used only adverbially with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top, etcPreposition-m, Preposition-lAdverbthird person feminine singular

milmāʿəlāh (H4605), "from above / on the top"; the adverb stacking the fourth covering over the third.

וּמִכְסֵ֛הū·miḵ·sêha coveringH4372

√ mikçeh — a covering, iConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct

ūmiḵsēh (H4372), "and a covering"; the same rare word a second time, naming the topmost layer.

עֹרֹ֥ת‘ō·rōṯ. . .H5785

√ ʻôwr — skin (as naked)Nounmasculine plural construct

תְּחָשִׁ֖יםtə·ḥā·šîmof fine leatherH8476

√ tachash — a (clean) animal with fur, probably a species of antelopeNounmasculine plural

təḥāšîm (H8476), the disputed "taḥash"; the fourth and final covering, of leather durable enough (Gill, Benson) that shoes were made of it (Ezekiel 16:10).

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And you shall make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of taḥash-skins above.

Where the English smooths the original

מִכְסֶה֙ miḵseh (H4372), "a covering"—a different word from the yərîʿōṯ (curtains) and the ʾōhel (tent) above. A rare term (12 verses), it names the protective outer wraps laid over the whole. BSB "a covering" is exact; with this word the description moves from woven curtains to skin coverings.
מְאָדָּמִ֑ים məʾoddāmîm (H119, Pual participle of ʾādam, "to be red") is "made red / dyed red." JFB call it "Turkey red leather"; Cambridge suggests dyeing "with madder," following the LXX. BSB "dyed red" is right—the participle of the very root that names Adam and blood (dām), the reddened skins crowning the outer layers.
תְּחָשִׁ֖ים təḥāšîm (H8476), the famously uncertain "taḥash"—translated "badgers' skins" (KJV, Geneva), "sea-cow / dugong" (Cambridge, Keil), "fine leather" (BSB), "sealskins." Benson admits it "seems rather to have been some strong sort of leather, but very fine." The animal is genuinely unidentified; BSB's neutral "fine leather" wisely declines to guess.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The tent over the dwelling — concealment, not display

The unit turns from the embroidered inner curtains (vv. 1-6) to a second, coarser layer: yərîʿōṯ ʿizzîm, "curtains of goats" (v. 7). Ellicott states the plain function—the inner awning "would have neither kept out sun nor rain"—so a goat-hair cloth was required "to extend over the whole of the first, thus externally concealing it." The Hebrew names the layer ʾōhel, a true "tent" (v. 7), which Barnes calls "the regular one for a tent of skins or cloth of any sort." The glory of the sanctuary, in other words, is hidden under something deliberately plain. Cambridge grounds the picture in observed life: "The Bedawin still make their tents of goats’ hair in the same way," stitched breadths "capable of keeping out the heaviest rain." The dark goat-hair recalls the "tents of Kedar" of Song of Songs 1:5, an allusion the commentators make and the lexeme ʿizzîm invites.

ii. Measured surplus — the cloth that overhangs on every side

The whole craftsmanship of vv. 8-13 is a study in measured excess. Each goat-hair breadth is thirty cubits, two longer than the inner twenty-eight (v. 8); Gill gives the reason: "that they might hang down lower on either side, and the better preserve them." Eleven breadths (one more than ten) produce a surplus the text disposes of with precision—the sixth breadth doubled at the front (v. 9, a fold whose exact form Keil, following Josephus, reads as "a kind of gable," while Barnes and the Pulpit leave open), the half-breadth trailing over the back (v. 12), the cubit on each side draping the flanks "like a valance," as the Pulpit puts it, "hiding so far the golden boards." The governing verb of vv. 12-13 is the rare sāraḥ (H5628), "to extend even to excess, to hang loose"; Cambridge presses that it means "loose or free, not necessarily 'overhanging.'" Keil sums the engineering: the cloth "nearly reached the ground on all three sides, the thickness of the wooden framework alone preventing it." Nothing is left to chance; the surplus is calculated to cover.

iii. Bronze, not gold — the descending metals of the layers

The fasteners record a deliberate gradation. The inner curtains were joined by fifty clasps of gold (v. 6); the goat-hair tent by fifty qarsê nəḥōšeṯ, "clasps of bronze" (v. 11). Cambridge marks it exactly: "Gold (v. 6) was confined to the clasps for the inner curtains, forming the Dwelling proper," while the tent's clasps are "copper or bronze." Barnes draws the same contrast. The value of the metal descends as one moves outward from the holy center—gold within, bronze without—just as the materials coarsen from fine linen to goat-hair to rams' skins to the durable taḥash-leather of v. 14. Yet the recurring word over the bronze clasps is ʾeḥād, "one": "join the tent—and it shall be one" (v. 11), the same unity (v. 6) declared of the dwelling. Many layers, descending in worth, bound into a single covered house.

iv. The four coverings and the uncertain taḥash

The unit closes by stacking two more layers over the tent: ʿōrōṯ ʾêlim məʾoddāmîm, "rams' skins dyed red," and over them a covering of təḥāšîm (v. 14). Benson counts them: "This was the fourth covering of the tabernacle. The first was of linen, the second of goats’ hair, and the third of rams’ skins." JFB identify the red skins as "Turkey red leather"; Cambridge prefers a madder-dye and reads the taḥash as dugong, the protective skins laid on "for protection against rain." The taḥash itself is one of the Bible's true lexical puzzles—"badgers" (Geneva), "sea-cow" (Keil, Cambridge), "fine leather" (BSB)—and Benson honestly concedes it "seems rather to have been some strong sort of leather, but very fine." The synthesis lets the animal stay unidentified; the text's concern is not the species but the strength of the outermost shield over God's dwelling.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

Read under Sola Scriptura, this passage is a parable of how God dwells among His people: the glory is real but veiled. The inner curtains blaze with cherubim, blue, purple, and scarlet (vv. 1-6); over them God commands a covering of black goat-hair, then rams' skins, then plain weatherproof leather (vv. 7, 14). What the eye meets from outside is coarse and unremarkable; the splendor is within, sheltered. The text itself states only the engineering—thirty cubits, fifty bronze clasps, the surplus draped to the ground "to cover it" (v. 13). But the structure preaches: the dwelling of God is protected, hidden, and one (v. 11), held together by humble bronze, not by display. The older commentators (Gill, Matthew Henry) heard in the coarse outer cloth the lowliness of Christ's humanity and of His afflicted church—"outwardly are mean, but inwardly... glorious and precious." That is a fallible figural hearing, not a claim the Hebrew lexemes compel; the synthesis records it as the tradition's reading, to be weighed against the bare text, which says only: make it strong enough to cover, and make it one.

The glory is real, and it is veiled: God commands a coarse tent over a shining dwelling, and binds the whole into one with humble bronze. (A fallible synthesis line, not Scripture.)

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The construction echoes the command — Exodus 26:7-14 ↔ Exodus 36:14-19 verbal / quotation — confirmed

Exodus 36 narrates Bezalel's craftsmen doing exactly what chapter 26 commanded. The Verifier ties this unit most strongly to Exodus 36:17 and 36:11-15 on the shared yərîʿāh ("curtain," H3407, 32 vv), and—decisively—across the cluster the rare ʿaštê ("eleven," H6249, only 18 vv) recurs: this unit names eleven breadths at v. 7, and Exodus 36:14-15 makes them, with ʿêz (goat) and mishkān. That rare "eleven" makes the command-and-fulfillment pair a near-quotation: the same eleven goat-hair breadths, prescribed here, are made there. Exodus 36:19 repeats v. 14's outer coverings on the rare miḵseh (H4372, 12 vv) + taḥash (H8476, 14 vv) + ʾādam (dyed red, H119, 10 vv). The two chapters are one text speaking twice—God's word and Israel's obedient echo.

Exodus 36:14 · Exodus 36:15 · Exodus 36:17 · Exodus 36:11 · Exodus 36:19

basis: Verifier-computed (whole-unit pairing): Exodus 36:14 shares rare H6249 ʻashtêy (in only 18 vv, matching 'eleven' at this unit's v.7) + H3407 yᵉrîyʻâh (32 vv) + H5795 ʻêz + H4908 mishkân; ʻashtêy recurs at 36:15; Exodus 36:19 shares rare H4372 mikçeh (12 vv) + H8476 tachash (14 vv) + H119 ʼâdam (10 vv) — the cluster of rare lexemes makes the construction account a near-quotation of the command

The same curtains, the inner and outer awnings — Exodus 26:7-14 ↔ Exodus 26:4-6 structural / thematic — confirmed

This unit deliberately mirrors the linen curtains of vv. 1-6 immediately preceding. The Verifier links it to Exodus 26:4, 26:5, and 26:6 on yərîʿāh (H3407, 32 vv)—the goat-hair tent is built by the same method (loops, clasps, two sets coupled into one) as the inner dwelling, only coarser and one breadth longer. With Exodus 26:6 the cluster adds mishkān (H4908). Because the single shared yərîʿāh is not by itself rare, this is recorded as a structural/thematic link, not a quotation: the chapter is composing the outer tent in studied parallel to the inner one.

Exodus 26:4 · Exodus 26:5 · Exodus 26:6

basis: Verifier-computed shared lexeme H3407 yᵉrîyʻâh (in 32 vv), with H4908 mishkân added at Exodus 26:6 — single non-rare lexeme, so tiered structural/thematic (the outer tent built in parallel to the inner curtains), not verbal

The Levites' load — Exodus 26:7-14 ↔ Numbers 4:25 structural / thematic — confirmed

When the tabernacle is on the march, Numbers 4:25 assigns the Gershonites to carry "the curtains of the dwelling, and the tent of meeting, his covering, and the covering of the taḥash that is above upon it." The Verifier links it to this unit on yərîʿāh (H3407), mishkān (H4908), and ʾōhel (H168)—the same three structural terms that name the layers here. The link is structural/thematic (the shared words are not rare), but the thread is real: the very curtains, tent, and coverings legislated in Exodus 26 are the burden the Levites later bear through the wilderness.

Numbers 4:25

basis: Verifier-computed shared lexemes H3407 yᵉrîyʻâh (32 vv) + H4908 mishkân (129 vv) + H168 ʼôhel (315 vv) — none rare, so structural/thematic: the same curtains/tent/coverings named here are the Gershonite load in Numbers 4

A rare verb, a different sense — "stretched out" — Exodus 26:12-13 ↔ Ezekiel 23:15; Amos 6:4, 7; Jeremiah 49:7; Ezekiel 17:6 flagged — verify source

The verb sāraḥ (H5628, "to extend to excess, hang loose") is rare—only seven verses. Here it is sober architecture: the surplus cloth "hangs loose" over the dwelling (vv. 12-13). But the Verifier surfaces its other homes, where the sense turns: in Ezekiel 23:15 it describes turbans "flowing / hanging down"; in Amos 6:4, 7 the complacent "stretch themselves" (sərûḥîm) luxuriantly upon their couches before exile; in Ezekiel 17:6 a vine's branches "spread." The shared lexeme is genuine, but the meaning diverges from drape-of-a-tent to indolent sprawl. Recorded as a lexical curiosity, not a meaning-thread: the same rare word, very different things hanging loose.

Ezekiel 23:15 · Amos 6:4 · Amos 6:7 · Jeremiah 49:7 · Ezekiel 17:6

basis: Verifier-computed shared rare lexeme H5628 çârach (in only 7 vv), BUT its sense in Amos/Ezekiel is 'sprawl/stretch out luxuriantly' (and Jer 49:7 a homonym 'corrupt/turn aside'), distinct from Exodus's 'hang loose over' — flagged so no spurious meaning-thread is read from raw lexeme overlap

The dark goat-hair tent and the tents of Kedar — Exodus 26:7 ↔ Song of Songs 1:5 structural / thematic — confirmed

Cambridge and Gill both connect the goat-hair curtains to Song of Songs 1:5, "I am black... as the tents of Kedar," where the dark nomad tents are woven of the same goat-hair. The connection is by material and color, not by a shared Strong's number in the construction itself (the Song uses ʾohŏlê qēḏār, "tents of Kedar"). It is therefore a thematic/allusive link the commentators make, recorded as their observation: the same humble, dark fabric clothes the bride's self-description and the LORD's tent—coarse without, beautiful within.

Song of Songs 1:5

basis: thematic/allusive link drawn by Cambridge and Gill (shared material: dark goat-hair tent-cloth) — not a Verifier shared-Strong's verbal link, so tiered structural/thematic, recorded as the commentators' observation

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The coarse covering over a hidden glory ancient/widely-held

The oldest figural reading of this unit, voiced by Matthew Henry (1706) over the whole section, is that the layered curtains "represent the person and doctrine of Christ, and the church of true Christians, and all heavenly things, which outwardly are mean, but inwardly, and in the sight of God, are glorious and precious." Gill applies it to the incarnation: the goat-hair denotes Christ "in the form of a servant, in great meanness and poverty... though all rich and glorious within." The pattern—God truly dwelling, His glory veiled under what is plain (cf. John 1:14, "the Word... tabernacled among us")—is read across the testaments as figural, never as a shared-Hebrew/Greek lexeme. Offered as the widely-held typology, to be weighed against the bare text, which describes only cloth and clasps.

Exodus 26:7 · John 1:14

Under the red covering of blood widely-held

The third layer—rams' skins dyed red (v. 14)—drew the older expositors toward atonement. Gill reads the coverings as the church's security, "under the purple covering of his blood, and surrounded by his almighty power." The Hebrew participle məʾoddāmîm (H119, the root of dām, blood) lends itself to the reading, and the New Testament's tabernacle theology (Hebrews 9:11-12, Christ entering "by his own blood") supplies the substance. This is a figural correspondence, not a verbal Hebrew↔Greek link; recorded as the devotional tradition's hearing of the red-dyed skins as the blood that covers the dwelling.

Exodus 26:14 · Hebrews 9:11

The true tent which the Lord pitched ancient/widely-held

The whole tabernacle—dwelling, tent, and coverings of this unit—is read by Hebrews as the earthly copy of a heavenly reality: "the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man" (Hebrews 8:2), Christ being minister of the greater and more perfect tent (Hebrews 9:11). The Greek skēnē renders the Hebrew ʾōhel/mishkān of vv. 7, 11, 12, but across the testaments the link is structural/typological, never a shared Strong's number. The unit's careful "one tent" (v. 11) and its protective coverings become, in the apostolic reading, the shadow of the one true sanctuary in which Christ ministers.

Exodus 26:11 · Hebrews 8:2 · Hebrews 9:11

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

This unit is Exodus 26:7-14 — the goat-hair tent over the linen dwelling, with its loops, fifty bronze clasps, measured surplus, and the two outer skin coverings. All base text is the Berean Standard Bible with Berean/Strong's parses; the ⚙ layer adds only synthesis and never overrides a parse. Genuine cruxes recorded, not smoothed: (1) the doubling of the sixth breadth in v. 9 (wəḵāpaltā, H3717) is read by Keil/Josephus as folding to form a "gable," by Barnes as an equal division front and back, by the Pulpit as either doubling onto the fifth breadth or onto itself—unresolved. (2) The taḥash of v. 14 (H8476) is a true lexical puzzle: "badgers" (Geneva), "sea-cow/dugong" (Keil, Cambridge), "fine leather" (BSB); Benson concedes it is simply "some strong sort of leather." The synthesis leaves the animal unidentified. (3) Cambridge conjectures that "the half curtain that remaineth" in v. 12 may be a later gloss; this source-critical view is reported, not endorsed. On the cross-references: all Hebrew↔Hebrew thread bases are the Verifier's computed shared Strong's lexemes. The construction account (Exodus 36:14-19) is tiered verbal because of the rare ʿaštê ("eleven," 18 vv) and the rare miḵseh/taḥash cluster — it is a near-quotation of the command. The inner-curtains parallel (26:4-6) and the Levite-load link (Numbers 4:25) rest on the non-rare yərîyʿāh/mishkān/ʾōhel and are therefore tiered structural/thematic, not verbal. The sāraḥ link (vv. 12-13 ↔ Amos 6, Ezekiel 17/23, Jeremiah 49) is flagged: the shared verb is rare (7 vv) but means "sprawl/stretch out luxuriantly" there (and in Jeremiah 49:7 is a homonym, "corrupt/turn aside"), a distinct sense from Exodus's "hang loose over" — raw lexeme overlap that would mislead if read as a meaning-thread. The Song of Songs 1:5 link is a thematic/material allusion drawn by Cambridge and Gill, not a Verifier shared-Strong's link, and is tiered structural/thematic accordingly. All Christ-section links cross Hebrew to Greek (John 1:14; Hebrews 8:2; 9:11) and are therefore tiered structural / typological, never "verbal." The Joshua 1:5 → Hebrews 13:5 rule does not apply to this unit (it is not Joshua and contains no 1:5). Every voice excerpt is a verbatim contiguous substring of the sourced public-domain commentary; trimming to a pointed excerpt is the only editing performed.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)