The Fallible Study Bible

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Exodus27:9–19

The Courtyard

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Exodus 27:9–19 — The Courtyard. 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.

9

You are also to make a courtyard for the tabernacle. On the south side of the courtyard make curtains of finely spun linen, a hundred cubits long on one side,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·‘ā·śî·ṯā ’êṯ ḥă·ṣar ham·miš·kān ne·ḡeḇ- tê·mā·nāh lip̄·’aṯ le·ḥā·ṣêr qə·lā·‘îm mā·šə·zār šêš mê·’āh ḇā·’am·māh ’ō·reḵ hā·’e·ḥāṯ lap·pê·’āh

Word by word16 · parsed
וְעָשִׂ֕יתָwə·‘ā·śî·ṯāYou are also to makeH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine singular
Qal conjunctive perfect, second person — the eleventh in a chain of "and you shall make" commands building the sanctuary. The court is commanded, not optional.
אֵ֖ת’êṯH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
חֲצַ֣רḥă·ṣara courtyardH2691
√ châtsêr — a yard (as inclosed by a fence)Nouncommon singular construct
חֲצַר in the construct: "the court of the dwelling." A boundary that both shuts out and lets in — what Henry calls "the difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church."
הַמִּשְׁכָּ֑ןham·miš·kānfor the tabernacleH4908
√ mishkân — a residence (including a shepherd's hut, the lair of animals, figuratively, the graveArticleNounmasculine singular
נֶֽגֶב־ne·ḡeḇ-On the southH5045
√ negeb — the south (from its drought)Nounmasculine singular
תֵּ֠ימָנָהtê·mā·nāh. . .H8486
√ têymân — the south (as being on the right hand of a person facing the east)Nounfeminine singularthird person feminine singular
תֵּימָנָה (têmānāh, H8486) is a rare term (only ~22 verses): "toward the right hand," the south being on the right of one facing the sunrise. Several voices render v. 9 "upon the right" rather than "southward."
לִפְאַ֣תlip̄·’aṯsideH6285
√ pêʼâh — properly, mouth in a figurative sense, iPreposition-lNounfeminine singular construct
לֶחָצֵ֜רle·ḥā·ṣêrof the courtyardH2691
√ châtsêr — a yard (as inclosed by a fence)Preposition-l, ArticleNouncommon singular
קְלָעִ֨יםqə·lā·‘îmmake curtainsH7050
√ qelaʻ — a slingNounmasculine plural
The wall is made of hangings, not stone — a sanctuary fenced by cloth. Permanent in design, portable in fact: a dwelling that can move with the people.
מָשְׁזָ֗רmā·šə·zārof finely spunH7806
√ shâzar — to twist (a thread of straw)VerbHofalParticiplemasculine singular
מָשְׁזָר (māšəzār, H7806), a Hophal participle of šāzar, "to twist" — each thread itself doubled and twisted. Gill: "fine linen, six times twisted." The rare verb (~21 verses) ties this court to the inner sanctuary's own twined linen.
שֵׁ֣שׁšêšlinenH8336
√ shêsh — bleached stuff, iNounmasculine singular
שֵׁשׁ (šêš, H8336) is byssus, bleached white linen — the same material as the priestly garments and the inner curtains. The boundary of the court is woven of the stuff of holiness.
מֵאָ֤הmê·’āha hundredH3967
√ mêʼâh — a hundredNumberfeminine singular
בָֽאַמָּה֙ḇā·’am·māhcubitsH520
√ ʼammâh — properly, a mother (iPreposition-b, ArticleNounfeminine singular
אֹ֔רֶךְ’ō·reḵlongH753
√ ʼôrek — lengthNounmasculine singular
הָאֶחָֽת׃hā·’e·ḥāṯon oneH259
√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iArticleNumberfeminine singular
לַפֵּאָ֖הlap·pê·’āhsideH6285
√ pêʼâh — properly, mouth in a figurative sense, iPreposition-l, ArticleNounfeminine singular
10

with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and silver hooks and bands on the posts.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

‘eś·rîm wə·‘am·mu·ḏāw ‘eś·rîm nə·ḥō·šeṯ wə·’aḏ·nê·hem kā·sep̄ wā·wê wa·ḥă·šu·qê·hem hā·‘am·mu·ḏîm

Word by word9 · parsed
עֶשְׂרִ֔ים‘eś·rîmwith twentyH6242
√ ʻesrîym — twentyNumbercommon plural
וְעַמֻּדָ֣יוwə·‘am·mu·ḏāwpostsH5982
√ ʻammûwd — a column (as standing)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
The number is fixed: twenty pillars, matched by twenty bases — at five-cubit spacing, exactly spanning the hundred-cubit south wall.
עֶשְׂרִ֖ים‘eś·rîmand twentyH6242
√ ʻesrîym — twentyNumbercommon plural
נְחֹ֑שֶׁתnə·ḥō·šeṯbronzeH5178
√ nᵉchôsheth — copper, hence, something made of that metal, iNounfeminine singular
Bronze for the structural footing of the court. The grading of metals (bronze without, silver and gold within) is itself a sermon on degrees of nearness to God.
וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֥םwə·’aḏ·nê·hembasesH134
√ ʼeden — a basis (of a building, a column, etcConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
כָּֽסֶף׃kā·sep̄and silverH3701
√ keçeph — silver (from its pale color)Nounmasculine singular
כָּסֶף (kāseḇ, H3701), silver, for the hooks and bands — the points of contact and connection are of the more precious metal, even where the footing is base.
וָוֵ֧יwā·wêhooksH2053
√ vâv — a hook (the name of the sixth Hebrew letter)Nounmasculine plural construct
וָוֵי (wāwê, H2053): "hooks" — the word is itself the name of the Hebrew letter waw (a hook), and so the very form of the conjunction "and." The pillars are joined as words are joined.
וַחֲשֻׁקֵיהֶ֖םwa·ḥă·šu·qê·hemand bandsH2838
√ châshuq — attached, iConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
The disputed term. Ellicott, Barnes and the Pulpit prefer "connecting-rods"; Geneva and Jewish tradition, "hoops to beautify the pillar." The parse leaves both standing: function and ornament.
הָעַמֻּדִ֛יםhā·‘am·mu·ḏîmon the postsH5982
√ ʻammûwd — a column (as standing)ArticleNounmasculine plural
11

Likewise there are to be curtains on the north side, a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·ḵên qə·lā·‘îm ṣā·p̄ō·wn lip̄·’aṯ mê·’āh ’ō·reḵ bā·’ō·reḵ ‘eś·rîm wə·ʿam·dū ‘eś·rîm nə·ḥō·šeṯ wə·’aḏ·nê·hem kā·sep̄ wā·wê wa·ḥă·šu·qê·hem hā·‘am·mu·ḏîm

Word by word16 · parsed
וְכֵ֨ןwə·ḵênLikewiseH3651
√ kên — properly, set uprightConjunctive wawAdverb
"Likewise" — the narrative's economy. The north wall is described as an exact echo of the south, the symmetry itself part of the meaning.
קְלָעִ֖יםqə·lā·‘îm[there are to be] curtainsH7050
√ qelaʻ — a slingNounmasculine plural
צָפוֹן֙ṣā·p̄ō·wnon the northH6828
√ tsâphôwn — properly, hidden, iNounfeminine singular
The shadowed quarter is walled with the same white linen as the bright one. Holiness is no respecter of compass points.
לִפְאַ֤תlip̄·’aṯsideH6285
√ pêʼâh — properly, mouth in a figurative sense, iPreposition-lNounfeminine singular construct
מֵ֣אָהmê·’āha hundredH3967
√ mêʼâh — a hundredNumberfeminine singular
אֹ֑רֶךְ’ō·reḵ[cubits]H753
√ ʼôrek — lengthNounmasculine singular
בָּאֹ֔רֶךְbā·’ō·reḵlongH753
√ ʼôrek — lengthPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
עֶשְׂרִ֗ים‘eś·rîmwith twentyH6242
√ ʻesrîym — twentyNumbercommon plural
וְעַמְדּוּwə·ʿam·dūpostsH5982
√ ʻammûwd — a column (as standing)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְעַמְדּוּ here shows a variant spelling of "its pillars" (‘ammûwd, H5982) — a minor orthographic quirk the Masoretes preserved; the sense is unchanged from v. 10.
עֶשְׂרִים֙‘eś·rîmand twentyH6242
√ ʻesrîym — twentyNumbercommon plural
נְחֹ֔שֶׁתnə·ḥō·šeṯbronzeH5178
√ nᵉchôsheth — copper, hence, something made of that metal, iNounfeminine singular
וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֤םwə·’aḏ·nê·hembasesH134
√ ʼeden — a basis (of a building, a column, etcConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
כָּֽסֶף׃kā·sep̄and with silverH3701
√ keçeph — silver (from its pale color)Nounmasculine singular
וָוֵ֧יwā·wêhooksH2053
√ vâv — a hook (the name of the sixth Hebrew letter)Nounmasculine plural construct
וָוֵי (hooks) and the silver bands recur word-for-word from v. 10 — the text refuses to abbreviate, insisting every side is fully furnished.
וַחֲשֻׁקֵיהֶ֖םwa·ḥă·šu·qê·hemand bandsH2838
√ châshuq — attached, iConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
הָֽעַמֻּדִ֛יםhā·‘am·mu·ḏîmon the postsH5982
√ ʻammûwd — a column (as standing)ArticleNounmasculine plural
12

The curtains on the west side of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide, with ten posts and ten bases.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

qə·lā·‘îm yām lip̄·’aṯ- he·ḥā·ṣêr ḥă·miš·šîm ’am·māh wə·rō·ḥaḇ ‘ă·śā·rāh ‘am·mu·ḏê·hem ‘ă·śā·rāh wə·’aḏ·nê·hem

Word by word11 · parsed
קְלָעִ֖יםqə·lā·‘îmThe curtainsH7050
√ qelaʻ — a slingNounmasculine plural
יָ֔םyāmon the westH3220
√ yâm — a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of waterNounmasculine singular
יָם, "the sea," stands alone for "westward" — the upper, rear end of the court, nearest the dwelling itself (Gill: "near to which reached the holy of holies").
לִפְאַת־lip̄·’aṯ-sideH6285
√ pêʼâh — properly, mouth in a figurative sense, iPreposition-lNounfeminine singular construct
הֶֽחָצֵר֙he·ḥā·ṣêrof the courtyardH2691
√ châtsêr — a yard (as inclosed by a fence)ArticleNouncommon singular
חֲמִשִּׁ֣יםḥă·miš·šîmshall be fiftyH2572
√ chămishshîym — fiftyNumbercommon plural
חֲמִשִּׁים (ḥămiššîm, H2572), fifty — "so that the court was but half as broad as it was long" (Gill). A 2:1 rectangle, the shape Keil reads as marking "part of the kingdom of God."
אַמָּ֑ה’am·māhcubitsH520
√ ʼammâh — properly, a mother (iNounfeminine singular
וְרֹ֤חַבwə·rō·ḥaḇwideH7341
√ rôchab — width (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
עֲשָׂרָ֔ה‘ă·śā·rāhwith tenH6235
√ ʻeser — ten (as an accumulation to the extent of the digits)Numbermasculine singular
Ten pillars across the back, evenly spaced, balancing the twenty along each side. The whole enclosure totals sixty pillars — a number several voices labor to reconcile with the corners.
עַמֻּדֵיהֶ֣ם‘am·mu·ḏê·hempostsH5982
√ ʻammûwd — a column (as standing)Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
עֲשָׂרָֽה׃‘ă·śā·rāhand tenH6235
√ ʻeser — ten (as an accumulation to the extent of the digits)Numbermasculine singular
וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֖םwə·’aḏ·nê·hembasesH134
√ ʼeden — a basis (of a building, a column, etcConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
13

The east side of the courtyard, toward the sunrise, is to be fifty cubits wide.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

qê·ḏə·māh lip̄·’aṯ he·ḥā·ṣêr miz·rā·ḥāh ḥă·miš·šîm ’am·māh wə·rō·ḥaḇ

Word by word7 · parsed
קֵ֥דְמָהqê·ḏə·māhThe eastH6924
√ qedem — the front, of place (absolutely, the fore part, relatively the East) or time (antiquity)Adverbthird person feminine singular
East is "the front." Both tabernacle and temple faced the sunrise — "a belief quite separate from sun-worship" (Ellicott), simply the orientation of approach.
לִפְאַ֛תlip̄·’aṯsideH6285
√ pêʼâh — properly, mouth in a figurative sense, iPreposition-lNounfeminine singular construct
הֶֽחָצֵ֗רhe·ḥā·ṣêrof the courtyardH2691
√ châtsêr — a yard (as inclosed by a fence)ArticleNouncommon singular
מִזְרָ֖חָהmiz·rā·ḥāhtoward the sunriseH4217
√ mizrâch — sunrise, iNounmasculine singularthird person feminine singular
מִזְרָחָה marks the way in. Of the four walls, only this one is broken — by a gate. The side that faces the rising light is the side that opens.
חֲמִשִּׁ֥יםḥă·miš·šîm[is to be] fiftyH2572
√ chămishshîym — fiftyNumbercommon plural
Fifty cubits across the front, matching the west — but here the fifty is divided (vv. 14–16) into two flanks and a central gate, the only place the linen wall yields a door.
אַמָּֽה׃’am·māhcubitsH520
√ ʼammâh — properly, a mother (iNounfeminine singular
וְרֹ֣חַבwə·rō·ḥaḇwideH7341
√ rôchab — width (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
14

Make the curtains on one side fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

qə·lā·‘îm lak·kā·ṯêp̄ wa·ḥă·mêš ‘eś·rêh ’am·māh šə·lō·šāh ‘am·mu·ḏê·hem šə·lō·šāh wə·’aḏ·nê·hem

Word by word9 · parsed
קְלָעִ֖יםqə·lā·‘îmMake the curtainsH7050
√ qelaʻ — a slingNounmasculine plural
לַכָּתֵ֑ףlak·kā·ṯêp̄on one sideH3802
√ kâthêph — the shoulder (proper, iPreposition-l, ArticleNounfeminine singular
כָּתֵף, "shoulder" — the architectural term for the wall-piece flanking a gateway. The court's east face has two shoulders and, between them, a door.
וַחֲמֵ֨שׁwa·ḥă·mêšfifteenH2568
√ châmêsh — fiveConjunctive wawNumberfeminine singular construct
עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה‘eś·rêh. . .H6240
√ ʻâsâr — ten (only in combination), iNumberfeminine singular
Fifteen cubits — "these fifteen cubits, with the fifteen cubits... and the twenty cubits... make up the fifty cubits mentioned" (Poole). The text trusts the reader to add.
אַמָּ֛ה’am·māhcubits longH520
√ ʼammâh — properly, a mother (iNounfeminine singular
שְׁלֹשָׁ֔הšə·lō·šāhwith threeH7969
√ shâlôwsh — threeNumbermasculine singular
עַמֻּדֵיהֶ֣ם‘am·mu·ḏê·hempostsH5982
√ ʻammûwd — a column (as standing)Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
Three pillars to carry fifteen cubits of hangings — apparently one short, until you count the corners only once. K&D's long note defends the symmetry as real, not careless.
שְׁלֹשָֽׁה׃šə·lō·šāhand threeH7969
√ shâlôwsh — threeNumbermasculine singular
וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֖םwə·’aḏ·nê·hembasesH134
√ ʼeden — a basis (of a building, a column, etcConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
15

and the curtains on the other side fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

qə·lā·‘îm haš·šê·nîṯ wə·lak·kā·ṯêp̄ ḥə·mēš ‘eś·rêh šə·lō·šāh ‘am·mu·ḏê·hem šə·lō·šāh wə·’aḏ·nê·hem

Word by word9 · parsed
קְלָעִ֑יםqə·lā·‘îmand the curtainsH7050
√ qelaʻ — a slingNounmasculine plural
הַשֵּׁנִ֔יתhaš·šê·nîṯon the otherH8145
√ shênîy — properly, double, iArticleNumberordinal feminine singular
הַשֵּׁנִית, "the second" — an exact mirror of v. 14. The verse adds nothing but the matching, and the matching is the point: the entrance is centered, balanced, fair to both hands.
וְלַכָּתֵף֙wə·lak·kā·ṯêp̄sideH3802
√ kâthêph — the shoulder (proper, iConjunctive waw, Preposition-l, ArticleNounfeminine singular
The second shoulder closes the symmetry of the front. Fifteen + twenty (gate) + fifteen = fifty, the breadth declared in v. 13.
חְמֵ֥שׁḥə·mēšfifteen cubits longH2568
√ châmêsh — fiveNumberfeminine singular construct
עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה‘eś·rêh. . .H6240
√ ʻâsâr — ten (only in combination), iNumberfeminine singular
שְׁלֹשָׁ֔הšə·lō·šāhwith threeH7969
√ shâlôwsh — threeNumbermasculine singular
Three pillars again, the corner shared. The repetition with v. 14 is verbatim — the text builds the gate by laying down two identical flanks and naming the opening between them.
עַמֻּדֵיהֶ֣ם‘am·mu·ḏê·hempostsH5982
√ ʻammûwd — a column (as standing)Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
שְׁלֹשָֽׁה׃šə·lō·šāhand threeH7969
√ shâlôwsh — threeNumbermasculine singular
וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֖םwə·’aḏ·nê·hembasesH134
√ ʼeden — a basis (of a building, a column, etcConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
16

The gate of the courtyard shall be twenty cubits long, with a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It shall have four posts and four bases.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ū·lə·ša·‘ar he·ḥā·ṣêr ‘eś·rîm ’am·māh mā·sāḵ rō·qêm tə·ḵê·leṯ wə·’ar·gā·mān wə·ṯō·w·la·‘aṯ šā·nî mā·šə·zār ma·‘ă·śêh wə·šêš ’ar·bā·‘āh ‘am·mu·ḏê·hem ’ar·bā·‘āh wə·’aḏ·nê·hem

Word by word17 · parsed
וּלְשַׁ֨עַרū·lə·ša·‘arThe gateH8179
√ shaʻar — an opening, iConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounmasculine singular construct
שַׁעַר, "gate" — but an opening closed only by a hanging. One door in a wall of cloth: the court has a single, deliberate way in (Ellicott: "a single entrance").
הֶֽחָצֵ֜רhe·ḥā·ṣêrof the courtyardH2691
√ châtsêr — a yard (as inclosed by a fence)ArticleNouncommon singular
עֶשְׂרִ֣ים‘eś·rîmshall be twentyH6242
√ ʻesrîym — twentyNumbercommon plural
אַמָּ֗ה’am·māhcubits [long]H520
√ ʼammâh — properly, a mother (iNounfeminine singular
מָסָ֣ךְ׀mā·sāḵwith a curtainH4539
√ mâçâk — a cover, iNounmasculine singular
מָסָךְ is the movable screen. Unlike the plain white walls, this one is dyed and figured — "it would contrast strongly with the plain white 'sail-cloth'" (Ellicott), "clearly point out to all the place of entrance."
רֹקֵ֑םrō·qêmembroideredH7551
√ râqam — to variegate color, iVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
רֹקֵם, the embroiderer's craft — the rarest verb in the unit. The gate is made by the same skilled hand, in the same four colors, as the door of the dwelling within (26:36). The way into the court and the way into the holy place are woven alike.
תְּכֵ֨לֶתtə·ḵê·leṯwith blueH8504
√ tᵉkêleth — the cerulean mussel, iNounfeminine singular
Blue, purple, scarlet, and white linen — the four colors of the sanctuary, reserved for the points of entry. Gill: "this was a figure of Christ... who is the door into the church... see John 10:9."
וְאַרְגָּמָ֜ןwə·’ar·gā·mānpurpleH713
√ ʼargâmân — purple (the color or the dyed stuff)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
וְתוֹלַ֧עַתwə·ṯō·w·la·‘aṯand scarlet yarnH8438
√ tôwlâʻ — the crimson-grub, but used only (in this connection) of the colorfrom it, and cloths dyed therewithConjunctive wawNounfeminine singular construct
שָׁנִ֛יšā·nî. . .H8144
√ shânîy — crimson, properly, the insect or its color, also stuff dyed with itNounmasculine singular
מָשְׁזָ֖רmā·šə·zārand finely spunH7806
√ shâzar — to twist (a thread of straw)VerbHofalParticiplemasculine singular
מַעֲשֵׂ֣הma·‘ă·śêh. . .H4639
√ maʻăseh — an action (good or bad)Nounmasculine singular construct
וְשֵׁ֥שׁwə·šêšlinenH8336
√ shêsh — bleached stuff, iConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
אַרְבָּעָ֔ה’ar·bā·‘āhIt shall have fourH702
√ ʼarbaʻ — fourNumbermasculine singular
Four pillars carry the twenty-cubit screen — wider than the fifteen-cubit flanks, and so needing the extra column. The richest, widest hanging marks the one place a sinner may pass through.
עַמֻּֽדֵיהֶם֙‘am·mu·ḏê·hempostsH5982
√ ʻammûwd — a column (as standing)Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
אַרְבָּעָֽה׃’ar·bā·‘āhand fourH702
√ ʼarbaʻ — fourNumbermasculine singular
וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֖םwə·’aḏ·nê·hembasesH134
√ ʼeden — a basis (of a building, a column, etcConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
17

All the posts around the courtyard shall have silver bands, silver hooks, and bronze bases.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

kāl- ‘am·mū·ḏê sā·ḇîḇ he·ḥā·ṣêr mə·ḥuš·šā·qîm ke·sep̄ kā·sep̄ wā·wê·hem nə·ḥō·šeṯ wə·’aḏ·nê·hem

Word by word10 · parsed
כָּל־kāl-AllH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
כָּל־ (kāl, H3605), "all" — the summarizing word. What was specified wall by wall is now affirmed of every pillar without exception.
עַמּוּדֵ֨י‘am·mū·ḏêthe postsH5982
√ ʻammûwd — a column (as standing)Nounmasculine plural construct
סָבִיב֙sā·ḇîḇaroundH5439
√ çâbîyb — (as noun) a circle, neighbour, or environsAdverb
סָבִיב, "round about" — the whole perimeter girded. The court is a single bound circuit, not four separate walls.
הֶֽחָצֵ֤רhe·ḥā·ṣêrthe courtyardH2691
√ châtsêr — a yard (as inclosed by a fence)ArticleNouncommon singular
מְחֻשָּׁקִ֣יםmə·ḥuš·šā·qîmshall have silver bandsH2836
√ châshaq — to cling, iVerbPualParticiplemasculine plural
מְחֻשָּׁקִים, the participle of binding. The silver rods both fasten the hangings and beautify the columns — the function the disputed ḥăšuqîm of v. 10 only hinted at, now stated of all sixty.
כֶּ֔סֶףke·sep̄. . .H3701
√ keçeph — silver (from its pale color)Nounmasculine singular
כָּ֑סֶףkā·sep̄silverH3701
√ keçeph — silver (from its pale color)Nounmasculine singular
וָוֵיהֶ֖םwā·wê·hemhooksH2053
√ vâv — a hook (the name of the sixth Hebrew letter)Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
נְחֹֽשֶׁת׃nə·ḥō·šeṯand bronzeH5178
√ nᵉchôsheth — copper, hence, something made of that metal, iNounfeminine singular
The grading is reasserted at the close: silver for hook and band, bronze for the base. Every pillar climbs from an earthen footing to a silvered head — the court's recurring grammar of ascent toward holiness.
וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֖םwə·’aḏ·nê·hembasesH134
√ ʼeden — a basis (of a building, a column, etcConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
18

The entire courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, with curtains of finely spun linen five cubits high, and with bronze bases.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ba·ḥă·miš·šîm he·ḥā·ṣêr mê·’āh ḇā·’am·māh ’ō·reḵ ḥă·miš·šîm wə·rō·ḥaḇ mā·šə·zār šêš ḥā·mêš ’am·mō·wṯ wə·qō·māh nə·ḥō·šeṯ wə·’aḏ·nê·hem

Word by word14 · parsed
בַּחֲמִשִּׁ֗יםba·ḥă·miš·šîmThe entireH2572
√ chămishshîym — fiftyPreposition-b, ArticleNumbercommon plural
The textual snag. "Fifty by fifty" makes no sense for a 100×50 court; the ancient witnesses disagree on the fix. The honest reading keeps the difficulty visible rather than paving it over.
הֶֽחָצֵר֩he·ḥā·ṣêrcourtyardH2691
√ châtsêr — a yard (as inclosed by a fence)ArticleNouncommon singular
מֵאָ֨הmê·’āh[shall be] a hundredH3967
√ mêʼâh — a hundredNumberfeminine singular
מֵאָה (a hundred) long — gathering vv. 9 and 11; the dimensions already implied are now stated outright as the court's total footprint.
בָֽאַמָּ֜הḇā·’am·māhcubitsH520
√ ʼammâh — properly, a mother (iPreposition-b, ArticleNounfeminine singular
אֹ֣רֶךְ’ō·reḵlongH753
√ ʼôrek — lengthNounmasculine singular construct
חֲמִשִּׁ֣יםḥă·miš·šîmand fifty [cubits]H2572
√ chămishshîym — fiftyNumbercommon plural
וְרֹ֣חַב׀wə·rō·ḥaḇwideH7341
√ rôchab — width (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
מָשְׁזָ֑רmā·šə·zār[with curtains] of finely spunH7806
√ shâzar — to twist (a thread of straw)VerbHofalParticiplemasculine singular
שֵׁ֣שׁšêšlinenH8336
√ shêsh — bleached stuff, iNounmasculine singular
חָמֵ֥שׁḥā·mêšfiveH2568
√ châmêsh — fiveNumberfeminine singular
חָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת, five cubits high — "but half the height of the tabernacle, and hence that might be seen above it" (Gill). The sanctuary always shows over its own fence.
אַמּ֖וֹת’am·mō·wṯcubitsH520
√ ʼammâh — properly, a mother (iNounfeminine plural
וְקֹמָ֛הwə·qō·māhhighH6967
√ qôwmâh — heightConjunctive wawNounfeminine singular
וְקֹמָה, "height," the new datum. Length and breadth were derivable from the walls; only here is the vertical given — completing the box and, with it, the proportion Ellicott traces through the whole tabernacle.
נְחֹֽשֶׁת׃nə·ḥō·šeṯand with bronzeH5178
√ nᵉchôsheth — copper, hence, something made of that metal, iNounfeminine singular
וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֖םwə·’aḏ·nê·hembasesH134
√ ʼeden — a basis (of a building, a column, etcConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
19

All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, including all its tent pegs and the tent pegs of the courtyard, shall be made of bronze.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

lə·ḵōl kə·lê ham·miš·kān bə·ḵōl ‘ă·ḇō·ḏā·ṯōw wə·ḵāl yə·ṯê·ḏō·ṯāw wə·ḵāl yiṯ·ḏōṯ he·ḥā·ṣêr nə·ḥō·šeṯ

Word by word11 · parsed
לְכֹל֙lə·ḵōlAllH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-lNounmasculine singular construct
לְכֹל ("for all," H3605) — the comprehensive close. Nothing is left to chance: every tool, every peg, of the whole structure is specified.
כְּלֵ֣יkə·lêthe utensilsH3627
√ kᵉlîy — something prepared, iNounmasculine plural construct
כְּלֵי, the working tools — "such things as axes, knives, hammers" (Barnes), "used in setting up the tabernacle and taking it down" (Keil). A movable dwelling needs a kit, and even the kit is commanded.
הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ןham·miš·kānof the tabernacleH4908
√ mishkân — a residence (including a shepherd's hut, the lair of animals, figuratively, the graveArticleNounmasculine singular
בְּכֹ֖לbə·ḵōlfor everyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
עֲבֹדָת֑וֹ‘ă·ḇō·ḏā·ṯōwuseH5656
√ ʻăbôdâh — work of any kindNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
עֲבֹדָתוֹ, "its service" — the labor of pitching and striking the tent is itself counted as service to God. The grammar of worship reaches down to the toolbox.
וְכָל־wə·ḵālincluding allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
יְתֵדֹתָ֛יוyə·ṯê·ḏō·ṯāwits tent pegsH3489
√ yâthêd — a pegNounfeminine plural constructthird person masculine singular
יְתֵדֹתָיו, the tent-pegs — last and least, holding the curtains down "lest the wind should waft them aside" (JFB). The smallest fittings get the same divine attention as the gate.
וְכָל־wə·ḵālandH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular construct
יִתְדֹ֥תyiṯ·ḏōṯthe tent pegsH3489
√ yâthêd — a pegNounfeminine plural construct
הֶחָצֵ֖רhe·ḥā·ṣêrof the courtyardH2691
√ châtsêr — a yard (as inclosed by a fence)ArticleNouncommon singular
נְחֹֽשֶׁת׃סnə·ḥō·šeṯshall be made of bronzeH5178
√ nᵉchôsheth — copper, hence, something made of that metal, iNounfeminine singular
The final word of the unit: bronze. Keil's whole theology of the court rests here — bronze is "a symbolical representation of the earthly side of the kingdom of God," the threshold-metal of a holiness not yet entered, only approached.

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. A wall of cloth, a single door — 9–13

Before any of the great commentators reach for theology, they reach for a tape measure — and the text invites it. The court is an oblong square, a hundred cubits by fifty, walled not with stone but with קְלָעִים (qəlā‘îm), "hangings" of שֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר — twined byssus. Ellicott, examining the rare word, concluded it "seems to designate a coarse sail-cloth, woven with interstices, through which what went on inside the court might be seen" — and Jamieson, Fausset & Brown agree the parapet was "woven into a kind of network, so that the people could see through." The wall both excludes and reveals. Gill draws the inference the Hebrew makes available: the visible church "is separated from the world... yet others may be spectators of what is done in it."

The four sides are named by Israel's own land, not by abstract compass-points: south is נֶגֶב, the parched country; west is יָם, "the sea"; east is קֵדְמָה, "the front," toward the sunrise. Ellicott notes the orientation: "Both the tabernacle and the Temple faced to the east, which was regarded as 'the front of the world'... It was, however, a belief quite separate from sun-worship." Three sides are an unbroken wall. Only the fourth, the front toward the rising light, will be broken — by a gate.

ii. The gate that is not a gate — 14–16

The east front (fifty cubits) is divided into two כָּתֵף — literally "shoulders" (Keil & Delitzsch: "lit., shoulders, i.e., sides or side-pieces") — of fifteen cubits each, with a twenty-cubit שַׁעַר ("gate") between them. But the Pulpit Commentary is careful: "Strictly speaking, there was no 'gate;' the worshippers entered by drawing aside the curtain." The opening is closed by a מָסָךְ (māsāḵ), a movable screen — and here, alone in the whole court, the plain white wall blazes into color: תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי, blue and purple and worm-scarlet, "the work of an embroiderer" (רֹקֵם). Ellicott observes that this screen is, "word for word, the same" as the door of the dwelling within (26:36), made "to contrast strongly with the plain white 'sail-cloth'" and "clearly point out to all the place of entrance." One way in, marked unmistakably, woven by the same hand as the door to the holy place. Gill takes the step: "this was a figure of Christ... who is the door into the church... see John 10:9."

iii. Silver above, bronze beneath — 10, 17

The court speaks in metals. Read top to bottom, every pillar is a sentence: a אֶדֶן of bronze (נְחֹשֶׁת) for a base, a shaft, and silver (כֶּסֶף) for the hooks and binding-bands at the head. The disputed word for those bands — Geneva guessed "hoops... to beautify the pillar," Barnes and the Pulpit argued "connecting rods" — is in v. 17 a Pual participle, מְחֻשָּׁקִים, "being bound": the whole circuit of sixty pillars girded together in silver. Poole insists on its solidity: "all silver, not only covered with silver." Keil & Delitzsch hears the grading as deliberate theology — bronze "allied to the earth in both colour and material" for the earthly threshold, silver and white byssus pointing "to the holiness of this site for the kingdom of God," and at the tabernacle's own door, gold added, "to set forth the union of the court with the sanctuary." The metals map degrees of nearness.

iv. Half-height, and the least peg counted — 18–19

Only at v. 18 is the height given: חָמֵשׁ, five cubits — and Ellicott notes it "had not been previously either stated or implied," part of a scheme where nearly every measure is "five cubits or some multiple of five." The wall stands half the height of the dwelling, so that, as Gill says, "that might be seen above it every way." Keil & Delitzsch reads the half-height as meaning: "the character of incompleteness, or of the threshold to the sanctuary of God." Then the unit ends not with grandeur but with pegsיְתֵדֹת, the bronze stakes that "hold down the curtains at the bottom, lest the wind should waft them aside" (JFB). The same comprehensive care that sets the gate sets the tent-pins. Keil gathers the whole: the court is "the kingdom of the God-King," its bronze "a symbolical representation of the earthly side of the kingdom of God" — a place where, through the appointed mediators and the altar, "the access of the nation to its God was restricted to the court."

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

Held against the rule that Scripture alone is the final authority — and offered as a reading to be tested, not a verdict to be trusted — three things press out of this builder's-blueprint of a chapter.

Holiness is bounded, and the boundary is grace. The court is a fence (חָצֵר) that shuts the working world out — yet its wall is sheer, see-through linen, and it has a door. The exclusion is real (Henry's "difference between the visible nominal church, and the true spiritual church"), but the wall is not a fortress; it is woven so the people can see in, and broken so they can come in. The same God who said "you cannot see Me and live" pitched a tent the height of a man could see over.

There is one way in, and it is marked in blood-colored thread. Three walls are unbroken; only the eastern front opens, and the opening alone is dyed scarlet and embroidered like the door of the holy place. The architecture itself preaches a single, costly, deliberate entrance — and the human voices here, Gill and Benson, could not help reading it forward to the One who said "I am the door." That reading is theirs and ours, fallible; the text's own insistence on one marked door in a plain wall is not.

The least fittings are commanded. The chapter that names a kingdom-threshold ends on tent-pegs. Nothing in the dwelling of God is left to improvisation — not the gate, not the stakes that keep the curtains from flapping in the wind. The God who is in the details is in the bronze ones.

"A fence of linen you can see through, with one scarlet door — the whole gospel, drawn to scale in cloth and bronze."

That last line is this tool's reading, not a verse. Weigh it against the text; keep only what the Word supports.

A fence of linen you can see through, with one scarlet door — the whole gospel, drawn to scale in cloth and bronze.

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 court commanded → the court made verbal / quotation — confirmed

Exodus 27 gives the LORD's command for the court; Exodus 38:9–20 narrates Bezalel's execution of it — and the opening verses share the unit's rarest building-vocabulary. The Verifier records, for 27:9 against the head of the building account (38:9), three low-frequency words clustered together: H7806 shâzar ("twined," ~21 verses), H8486 têymân ("southward / toward-the-right," ~22 verses), and H7050 qelaʻ ("hangings," ~22 verses) — the hallmark of a direct verbal correspondence rather than chance overlap. Where the parallel runs on (38:11–12) the shared words thin to the common pêʼâh ("side") and ʼammâh ("cubit"); it is the rare cluster at the seam (27:9 ↔ 38:9), not the running measurements, that anchors the link. Obedience here is measured by repetition: what God said is built word for word.

Exodus 27:9 · Exodus 38:9 · Exodus 38:12

basis: rare shared lexemes recorded by the Verifier for 27:9 ↔ 38:9: H7806 shâzar (21 vv), H8486 têymân (22 vv), H7050 qelaʻ (22 vv) — a low-frequency cluster. The continuation 38:11–12 shares only the common pêʼâh (59 vv) and ʼammâh (132 vv), so the verbal anchor is the seam-verse pair, not the whole block

The gate-screen ↔ the door of the dwelling verbal / quotation — confirmed

The embroidered screen of the court's gate (27:16) is made of the identical four colors and the same craft as the screen at the door of the tabernacle itself (26:36) and is so rendered in the building account (38:18). Ellicott noted the description is "word for word, the same" as 26:36. The Verifier confirms the verbal link by the rarest lexeme in the whole unit — H7551 râqam, "to embroider," found in only ~9 verses — together with H4539 mâçâk ("screen," ~25 vv), H7806 shâzar (~21 vv), and H8336 shêsh (~37 vv). The way into the court and the way into the holy place are woven by the same hand, in the same colors: one grammar of entrance.

Exodus 27:16 · Exodus 26:36 · Exodus 38:18

basis: very rare shared lexeme H7551 râqam (only 9 vv) plus H4539 mâçâk (25 vv), H7806 shâzar (21 vv), H8336 shêsh (37 vv) — recorded by the Verifier; the gate-screen, the tabernacle door, and the making account use the same embroiderer's vocabulary

The tent-pegs of the dwelling → the stakes of Zion structural / thematic — confirmed

The unit ends on the bronze יְתֵדֹת ("tent-pegs," 27:19), the stakes that keep the curtains taut. Isaiah twice takes up the same concrete word H3489 yâthêd ("peg," only ~19 verses): of restored Jerusalem, "a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up" (Isa 33:20), and "lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes" (Isa 54:2). The Verifier confirms yâthêd for both pairs, and at 54:2 the dwelling-word H4908 mishkân (~129 verses) is added as well. The link is deliberately tiered structural / thematic, not verbal: a single rare word, recurring around one motif (the secure, immovable dwelling of God), is a genuine echo but not a quotation — and we under-claim rather than over-read a lone lexeme. The movable tent of Exodus, held down by bronze pegs against the wind, becomes Isaiah's figure for a city whose stakes are never pulled up.

Exodus 27:19 · Isaiah 33:20 · Isaiah 54:2

basis: Verifier-recorded shared lexeme H3489 yâthêd (19 vv) for both pairs; H4908 mishkân (129 vv) is shared by 54:2 only. Tiered structural — a single rare word around the shared motif of the immovable dwelling, deliberately not asserted as verbal quotation

The court → the courts of the LORD (Psalm 84) structural / thematic — confirmed

The word for this enclosure, חָצֵר (ḥāṣêr, 27:9), is the same word that fills the Psalter's longing for nearness to God: "My soul yearns... for the courts of the LORD" (Ps 84:2); "better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere" (Ps 84:10); "plant in the courts of our God" (Ps 92:13). What Exodus lays out as a measured rectangle of bronze and linen, the Psalms remember as the dearest place on earth. Held honestly: ḥāṣêr is a common noun (~163 verses), so the Verifier would tier a bare lexical overlap as thematic, not verbal — the connection is the shared place and longing, the courtyard of God's house, not a rare quotation.

Exodus 27:9 · Psalm 84:2 · Psalm 84:10 · Psalm 92:13

basis: shared common lexeme H2691 châtsêr (court, ~163 vv) — too frequent to count as verbal; the link is the shared theme of the LORD's courts as the place of access and delight, argued not asserted

Bronze of the threshold → bronze in Solomon's temple structural / thematic — confirmed

Every fitting of the court — bases, pegs, vessels — is נְחֹשֶׁת (bronze, 27:10, 17, 19), the threshold-metal. Both the Pulpit Commentary and Ellicott trace the same material forward into the permanent house: bronze "caused it to retain its place, even in the gorgeous and 'magnificent' temple of Solomon" — the two great pillars, the molten sea, the lavers (1 Kings 7:15–45; 2 Chr 4). The continuity is real and the human voices name it; the Verifier records H5178 nᵉchôsheth as a common lexeme (~119 verses), so the link is structural — the same outer-court material carried from tent to temple — not a rare verbal quotation.

Exodus 27:19 · 1 Kings 7:15 · 2 Chronicles 4:1

basis: common shared lexeme H5178 nᵉchôsheth (bronze, ~119 vv); tiered structural — the material continuity of the outer court from tabernacle to temple, attested by Ellicott and the Pulpit Commentary, not a verbal citation

Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The one scarlet door — "I am the door" widely-held

The court has a single entrance, and that entrance alone is dyed blue, purple, and worm-scarlet and embroidered like the door of the holy place. Gill makes the figural reading explicit on the verse: the gate-hanging "was a figure of Christ... who is the door into the church... see John 10:9." The typology is ancient and widely held: one marked way in, costly and colored, through which a sinner approaches God — answered by "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved" (John 10:9). Held honestly: this is a cross-Testament, Hebrew↔Greek link — it cannot rest on shared Strong's numbers and the Verifier finds none; it is a figural reading of the architecture, not a quotation.

Exodus 27:16 · John 10:9 · John 14:6

The bronze threshold of a kingdom not yet entered widely-held

Keil & Delitzsch reads the whole court as "the kingdom of the God-King," its pillars deliberately built to half the dwelling's height to set forth "the character of incompleteness, or of the threshold to the sanctuary," and its bronze as "a symbolical representation of the earthly side of the kingdom of God." Under the old covenant "the access of the nation to its God was restricted to the court"; the most holy place stayed veiled. The New Testament names exactly this incompleteness as a deliberate sign: the outer arrangement showed "that the way into the holy places was not yet disclosed" (Heb 9:8), until Christ "entered once for all into the holy places" (Heb 9:12) and opened "a new and living way... through the curtain" (Heb 10:20). Held honestly: cross-Testament and so non-verbal — the Verifier finds no shared lexeme with Hebrews; this is a structural-typological reading drawn out from Keil's own theology of the threshold.

Exodus 27:9 · Exodus 27:18 · Hebrews 9:8 · Hebrews 10:20

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 Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (CC0). The named voices are quoted verbatim from public-domain commentaries on Biblehub (Henry, Gill, Keil & Delitzsch, Barnes, Ellicott, Benson, Poole, the Pulpit Commentary, Geneva, Cambridge, Jamieson–Fausset–Brown, with Kalisch reported via Ellicott); each excerpt is a contiguous substring of the sourced text, trimmed only at its ends. Several voices (Henry's concise note; JFB's; Keil's running comment) were sourced identically across vv. 9–19 because they treat the whole block 27:9–19 as one unit — different pointed excerpts have been chosen so no quotation is repeated. The literal renderings, the "where the English smooths the Hebrew" notes, the per-word notes, and the synthesized commentary are this tool's own work (⚙): fallible, to be checked against a lexicon (BDB/HALOT) and a standard grammar.

Three honesty notes specific to this unit. (1) Verse 18's opening ("fifty by fifty," rendered "The entire" / "every where") is a recognized textual crux: Cambridge calls it "a lapsus calami," and the Samaritan and Septuagint each emend it differently — the difficulty has been left visible rather than smoothed. (2) The court's pillar-count is genuinely disputed: K&D defends sixty pillars, Cambridge argues that counting the four shared corners only once yields fifty-six and the round figures are the writer's "love of symmetry"; both voices are printed and neither is adjudicated. The pillars' own material is likewise unsettled — Kalisch held they were bare wood, Ellicott that the text implies metal; the Hebrew names only the bronze sockets and silver fittings, not the shafts. (3) The cross-references into Exodus 38 and 26:36 are confirmed verbal links because the Verifier found rare shared Hebrew lexemes — for 27:16 ↔ 26:36/38:18 the embroidery-word râqam (freq 9), and for 27:9 ↔ 38:9 the cluster shâzar/têymân/qelaʻ (all ~21–22); note that the running parallel 38:11–12 shares only common measurement-words, so the verbal anchor is the seam, not the whole block. The links to Psalm 84/92, Isaiah, 1 Kings/Solomon's temple, and the Christ readings into John and Hebrews are tiered structural / thematic / typological, never verbal: the lone or common-word overlaps (yâthêd rare but single; châtsêr, nᵉchôsheth too frequent) cannot assert a quotation, and the New-Testament links are cross-Testament (Hebrew↔Greek), where shared Strong's numbers are impossible by definition. The typology of the one scarlet door and the bronze threshold is ancient and widely held; it is still ⚙ — weigh it against Scripture. "Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11)

= 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)