Exodus 38:13 — Word Study
WLCוְלִפְאַ֛ת קֵ֥דְמָה מִזְרָ֖חָה חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים אַמָּֽה׃
BSAAnd the eastqedem [toward the sunrise, facing the morning] sidepêʼâh [the edge or border] toward the sunrisemizrâch [direction of the] [was also] fiftychămishshîym [a quantity of five times ten] cubits [long]ʼammâh [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְלִפְאַ֛ת | and for [the] side of | Conjunction, preposition, noun common feminine singular construct |
| קֵ֥דְמָה | east -ward | Noun common masculine singular absolute, suffix |
| מִזְרָ֖חָה | east -ward | Noun common masculine singular absolute, suffix |
| חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים | fifty | Adj |
| אַמָּֽה׃ | cubit[s] | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | And the east side, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits long. |
| KJV | And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. |
| ASV | And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. |
| YLT | and at the east side eastward fifty cubits. |
| WEB | For the east side eastward fifty cubits, |
| BBE | And on the east side, the open space was fifty cubits long. |
Where they part company is over the word חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence consists of a main clause with additional phrases providing direction and measurement.
4 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge, Whedon & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Exodus 38:13
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Dimensions of the Tabernaclegenerated
Exodus 38:13 provides specific details about the tabernacle's construction, emphasizing the precise measurements and orientations of its sides. This verse focuses on the east side, which is significant as it faces the direction of the sunrise, symbolizing new beginnings and divine presence. The meticulous description of the tabernacle's dimensions underscores the importance of order and structure in the worship of God.
Cross References
The Key Word — מִזְרָחָה, miz.Ra.chahgenerated
The word מִזְרָחָה (mizrachah) means 'east' or 'the place of sunrise.' It is derived from the root meaning 'to rise,' indicating the direction of the sunrise. This word is used in a geographical context, specifically to denote the east side of the tabernacle, which holds significance in the layout of sacred spaces.
As a noun, it is in the masculine singular form, indicating a specific direction. Its use here highlights the importance of orientation in the tabernacle's design, aligning it with the concept of facing the east during worship.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause is governed by the finite verb 'was,' with several phrases providing detail: a prepositional phrase indicating direction, a noun phrase describing the side, and a noun phrase specifying the measurement. The structure emphasizes the specific orientation and length of the east side.
The word order places the directional phrase 'toward the sunrise' at the forefront, highlighting its significance in the overall description of the tabernacle's dimensions.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates מִזְרָחָה as ἀνατολή (anatolē), meaning 'east' or 'rising.' This choice reflects a direct interpretation of the Hebrew term, maintaining the focus on the direction of the sunrise.
The translation of חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים as πεντήκοντα (pentēkonta) aligns with the Hebrew, confirming the numerical value without deviation.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Exodus 38:13 describes the east side of the tabernacle, which was fifty cubits long. This measurement indicates the size of the structure facing the sunrise, emphasizing its significance in the layout of the tabernacle.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The east side, facing the sunrise, symbolizes new beginnings and the presence of God.
Specific measurements emphasize order and precision in worship, reflecting God's holiness.
Worshipers often faced east during prayers, aligning their orientation with the rising sun.
A cubit is a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm, used in biblical texts to describe dimensions.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How does understanding the dimensions of the tabernacle enhance my appreciation for its significance?
- In what ways can I relate the symbolism of the east side to my daily life and spiritual practices?
- What does the precision in the tabernacle's construction teach us about God's character?
- How can I apply the concept of facing east in my own prayer life?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Exodus 38:13 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits: The court.
Read Robert Jamieson on Exodus 38 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(9-20) The construction of the court follows upon that of the furniture which it contained. The passage runs parallel with Exodus 27:9-19.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Exodus 38 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges9–20 (Exodus 27:9-19). The Court of the Tent of Meeting. In vv. 16–19 the text (Exodus 27:16-18) is reproduced with greater freedom than usual.
Read Cambridge on Exodus 38 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleTHE ALTAR OF BURNT , Exodus 38:1-7. See notes on Exodus 27:1-7. THE LAVER, Exodus 38:8. See notes on Exodus 30:17-21. THE COURT OF THE , Exodus 38:9-20. See notes on Exodus 27:9-19.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Exodus 38 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
And the east side, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits long.
For the east side eastward fifty cubits,
And the east side, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits long.
For the east side, toward the sunrise, it was seventy-five feet wide,
Tyndale line
And for the east side eastward fifty cubits.
And for the east side eastward fifty cubits.
And for the east side eastward fifty cubits.
And for the east side eastward fifty cubits.
And toward ye Eastside, full East were hangings of fiftie cubites.
Strictly literal
And for the east side, eastward, fifty cubits;
and at the east side eastward fifty cubits.
and at the east side eastward, fifty cubits.
And for the front side, eastward, fifty cubits.
The courtyard was also fifty cubits long on the east side.
From the Latin
Moreover towards the east he prepared hangings of fifty cubits:
Simplified
The east side of the courtyard that faces the sunrise was fifty cubits wide.
And on the east side, the open space was fifty cubits long.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text is supported by the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word. The Septuagint, while translating the same concepts, presents them in a different order, reflecting its own syntactical structure.
וְלִפְאַ֛ת קֵ֥דְמָה מִזְרָ֖חָה חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים אַמָּֽה׃
3 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ולפאת קדמה מזרחה חמשׁים אמה
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Exodus 38:13
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
פֵּאָה (pe'ah) refers to a corner or side, indicating a part that is cut off or an extremity. It is a feminine noun derived from another Hebrew word, and its meanings include corner, edge, and quarter. The entries consistently emphasize its use in describing directional or spatial aspects.
פֵּאָה 81 n.f. corner, side (part cut off)
base
H6285 פֵּאָה corner, side (part cut off)
6285 pe'ah pay-aw'
feminine of 6311; properly, mouth in a figurative sense, i.e.
direction, region, extremity:--corner, end, quarter, side.
see HEBREW for 06311
פֵּאָה (pe.ah) — side.
1) corner, edge, side, quarter, extremity
1a) corner
1b) side
Conj | Prep | N-fs — Conjunction · preposition · noun common feminine singular constructHC/R/Ncfsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
The Hebrew word קֶ֫דֶם (*qedem*) means 'east' and also refers to 'front' or 'ancient time.' It is derived from another root and can indicate direction (eastward) or time (aforetime, antiquity). The entries highlight its use in various contexts, including geographical and temporal references, but do not present any significant disagreements among lexicons.
קֶ֫דֶם n.[m.] front, east, aforetime
loc.
front
East; elsewh. מִקּ׳ = eastward
temp., ancient time, aforetime:
הַרְרֵי ק׳ Dt 33:15 ancient mts.
בִּימֵי ק׳ ψ 44:2 in ancient days
מִקּ׳ from of old
ק׳ alone, as adv. anciently, of old
beginning
base
[קֵ֫דֶם], קֵ֫דְמָה adv. eastward, to, toward the E.
base
H6924a קֶ֫דֶם front, east, aforetime . loc. . front
. East
. temp. ancient time, aforetime
H6924b קֵ֫דֶם, קֵ֫דְמָה eastward, to, toward the E.
6924 qedem keh'-dem
or qedmah {kayd'-maw}; from 6923; the front, of place
(absolutely, the fore part, relatively the East) or time
(antiquity); often used adverbially (before, anciently,
eastward):--aforetime, ancient (time), before, east (end,
part, side, -ward), eternal, X ever(-lasting), forward, old,
past. Compare 6926.
see HEBREW for 06923
see HEBREW for 06926
קֶ֫דֶם (qe.dem) — East.
This name means east, antiquity, front
קֵ֫דֶם (qe.dem) — east.
adv
eastward, to or toward the East
Another spelling of qe.dem (קֶ֫דֶם ": east" H6924)
קֶ֫דֶם (qe.dem) — front: east.
: east
1) east, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime
1a) front, from the front or east, in front, mount of the East
1b) ancient time, aforetime, ancient, from of old, earliest time
1c) anciently, of old (adverb)
1d) beginning
1e) east
קֶ֫דֶם (qe.dem) — front: old.
: old/ancient
1) east, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime
1a) front, from the front or east, in front, mount of the East
1b) ancient time, aforetime, ancient, from of old, earliest time
1c) anciently, of old (adverb)
1d) beginning
1e) east
קֶ֫דֶם (qe.dem) — front: forward.
: forward
1) east, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular absolute · suffixHNcmsa/Sd
word: "Ward" and "guard" are two different spellings of the same word, and in consequence no clear line can be drawn between them. English Versions of the Bible, however, has used "guard" only in the sense of "a special body of soldiers" (Ge 37:36, etc.), while "ward" is used, not only in this sense (Jer 37:13; contrast 39:9), but also in a variety of others. So a "ward" may mean "any body of men on special duty," as 1Ch 9:23; the King James Version 1Ch 26:16; Ne 12:24,25 (the Revised Version (British and American) "watch"), or the duty itself, as Isa 21:8;
Ward
A prison (Gen. 40:3, 4); a watch-station (Isa. 21:8); a guard (Neh. 13:30).
מִזְרָח (mizrach) means 'place of sunrise' or simply 'east.' It is derived from the root meaning 'to rise' and refers to the direction of the sunrise. The entries consistently highlight its use to denote the east, both as a cardinal direction and in relation to the rising sun.
מִזְרָח n.[m.] place of sunrise, east
base
H4217 מִזְרָח place of sunrise, east
4217 mizrach miz-rawkh'
from 2224; sunrise, i.e. the east:--east (side, -ward),
(sun-)rising (of the sun).
see HEBREW for 02224
מִזְרָח (miz.rach) — East (Gate).
This name means place of sunrise, east
מִזְרָח (miz.rach) — east.
1) place of sunrise, east
1a) sunrise, east (with 'sun')
1b) the east (without 'sun')
1b1) to or toward the place of sunrise
1b2) to the east, eastward
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular absolute · suffixHNcmsa/Sd
word: "Ward" and "guard" are two different spellings of the same word, and in consequence no clear line can be drawn between them. English Versions of the Bible, however, has used "guard" only in the sense of "a special body of soldiers" (Ge 37:36, etc.), while "ward" is used, not only in this sense (Jer 37:13; contrast 39:9), but also in a variety of others. So a "ward" may mean "any body of men on special duty," as 1Ch 9:23; the King James Version 1Ch 26:16; Ne 12:24,25 (the Revised Version (British and American) "watch"), or the duty itself, as Isa 21:8;
Ward
A prison (Gen. 40:3, 4); a watch-station (Isa. 21:8); a guard (Neh. 13:30).
חֲמִשִּׁים (chamishshiym) means 'fifty' and is a cardinal number. It can also refer to a multiple of fifty or the ordinal number 'fiftieth.' The entries consistently define it as a numerical term without significant variation.
חֲמִשִּׁים 164 n.pl. (a) fifty
base
H2572 חֲמִשִּׁים (a) fifty
2572 chamishshiym kham-ish-sheem'
multiple of 2568; fifty:--fifty.
see HEBREW for 02568
חֲמִשִּׁים (cha.mish.shim) — fifty.
1) fifty
1a) fifty (cardinal number)
1b) a multiple of fifty (with other numbers)
1c) fiftieth (ordinal number)
Adj — AdjHAcmpa
אַמָּה (ammah) primarily means 'cubit,' a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 0.5 meters, derived from the word for 'mother' or 'forearm.' It can also refer to a foundation or base, as noted in Isaiah 6:4. The lexicons mention different types of cubits used in the Old Testament, including the common cubit and the legal cubit.
אַמָּה 246 n.f. ell, cubit
cubit
† measure, full measure, limit
base
[אַמָּה] n.f. (etym. & mng. dub.; Thes foundation) only Is 6:4.
ref
H520a אַמָּה ell, cubit H520b אַמָּה
520 'ammah am-maw'
prolonged from 517; properly, a mother (i.e. unit of measure,
or the fore-arm (below the elbow), i.e. a cubit; also a
door-base (as a bond of the entrance):--cubit, + hundred (by
exchange for 3967), measure, post.
see HEBREW for 0517
see HEBREW for 03967
אַמָּה (am.mah) — cubit.
cubit-a measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 18 in (. 5m). There are several cubits used in the OT, the cubit of a man or common cubit (De 3:11), the legal cubit or cubit of the sanctuary (Eze 40:5) plus others. See a Bible Dictionary for a complete treatment.
Aramaic equivalent: am.mah (אַמָּה "cubit" H0521)
אַמָּה (am.mah) — foundation.
foundation
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa