Numbers 3:37 — Word Study
WLCוְעַמֻּדֵ֧י הֶחָצֵ֛ר סָבִ֖יב וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֑ם וִיתֵדֹתָ֖ם וּמֵֽיתְרֵיהֶֽם׃
BSAas well as the postsʻammûwd [pillars, columns] of the surroundingçâbîyb [round about, enclosing] courtyardchâtsêr with their basesʼeden [sockets, foundations] tent pegsyâthêd [pins, nails] and ropesmêythâr [cords, strings]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְעַמֻּדֵ֧י | and [the] pillars of | Conjunction, noun common masculine plural construct |
| הֶחָצֵ֛ר | the courtyard | Particle, noun common both singular absolute |
| סָבִ֖יב | all around | Noun common, both singular absolute |
| וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֑ם | and bases their | Conjunction, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| וִיתֵדֹתָ֖ם | and tent pegs their | Conjunction, noun common feminine plural construct, suffix |
| וּמֵֽיתְרֵיהֶֽם׃ | and ropes their | Conjunction, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes. |
| KJV | And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords. |
| ASV | and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords. |
| YLT | and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords. |
| WEB | the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, and their cords. |
| BBE | And the pillars of the open space round it, with their bases and nails and cords. |
Where they part company is הֶחָצֵר — see How Translations Differ.
The main clause introduces the items, followed by a series of noun phrases that elaborate on what is included.
5 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Ellicott & 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 — Numbers 3:37
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 Duties of the Sons of Merarigenerated
Numbers 3:37 describes the physical components of the tabernacle's courtyard, detailing the posts, bases, tent pegs, and ropes that play a crucial role in its structure. This verse is part of a larger section that outlines the responsibilities of the Levites, particularly the sons of Merari, who were tasked with handling these elements. Understanding the significance of these components helps us appreciate the careful design and organization of the tabernacle as a place of worship.
Cross References
The Key Word — עַמּוּד, 'a.mu.Dgenerated
The word עַמּוּד (ammuwd) refers to a pillar or column, indicating a vertical support structure. It is derived from a root meaning 'to stand,' which emphasizes its role as a source of strength and stability.
In this verse, עַמּוּד is part of a list that describes the physical infrastructure of the tabernacle's courtyard, highlighting the importance of these pillars in supporting the structure.
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 of the verse is structured around the finite verb that governs the list of items: וְעַמֻּדֵ֧י, and the pillars of. This structure leads into a series of noun phrases that detail the components of the courtyard.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the pillars first, suggesting their foundational role in the courtyard's structure, followed by the bases, tent pegs, and ropes that support and complete the setup.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates עַמּוּד as στῦλοι (stylos), meaning columns. This choice aligns with the architectural context of the verse, indicating a similar understanding of the structural importance of these elements.
The translation of הֶחָצֵר as αὐλῆς (aulēs, meaning courtyard) shows a direct correspondence to the Hebrew term, maintaining the focus on the enclosed space surrounding the tabernacle.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Numbers 3:37 lists the posts of the courtyard of the tabernacle, along with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes. This verse is part of the instructions given to the Levites regarding their duties in maintaining the tabernacle.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The pillars are essential for supporting the structure of the courtyard, symbolizing strength and stability.
These items are necessary for securing the tent and maintaining the integrity of the courtyard, ensuring it remains a proper place of worship.
The pillars serve as a foundational support for the tabernacle, highlighting the importance of strong and stable structures in sacred spaces.
The careful arrangement of the tabernacle's components reflects the importance of order and structure in worship and community life.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What do the pillars symbolize in the context of the tabernacle?
- How can we apply the principles of structure and order from the tabernacle to our own lives?
- In what ways do we see strength and support in our communities today?
- How does understanding the physical components of the tabernacle enhance our appreciation for its spiritual significance?
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Numbers 3:37 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd the pillars of the court round about,.... Of the great court which went round the tabernacle, on which pillars the hangings were hung: and their sockets; into which the, pillars were put; of both
Read John Gill on Numbers 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryOf Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari. No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Numbers 3 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleTherefore these were for another use than those mentioned .
Read Matthew Poole on Numbers 3 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(37) And the pillars of the court round about . . . —See Notes on Exodus 27:9-19.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Numbers 3 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges21–39. The Levitical families and their duties. Notice that narrative in Numbers 3:21 f., 27 f., 33 f., 39 alternates with commands in Numbers 3:23-26; Numbers 3:29-32; Numbers 3:35-38. It is one of the many indications that the priestly portions of the book were the composite work of more than one writer.
Read Cambridge on Numbers 3 →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
as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
the pillars of the court around it, their sockets, their pins, and their cords.
as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
and the pillars of the courtyard all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their ropes.
Tyndale line
And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
With the pillars of the court round about, with their sockets, and their pins and their coardes.
Strictly literal
and the pillars of the court round about, and their bases, and their pegs, and their cords.
and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
and the pillars of the court all around, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
the pillars and posts of the courtyard that surround the tabernacle, with their sockets, pegs, and ropes.
From the Latin
And the pillars of the court round about with their sockets, and the pins with their cords.
Simplified
as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their stands, tent pegs, and ropes.
And the pillars of the open space round it, with their bases and nails and cords.
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 and the Septuagint agree in their rendering of the majority of the words in this verse, with the Samaritan Pentateuch differing only in the use of עמודי instead of עַמּוּדֵ֧י. This difference reflects a variation in the form of the word for 'pillars.'
וְעַמֻּדֵ֧י הֶחָצֵ֛ר סָבִ֖יב וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֑ם וִיתֵדֹתָ֖ם וּמֵֽיתְרֵיהֶֽם׃
6 of the 6 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.
ועמודי החצר סביב ואדניהם ויתדתם ומיתריהם
1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: עמודי (pillar)
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 Numbers 3:37
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.
עַמּוּד (ammuwd) means 'pillar' or 'column,' referring to a vertical support structure. It can denote both a physical pillar and a platform. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to stand.' The entries consistently emphasize its architectural connotation, with no significant disagreement noted among the lexicons.
עַמּוּד, עַמֻּד 110 n.m. pillar, column
base
H5982 עַמּוּד, עַמֻּד pillar, column
5982 `ammuwd am-mood'
or ammud {am-mood'}; from 5975; a column (as standing); also
a stand, i.e. platform:--X apiece, pillar.
see HEBREW for 05975
עַמּוּד (am.mud) — pillar.
1) pillar, column
1a) pillar
1b) column, upright
1c) column (of smoke)
עַמּוּד (am.mud) — (Hall of) Pillars.
Combined with u.lam (אוּלָם "Hall" H0197)
Conj | N-mp — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural constructHC/Ncmpc
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…
חָצֵר (chatser) refers to an enclosure or court, and can also mean a settled abode, settlement, or village, typically appearing in the plural form חֲצֵרִים. The word is derived from a root meaning to enclose, indicating spaces that are surrounded by walls or fences.
חָצֵר 145 n.m. and (oftener) f. enclosure, court
base
[חָצֵר] 46 n.m. settled abode, settlement, village—always pl. abs. חֲצֵרִים
base
H2691a חָצֵר n. m. and (oftener) f. enclosure, court H2691b חָצֵר settled abode, settlement, village—always pl. abs. חֲצֵרִים
2691 chatser khaw-tsare'
(masculine and feminine); from 2690 in its original sense; a
yard (as inclosed by a fence); also a hamlet (as similarly
surrounded with walls):--court, tower, village.
see HEBREW for 02690
חָצֵר (cha.tser) — court.
1) court, enclosure
1a) enclosures
1b) court
חָצֵר (cha.tser) — village.
settled abode, settlement, village, town
Art | N-cs — Particle · noun common both singular absoluteHTd/Ncbsa
סָבִיב (cabiyb) primarily means 'around' and is used as a noun, adverb, and preposition. It denotes a circle, neighbors, or the surrounding area, often implying a sense of being on every side or in a circuit. The entries consistently emphasize its usage in contexts of proximity and encirclement.
סָבִיב 336 subst., used mostly as adv. and prep., circuit, round about
base
H5439 סָבִיב subst., used mostly as adv. and prep., circuit, round about
5439 cabiyb saw-beeb'
or (feminine) cbiybah {seb-ee-baw'}; from 5437; (as noun) a
circle, neighbour, or environs; but chiefly (as adverb, with
or without preposition) around:--(place, round) about,
circuit, compass, on every side.
see HEBREW for 05437
סָבִיב (sa.viv) — around.
: around/border
subst
1) places round about, circuit, round about
adv
2) in a circuit, a circuit, round about
prep
3) in the circuit, from every side
סָבִיב (sa.viv) — around: side.
: side
subst
1) places round about, circuit, round about
adv
2) in a circuit, a circuit, round about
prep
3) in the circuit, from every side
סָבִיב (sa.viv) — around: whole.
: whole
subst
1) places round about, circuit, round about
adv
2) in a circuit, a circuit, round about
prep
3) in the circuit, from every side
סָבִיב (sa.viv) — around: neighours.
: neighours
subst
1) places round about, circuit, round about
adv
2) in a circuit, a circuit, round about
prep
3) in the circuit, from every side
N-cs — Noun common · both singular absoluteHNcbsa
אֶ֫דֶן (eden) refers to a base or pedestal, indicating a strong foundation for structures like buildings or columns. It encompasses meanings such as sockets for tabernacle pillars and pedestals of gold. The word is linked to strength, as seen in its connection to another Hebrew term. It appears in contexts like Exodus 26:19.
[אֶ֫דֶן] 57 n.m. Ex 26:19 base, pedestal
pedestals of fine gold
pedestals of the earth on wh. its pillars were placed
(metal) pedestals, bases, or sockets in wh. tenons of planks & pillars of tabernacle were set up; two for each plank & one for each pillar
base
H134 [אֶ֫דֶן] base, pedestal
134 'eden eh'-den
from the same as 113 (in the sense of strength); a basis (of
a building, a column, etc.):--foundation, socket.
see HEBREW for 0113
אֶ֫דֶן (e.den) — socket.
1) base, pedestal, socket (strong, firm)
1a) pedestals of gold on which marble pillars were set
1b) pedestals of the earth, foundation of the earth
1c) pedestals, bases, or sockets on which tabernacle stood
Conj | N-mp | Suff — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp
יָתֵד (yathed) refers to a pin or peg, often used for securing items like tents. It can also mean a nail or a pin in a figurative sense, and has applications in weaving. The word is built from an unused root meaning to fasten or pin through.
יָתֵד n.f. pin, peg
base
H3489 יָתֵד pin, peg
3489 yathed yaw-thade'
from an unused root meaning to pin through or fast; a
peg:--nail, paddle, pin, stake.
יָתֵד (ya.ted) — peg.
1) pin, stake, peg, nail
1a) pin, peg, tent pin, tent stake
1b) nail, pin (fig.)
1c) pin (used in weaving)
Conj | N-fp | Suff — Conjunction · noun common feminine plural construct · suffixHC/Ncfpc/Sp3mp
מֵיתָר (meythar) refers to a cord or string, specifically that of a tent or the string of a bow. It is derived from the root word meaning to stretch or extend. The entries consistently define it in this way, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[מֵיתָר] n.m. cord, string
base
H4340 מֵיתָר
4340 meythar may-thar'
from 3498; a cord (of a tent) (compare 3499) or the string
(of a bow):--cord, string.
see HEBREW for 03498
see HEBREW for 03499
מֵיתָר (me.tar) — cord.
cord, string
Conj | N-mp | Suff — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp