Exodus 38:29 — Word Study
WLCוּנְחֹ֥שֶׁת הַתְּנוּפָ֖ה שִׁבְעִ֣ים כִּכָּ֑ר וְאַלְפַּ֥יִם וְאַרְבַּע־ מֵא֖וֹת שָֽׁקֶל׃
BSAThe bronzenᵉchôsheth [copper, a base metal] from the wave offeringtᵉnûwphâh [a specific type of sacrifice, lifted up to God] totaled 70shibʻîym [seventy] talentskikkâr [a unit of weight or currency] and 2,400ʼeleph [two thousand four hundred, a large quantity] shekelssheqel [a unit of weight or money, like a coin]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וּנְחֹ֥שֶׁת | and [the] bronze of | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular construct |
| הַתְּנוּפָ֖ה | the wave-offering | Particle, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| שִׁבְעִ֣ים | [was] seventy | Adj |
| כִּכָּ֑ר | talent[s] | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| וְאַלְפַּ֥יִם | and two thousand | Conjunction |
| וְאַרְבַּע־ | and four | Conjunction |
| מֵא֖וֹת | hundred | |
| שָֽׁקֶל׃ | shekel[s] | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | The bronze from the wave offering totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. |
| KJV | And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels. |
| ASV | And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels. |
| YLT | And the brass of the wave-offering [is] seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels; |
| WEB | The bronze of the offering was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. |
| BBE | The brass which was given was seventy talents, two thousand four hundred shekels; |
Where they part company is שֶׁקֶל — see How Translations Differ.
One main clause with a subject and a detailed quantity. The structure highlights the total amount of materials provided.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & 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 38:29
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 Materials for the Tabernaclegenerated
Exodus 38:29 details the contributions of materials for the construction of the Tabernacle, specifically focusing on the bronze from the wave offering. This offering was a significant part of the sacrificial system, symbolizing dedication to God. The detailed accounting of materials reflects the importance of the Tabernacle as a place of worship and God's dwelling among His people.
Cross References
The Key Word — נְחֹ֥שֶׁת, u.ne.Cho.shetgenerated
The word נְחֹ֫שֶׁת (nechosheth) refers to bronze or copper, often indicating items made from these metals. It is noted for being less valuable than gold but more than wood, and it can symbolize something base or impure in certain contexts.
In this verse, it specifically denotes the bronze used in the wave offering, emphasizing its role in the sacred construction of the Tabernacle.
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 verb שִׁבְעִ֣ים, [was] seventy, with several noun phrases providing the details of the materials: the subject is וּנְחֹ֥שֶׁת and [the] bronze of, and the predicate includes הַתְּנוּפָ֖ה the wave-offering and the measurements.
The structure emphasizes the total amount of bronze in a straightforward manner, with the numerals clearly delineating the quantities involved.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נְחֹ֥שֶׁת as ξαλκὸς, which also means bronze or copper. This choice reflects a consistent understanding of the material's significance in sacrificial contexts.
The term used in the Septuagint suggests a direct equivalence in meaning, maintaining the focus on the metal's role in the offering.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Exodus 38:29 states that the bronze from the wave offering totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. This verse highlights the specific contributions to the Tabernacle's construction, emphasizing the importance of these materials in the worship of God.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
A wave offering is a type of sacrifice where a portion is waved before God, symbolizing dedication and thanksgiving, as outlined in Leviticus.
Bronze is a base metal often used in sacred constructions, representing both value and the physical materials dedicated to God.
The number seventy is often used in the Bible to denote a significant group or quantity, such as the seventy elders or disciples.
Talents and shekels are both units of weight and currency, with talents representing a larger measure compared to shekels.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How do the materials used in the Tabernacle reflect the dedication of the Israelites to God?
- What can we learn about the significance of offerings in our own worship today?
- Why is it important to account for the contributions made to sacred spaces?
- In what ways can we dedicate our resources to God in our lives?
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Exodus 38:29 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand four hundred shekels.
Read John Gill on Exodus 38 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryA bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand
Read Robert Jamieson on Exodus 38 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(29) The brass of the offering—i.e., the bronze which the people had offered in consequence of the invitation addressed to them by Moses (Exodus 30:5; Exodus 30:24). Seventy talents.—No great quantity was needed, since bronze was only required for the laver, for the altar of burnt offering and its vessels, for the sockets of the Tabernacle gate, for those of the court, and for the “pins,” or pegs, both of the court and the Tabernacle.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Exodus 38 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges21–31. Account of the amount of metal employed in the construction of the Tent of Meeting. A ‘very late addition’ to the narrative (Di., in agreement with We. and others): notice (1) in v. 25 f. the census of Numbers 1 (v. 46) is presupposed, although according to P (Numbers 1:1 compared with Exodus 40:17) this did not take place till a whole month after the Tabernacle was completed and erected; (2) the Levites, who are first appointed to their official duties in Numbers 3, are already (cf. Numbers 4:33) represented as acting under Ithamar’s superintendence; (3) ‘wave-offering’ (vv. 24, 29) appears in the same weakened sense as in Exodus 35:22; (4) the writer, while passing over altogether…
Read Cambridge on Exodus 38 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleAccording to the estimate of the shekel that has here been adopted, the weight of the metals mentioned in this chapter would be nearly as follows, in avoirdupois weight: Gold 1 ton 4 cwt. 2 qrs. 13 lbs. Silver 4 tons 20 lbs.
Read Albert Barnes 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
The bronze from the wave offering totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.
The bronze of the offering was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels.
The bronze from the wave offering totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.
The bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels.
Tyndale line
And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.
And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.
And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.
And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.
Also the brasse of the offering was seuentie talents, and two thousande, and foure hundreth shekels.
Strictly literal
And the copper of the wave-offering was seventy talents, and two thousand four hundred shekels.
And the brass of the wave-offering [is] seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels;
And the bronze of the wave-offering [is] seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels;
And the copper of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.
The bronze from wave offering weighed seventy talents and 2,400 shekels.
From the Latin
And there were offered of brass also seventy-two thousand talents, and four hundred sicles besides.
Simplified
The total amount of bronze from the offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.
The brass which was given was seventy talents, two thousand four hundred shekels;
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 with the Hebrew. The Septuagint matches 6 of the 8 words in the verse, indicating a close relationship between these ancient texts.
וּנְחֹ֥שֶׁת הַתְּנוּפָ֖ה שִׁבְעִ֣ים כִּכָּ֑ר וְאַלְפַּ֥יִם וְאַרְבַּע־ מֵא֖וֹת שָֽׁקֶל׃
6 of the 8 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.
ונחשׁת התנופה שׁבעים ככר ואלפים וארבע מאות שׁקל
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 38:29
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.
נְחֹ֫שֶׁת (nechosheth) refers to copper or bronze, often indicating items made from these metals, such as fetters. It is noted for being less valuable than gold but more than wood. Additionally, it can figuratively represent a harsh sky or, in specific contexts, suggest meanings related to lust or harlotry, as seen in Ezekiel 16:36.
נְחֹ֫שֶׁת 137 n.m. copper, bronze
copper
fetters of copper or bronze
as less in value than gold but more than wood
fig. of pitiless sky
base
[נְחֹ֫שֶׁת] n.[f.] Ez 16:36 where context favours mng. lust, harlotry, or specif. sens. obscoen.
ref
H5178a נְחֹ֫שֶׁת copper, bronze . copper
. fetters of copper or bronze
. as less in value than gold but more than wood
. fig. of pitiless sky
H5178b נְחֹ֫שֶׁת where context favours mng. lust, harlotry, or specif. sens. obscoen.
5178 nchosheth nekh-o'-sheth
for 5154; copper, hence, something made of that metal, i.e.
coin, a fetter; figuratively, base (as compared with gold or
silver):--brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter (of brass),
filthiness, steel.
see HEBREW for 05154
נְחֹ֫שֶׁת (ne.cho.shet) — bronze.
1) copper, bronze
1a) copper (ore), bronze (as copper alloy)
1b) fetters (of copper or bronze)
1c) copper (as value)
נְחֹ֫שֶׁת (ne.cho.shet) — lust.
lust, harlotry
Conj | N-fs — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular constructHC/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…
תְּנוּפָה (tnuwphah) refers to a swinging or waving motion, specifically in the context of a wave offering in sacrificial practices. It is derived from a root meaning to brandish or shake, and encompasses both the act of waving and the offerings associated with it, including those of gold or brass.
תְּנוּפָה 30 n.f. a swinging, waving, wave-offering, offering
base
H8573 תְּנוּפָה a swinging, waving, wave-offering, offering
8573 tnuwphah ten-oo-faw'
from 5130; a brandishing (in threat); by implication, tumult;
specifically, the official undulation of sacrificial
offerings:--offering, shaking, wave (offering).
see HEBREW for 05130
תְּנוּפָה (te.nu.phah) — wave offering.
1) swinging, waving, wave offering, offering
1a) a swinging, brandishing
1a1) of God's hand, weapons
1b) waving, wave-offering (technical term of sacrifice)
1c) offering (of gold or brass)
Art | N-fs — Particle · noun common feminine singular absoluteHTd/Ncfsa
- Placed in the hand of the priest and waved before the Lord
- CONSISTED OF
. The fat, right shoulder, &c of the priest's consecration
ram
. The breast of the priest's consecration ram
שִׁבְעִים (shib`iym) means 'seventy' in Hebrew. It is derived from a root meaning 'seven' and is used to denote the number seventy, often referenced in contexts involving counting or enumeration.
שִׁבְעִים 91 n.pl. seventy
base
H7657 שִׁבְעִים seventy
7657 shib`iym. shib-eem'
multiple of 7651; seventy:--seventy, threescore and ten
(+ -teen).
see HEBREW for 07651
שִׁבְעִים (shiv.im) — seventy.
seventy
Adj — AdjHAcmpa
sev'-n-ti (shibh`im; hebdomekonta).
See NUMBER.
→ The senate of the Israilites composed of seventy elders Ex 24:1,9; Nu 11:16,24,25
→ The seventy disciples sent forth by Jesus (though the best Greek mss. have “seventy-two”) Lu 10:1-17
→ The Jews in captivity in Babylon for seventy years Jer 25:11,12; 29:10; Da 9:2; Zec 1:12; 7:5
→ See ISRAEL
→ 70 Weeks in the vision of Daniel Da 9:24
כִּכָּר (kikkar) refers to something round, encompassing meanings such as a round district, a round loaf of bread, or a round weight like a talent. It is derived from a root meaning 'circle' and is notably associated with the region around the Jordan Valley. The term also has an Aramaic equivalent, indicating its use in various contexts.
כִּכָּר n.f. a round: hence 1. a round district. 2. a round loaf. 3. a round weight, talent
base
H3603 כִּכָּר a round: hence 1. a round district. 2. a round loaf. 3. a round weight, talent
3603 kikkar kik-kawr'
from 3769; a circle, i.e. (by implication) a circumjacent
tract or region, expec. the Ghor or valley of the Jordan; also
a (round) loaf; also a talent (or large (round) coin):--loaf,
morsel, piece, plain, talent.
see HEBREW for 03769
כִּכָּר (kik.kar) — Plain (of Jericho).
This name means round, environs
כִּכָּר (kik.kar) — talent.
1) round
1a) a round district (environs of the Jordan valley)
1b) a round loaf (of bread)
1c) a round weight, talent (of gold, silver, bronze, iron)
Aramaic equivalent: kik.ker (כִּכֵּר "talent" H3604)
N-cs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
אֶ֫לֶף (eleph) means 'thousand' in Hebrew. It can refer to the numeral itself or denote a company or clan, particularly a group of men under one leader. The word is built from the concept of a thousand, and it is associated with the ox's head, which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
אֶ֫לֶף n.m. thousand
base
H505 אֶ֫לֶף thousand
505 'eleph eh'-lef
prop, the same as 504; hence (the ox's head being the first
letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral)
a thousand:--thousand.
see HEBREW for 0504
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand.
: thousand
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand: clan.
: clan
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
Conj | Adj — ConjunctionHC/Acbda
thou'-zand ('eleph; chilioi).
See NUMBER.
אַרְבַּע (arba) means 'four' in Hebrew. It is a masculine noun derived from the root associated with the number four. The entries consistently affirm this meaning without any significant disagreement among lexicons.
אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
base
H702 אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
702 'arba` ar-bah'
masculine oarbaah {ar-baw-aw'}; from 7251; four:--four.
see HEBREW for 07251
אַרְבַּע (ar.ba) — four.
four
HC/Acbsc — ConjunctionHC/Acbsc
for ('arba`; tessares): "Four" (cardinal number) was a sacred and complete number with the Hebrews, as well as with several other peoples. It occurs very frequently in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
(1) It indicates completeness. We have the four rivers of Paradise (Ge 2:10); the four winds of heaven (Eze 37:9; Da 7:2; 8:8; 11:4; Zec 6:5, the Revised Version, margin "spirits"; /APC 2Esdras 13:5); "the four winds" (Mt 24:31; Mr 13:27); "the four corners of the earth" (Isa 11:12;
מֵאָה (me'ah) means 'hundred' in Hebrew. It can refer to a simple number, a component of a larger number, or a fraction representing one one-hundredth. The entries consistently describe its use as a numeral without significant disagreement.
מֵאָה 583 n.f. hundred
as simple number
as part of larger number
a hundredth part
base
H3967 מֵאָה hundred . as simple number
. as part of larger number
. a hundredth part
3967 me'ah may-aw'
or metyah {may-yaw'}; properly, a primitive numeral; a
hundred; also as a multiplicative and a
fraction:--hundred((-fold), -th), + sixscore.
מֵאָה (me.ah) — hundred.
1) hundred
1a) as simple number
1b) as part of larger number
1c) as a fraction-one one-hundredth (1/100)
Aramaic equivalent: me.ah (מְאָה "hundred" H3969)
HAcfpa — HAcfpa
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.
שֶׁ֫קֶל (sheqel) refers to a unit of weight and measure, primarily known as the shekel. It is defined as a commercial standard, with specific weights for gold, silver, and copper. The term is derived from a root meaning 'weight' and is also noted in Aramaic as תְּקֵל (teqel).
שֶׁ֫קֶל 87 n.m. a weight, shekel
base
H8255 שֶׁ֫קֶל a weight, shekel
8255 sheqel sheh'-kel
from 8254; probably a weight; used as a commercial
standard:--shekel.
see HEBREW for 08254
שֶׁ֫קֶל (she.qel) — shekel.
1) shekel
1a) the chief unit of weight or measure
1a1) gold-1/10000 of a talent and equal to 220 grains
1a2) silver-1/3000 of a talent and equal to 132 grains
1a3) copper-1/1500 of a talent and equal to 528 grains
Aramaic equivalent: te.qel (תְּקֵל "shekel" H8625B)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa