Bible Strands
Exodus 38:17
The bases for the posts were bronze, the hooks and bands were silver, and the plating for the tops of the posts was silver. So all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses records the material specifications for the courtyard enclosure during the tabernacle construction phase, following the collection of donations and preceding the final assembly of the entrance curtain.
The words — The Hebrew אֲדָנִים ('a.da.Nim) translates literally to "bases" or foundational sockets, while צִפּוּי (tzi.Pui) means "overlay" or plating applied to the post tops.
The thread — This verse functions as a technical inventory item within the broader tabernacle construction narrative, tracking how bronze and silver were allocated to specific structural elements before the enclosure was fully assembled.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to distinguish between load-bearing bronze foundations and decorative silver fittings, establishing a clear material hierarchy for the courtyard posts without conflating their functions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.