Bible Strands
Exodus 39:10
And they mounted on it four rows of gemstones: The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Israelite artisans are arranging the first set of gemstones on the folded priestly breastpiece immediately after completing its span-by-span dimensions.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיְמַלְאוּ (wa-yəma-lə’û) means “and they filled,” denoting the act of setting the stones. The phrase אַרְבָּעָה טֻרֵי אֶבֶן (’ar-bāhāh ṭu-rê ’eḇen) translates literally to “four rows of stones.”
The thread — This inventory of the breastpiece’s first row corresponds to the initial construction account in Exodus 28:17 and parallels the twelve-stone foundation described in Revelation 21:19.
Why it lands — The text records a precise, ordered arrangement of precious materials without commentary, requiring the reader to recognize the deliberate craftsmanship and symbolic structure embedded in the object.
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 they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row.
Cross-references
- Exodus 28:16 It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.
- Exodus 28:21 The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
- Revelation 21:19 The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,