The Meaning of Exodus 27:2 Explained

Exodus 27:2

KJV: And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

YLT: And thou hast made its horns on its four corners, its horns are of the same, and thou hast overlaid it with brass.

Darby: And thou shalt make its horns at the four corners thereof; its horns shall be of itself; and thou shalt overlay it with copper.

ASV: And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof; the horns thereof shall be of one piece with it: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And thou shalt make  the horns  of it upon the four  corners  thereof: his horns  shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay  it with brass. 

What does Exodus 27:2 Mean?

Study Notes

brass
Cf. Numbers 21:9 ; John 3:14 ; John 12:31-33 thus fixing the symbolic meaning of brass as divine manifestation in judgment.

Context Summary

Exodus 27:1-19 - The Altar And The Court
The brazen altar is dealt with long before any particular mention is made of the altar of incense, because the question of our relationship with God, through the death of our Lord on the Cross, must precede our fellowship with Him, and our successful intercession. Each of these altars was made of the same kind of wood, but in the case of the altar we are now considering, and which stood in front of the Tabernacle, the wood was encased in brass, that metal suggesting the severity of the sacrificial flame that burned at the Crucifixion, when Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Let us distinguish between these altars. We have passed beyond the one; we are called to minister perpetually at the other. The court was fifty yards long by twenty-five broad, and was formed by curtains of fine-twined yarn. There must be separation between God's priests and the world. See 1 Peter 2:5. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 27

1  The altar of burnt offering, with the vessels thereof
9  The court of the tabernacle enclosed with hangings and pillars
18  The measure of the court, and the furniture of brass
20  The oil for the lamp

What do the individual words in Exodus 27:2 mean?

And You shall make its horns on four its corners of it shall be its horns [of one piece with it] and you shall overlay it with bronze
וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ קַרְנֹתָ֗יו עַ֚ל אַרְבַּ֣ע פִּנֹּתָ֔יו מִמֶּ֖נּוּ תִּהְיֶ֣יןָ קַרְנֹתָ֑יו וְצִפִּיתָ֥ אֹת֖וֹ נְחֹֽשֶׁת

וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ  And  You  shall  make 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
קַרְנֹתָ֗יו  its  horns 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קֶרֶן 
Sense: horn.
אַרְבַּ֣ע  four 
Parse: Number, feminine singular construct
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
פִּנֹּתָ֔יו  its  corners 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פִּנָּה  
Sense: corner.
מִמֶּ֖נּוּ  of  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
תִּהְיֶ֣יןָ  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
קַרְנֹתָ֑יו  its  horns  [of  one  piece  with  it] 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קֶרֶן 
Sense: horn.
וְצִפִּיתָ֥  and  you  shall  overlay 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: צָפָה  
Sense: to lay out, lay over, overlay, cover.
נְחֹֽשֶׁת  with  bronze 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: נְחֹשֶׁת 
Sense: copper, bronze.