Exodus 27:12

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Exodus 27:12 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
Exodus 27:12 — American Standard Version

Context — Exodus 27

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
12And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits; their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And for the breadth of the court, on the west side, etc.] On the west end, the upper end of the court, near to which reached the holy of holies: shall be hangings of fifty cubits: or twenty five yards and more, so that the court was but half as broad as it was long: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; which was a number proportionate to the hangings, and stood at an equal distance from each other, as the pillars for the sides, at five cubits, or two yards and a half, as commonly computed.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The court of the tabernacle - (Compare Exodus 38:9-20) Exodus 27:9 The south side southward - The south side on the right. See Exodus 26:18. Exodus 27:10 Sockets - Bases. See Exodus 26:19. Fillets - Rather, Connecting rods; curtain-rods of silver connecting the heads of the pillars. The hangings were attached to the pillars by the silver hooks; but the length of the space between the pillars would render it most probable that they were also in some way fastened to these rods. Exodus 27:13 The east side eastward - On the front side eastward. Exodus 27:16 An hanging - An entrance curtain, which, unlike the hangings at the sides and back of the court, could be drawn up, or aside, at pleasure.…”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“"As for the breadth of the court on the west side, (there shall be) curtains fifty cubits; their pillars twenty; and the breadth of the court towards the front, on the east side, fifty cubits." The front is divided in Exo 27:14-16 into two כּתף, lit., shoulders, i.e., sides or side-pieces, each consisting of 15 cubits of hangings and three pillars with their sockets, and a doorway (שׁער), naturally in the middle, which was covered by a curtain (מסך) formed of the same material as the covering at the entrance to the dwelling, of 20 cubits in length, with four pillars and the same number of sockets. The pillars were therefore equidistant from one another, viz., 5 cubits apart. Their total…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification