The Meaning of Exodus 27:16 Explained

Exodus 27:16

KJV: And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.

YLT: 'And for the gate of the court a covering of twenty cubits, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen, work of an embroiderer; their pillars four, their sockets four.

Darby: And for the gate of the court a curtain of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, embroidered with needlework; their pillars four, and their bases four.

ASV: And for the gate of the court shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the embroiderer; their pillars four, and their sockets four.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And for the gate  of the court  [shall be] an hanging  of twenty  cubits,  [of] blue,  and purple,  and scarlet,  and fine twined  linen,  wrought with needlework:  [and] their pillars  [shall be] four,  and their sockets  four. 

What does Exodus 27:16 Mean?

Study Notes

gate
In the hangings of the court ( Exodus 27:9 ), representing that practical righteousness which God demands in the law, and which, therefore, bars out all men; Romans 3:19 ; Romans 3:20 ; Romans 10:3-5 . No colours are inwrought. But the "gate" is Christ John 10:9 and so the colours reappear as in the veil Exodus 26:31 .

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 27:16 mean?

For the gate of the court [there shall be] a screen [woven of] twenty cubits long blue and purple and scarlet [thread] and linen fine woven work made by a weaver it [shall have] pillars four and sockets four
וּלְשַׁ֨עַר הֶֽחָצֵ֜ר מָסָ֣ךְ ׀ עֶשְׂרִ֣ים אַמָּ֗ה תְּכֵ֨לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֜ן וְתוֹלַ֧עַת שָׁנִ֛י וְשֵׁ֥שׁ מָשְׁזָ֖ר מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה רֹקֵ֑ם עַמֻּֽדֵיהֶם֙ אַרְבָּעָ֔ה וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֖ם אַרְבָּעָֽה

וּלְשַׁ֨עַר  For  the  gate 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
הֶֽחָצֵ֜ר  of  the  court 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: חָצֵר 
Sense: court, enclosure.
מָסָ֣ךְ ׀  [there  shall  be]  a  screen  [woven  of] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָסָךְ  
Sense: covering, rag, screen.
עֶשְׂרִ֣ים  twenty 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: עֶשְׂרִים  
Sense: twenty, twentieth.
אַמָּ֗ה  cubits  long 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַמָּה 
Sense: cubit—a measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 8 in (.
תְּכֵ֨לֶת  blue 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּכֵלֶת  
Sense: violet, violet stuff.
וְאַרְגָּמָ֜ן  and  purple 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַרְגָּמָן  
Sense: purple, red-purple.
שָׁנִ֛י  scarlet  [thread] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁנִי  
Sense: scarlet, crimson.
וְשֵׁ֥שׁ  and  linen 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֵׁשׁ 
Sense: something bleached white, byssus, linen, fine linen.
מָשְׁזָ֖ר  fine  woven 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׁזַר  
Sense: to twist, be twisted.
מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה  work 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַעֲשֶׂה  
Sense: deed, work.
רֹקֵ֑ם  made  by  a  weaver 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רָקַם  
Sense: to variegate, mix colours.
עַמֻּֽדֵיהֶם֙  it  [shall  have]  pillars 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: עַמּוּד  
Sense: pillar, column.
אַרְבָּעָ֔ה  four 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֖ם  and  sockets 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶדֶן  
Sense: base, pedestal, socket (strong, firm).
אַרְבָּעָֽה  four 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.