Exodus 39:9
New International Version
It was square—a span long and a span wide—and folded double.

New Living Translation
He made the chestpiece of a single piece of cloth folded to form a pouch nine inches square.

English Standard Version
It was square. They made the breastpiece doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth when doubled.

Berean Standard Bible
It was square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.

King James Bible
It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled.

New King James Version
They made the breastplate square by doubling it; a span was its length and a span its width when doubled.

New American Standard Bible
It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double.

NASB 1995
It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double.

NASB 1977
It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double.

Legacy Standard Bible
It was square; they made the breastpiece, having been folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double.

Amplified Bible
It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a [hand’s] span long and a [hand’s] span wide when folded double.

Christian Standard Bible
They made the breastpiece square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They made the breastpiece square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide.

American Standard Version
It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being double.

Contemporary English Version
It was 22 centimeters square and folded double

English Revised Version
It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being double.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
It was folded in half and was 9 inches square.

Good News Translation
It was square and folded double, 9 inches long and 9 inches wide.

International Standard Version
They made the breast piece square when folded double: one span in length and one span in width when folded double.

Majority Standard Bible
It was square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.

NET Bible
It was square--they made the breastpiece doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide when doubled.

New Heart English Bible
It was square. They made the breastplate double. Its length was a span, and its breadth a span, being double.

Webster's Bible Translation
It was foursquare; they made the breast-plate double: a span was the length of it, and a span the breadth of it, being doubled.

World English Bible
It was square. They made the breastplate double. Its length was a span, and its width a span, being double.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
it has been square; they have made the breastplate double, a span its length, and a span its breadth, doubled.

Young's Literal Translation
it hath been square; double they have made the breastplate, a span its length, and a span its breadth, doubled.

Smith's Literal Translation
It was four-square; they made the breast-plate double: a span its length, and a span its breadth; double.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Foursquare, double, of the measure of a span.

Catholic Public Domain Version
with four equal sides, doubled, of the measure of the palm of a hand.

New American Bible
It was square and folded double, a span high and a span wide in its folded form.

New Revised Standard Version
It was square; the breastpiece was made double, a span in length and a span in width when doubled.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double; a span was its length and a span its breadth, being doubled.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
It was square and doubled and they made the breastplate a handbreadth in its length, a handbreadth its width, being doubled.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
It was four-square; they made the breastplate double; a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being double.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They made the oracle square and double, the length of a span, and the breadth of a span, - double.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Breastpiece
8He made the breastpiece with the same workmanship as the ephod, with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. 9It was square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide. 10And they mounted on it four rows of gemstones: The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;…

Cross References
Exodus 28:16
It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.

Leviticus 8:8
Then he put the breastpiece on him and placed the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece.

Numbers 7:89
When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony. Thus the LORD spoke to him.

1 Kings 7:21
Thus he set up the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jachin, and the pillar to the north he named Boaz.

2 Chronicles 3:10-13
In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of sculptured work, and he overlaid them with gold. / The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long and touched the wall of the temple, and its other wing was five cubits long and touched the wing of the other cherub. / The wing of the second cherub also measured five cubits and touched the wall of the temple, while its other wing measured five cubits and touched the wing of the first cherub. ...

Ezekiel 28:13
You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold, prepared on the day of your creation.

Isaiah 54:11-12
“O afflicted city, lashed by storms, without solace, surely I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires. / I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.

Revelation 21:19-20
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, / the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

Hebrews 9:4
containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

1 Peter 2:5
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:20-22
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. / In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. / And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.

Revelation 1:13
and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, with a golden sash around His chest.

Revelation 4:3
The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne.

Revelation 21:2
I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:10-11
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, / shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal.


Treasury of Scripture

It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled.

no reference

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Exodus 39
1. The cloths of service and holy garments.
2. The ephod
8. The breast-plate
22. The robe of the ephod
27. The coats, mitre, and girdle of fine linen
30. The plate of the holy crown
32. All is finished, reviewed, and approved by Moses














It was square
The description of the breastpiece being "square" is significant in its symbolism and function. The Hebrew word for square, "רָבוּעַ" (ravu'a), implies completeness and stability. In the ancient Near Eastern context, a square shape often represented perfection and balance. The square shape of the breastpiece, which held the Urim and Thummim, symbolizes the perfection and justice of God's decisions, as the high priest would use it to discern God's will for the Israelites.

when folded over
The phrase "when folded over" indicates the construction of the breastpiece, which was made by folding a piece of fabric to create a pouch. This design was not only practical, allowing the breastpiece to hold the Urim and Thummim securely, but also symbolic. The act of folding can be seen as a metaphor for the hidden and mysterious nature of God's guidance, which is revealed through the high priest's mediation. The Hebrew root "כָּפַל" (kafal) suggests doubling or duplicity, emphasizing the layered complexity of divine wisdom.

a span long and a span wide
The measurement "a span long and a span wide" refers to the dimensions of the breastpiece, with a span being the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended, approximately 9 inches or 23 centimeters. This specific measurement ensured that the breastpiece was both functional and symbolic. The span, "זֶרֶת" (zeret) in Hebrew, is a personal and intimate measurement, reflecting the personal relationship between God and His people. The uniformity in length and width underscores the theme of balance and equality, reminding the Israelites of God's impartial justice and the equal representation of the twelve tribes on the breastpiece.

Verse 9. - For a memorial. Compare Exodus 28:12.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
[It]
עָשׂ֣וּ (‘ā·śū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

was square
רָב֧וּעַ (rā·ḇū·a‘)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 7251: To be quadrate

and folded over double,
כָּפ֖וּל (kā·p̄ūl)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 3717: To fold together, to repeat

a span
זֶ֧רֶת (ze·reṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2239: The spread of the fingers, a span

long
אָרְכּ֛וֹ (’ā·rə·kōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 753: Length

and a span
וְזֶ֥רֶת (wə·ze·reṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2239: The spread of the fingers, a span

wide.
רָחְבּ֖וֹ (rā·ḥə·bōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7341: Breadth, width


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OT Law: Exodus 39:9 It was square (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 39:8
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