Exodus 28:16
in Exodus 28It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Foursquare it shall be and double; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof.
KJV
Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.
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This verse in Exodus 28
Commentary
4 notes on this verseFour-square it shall be - Here we have the exact dimensions of this breastplate, or more properly breast-piece or stomacher. It was a span in length and breadth when doubled, and consequently two spans long one way before it was doubled. Between these doublings, it is supposed, the Urim and Thummim were placed. See Clarke on Exo 28:30 (note).
This site's exposition
thou shalt make ouches of gold
on Exodus 28:13-16
Gold settings and chains of wreathen work hold the breastplate, and every fitting that touches it is pure gold. The piece is foursquare and doubled, which makes it a pouch rather than a flat plate, and the doubling is what verse 30 depends on. A span is half a cubit, so the whole thing sits inside the width of a man's chest.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Four square it shall be, being doubled,.... That is, when it was doubled; for the length of it, according to Maimonides (c), was a cubit, which is two spans, and so, when it was doubled, was but one, and its length and breadth being alike, as follows: a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof; a square, which is the measure, the form of the new Jerusalem, the church of Christ, Rev 21:16 and may denote the perfection, firmness, and immovableness of it, Psa 125:
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work--a very splendid and richly embroidered piece of brocade, a span square, and doubled, to enable it the better to bear the weight of the precious stones in it.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| רָב֥וּעַ | ravua' | square | H7251 → | 12 times |
| יִֽהְיֶ֖ה | yihyeh | it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כָּפ֑וּל | kaful | folded double | H3717 → | 5 times |
| זֶ֥רֶת | zeret | [will be] a span | H2239 → | 7 times |
| אָרְכּ֖וֹ | ʾareko | length its | H753 → | 95 times |
| וְזֶ֥רֶת | vezeret | and [will be] a span | H2239 → | 7 times |
| רָחְבּֽוֹ׃ | rachebo | breadth its | H7341 → | 101 times |
רָב֥וּעַsquare
ravua'H7251 →12 times
יִֽהְיֶ֖הit will be
yihyehH1961 →3559 times
כָּפ֑וּלfolded double
kafulH3717 →5 times
זֶ֥רֶת[will be] a span
zeretH2239 →7 times
אָרְכּ֖וֹlength its
ʾarekoH753 →95 times
וְזֶ֥רֶתand [will be] a span
vezeretH2239 →7 times
רָחְבּֽוֹ׃breadth its
racheboH7341 →101 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies6
On this verse
About Exodus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch.