Exodus 26:24

The Hebrew word signifieth twins: declaring that they should be so perfect and well joined as was possible.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(24) They shall be coupled together beneath.—The corner boards were to be coupled to the others in two places, below and above, in each place by means of one ring. Rings, through which passed the ends of the bars mentioned in Exo_26:26-29, are supposed to be meant.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

24. A most obscure verse, the crux of all interpreters. It must suffice here to state Kennedy’s view (p. 661); for a discussion of others, the reader is referred to McNeile, p. lxxv f. (see also W. R. Smith, Journ. of Phil. xvi. 76). After v. 22 these two extra frames do not really appear to be required: apparently, however, they are intended to strengthen the two corners, at the back of the Dwelling, the idea being that the last frame at each end of the hinder wall is to be doubled, the second frame forming a buttress, sloping upwards from the outside and terminating just under the uppermost of the bars described in v. 26 f. The verse may be rendered, And they shall be twinned (so AVm.: i.e. twin-pieces to the two extreme frames of the end wall, and braced to them to give additional strength) from beneath, and together (i.e. both alike, as Deu_12:22) they shall be twinned (reading תאמים, as just before, for תמים) unto the top thereof (viz. of the Dwelling) unto the first ring (i.e. the topmost ring (see v. 29) at the back of the Dwelling): thus shall it be, &c. The sense, it must be admitted, is contortedly expressed: but no explanation is free from objection, and nothing more satisfactory has been proposed.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood, Which being put into rings or staples of gold, kept the boards tight, close, and firm together:

five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle: for instance, the south side; four of these were placed, two at the upper end of the boards, and two at the lower end, and the fifth in the middle, particularly taken notice of, Exo 26:28, how long these bars were it is not said, but it is reasonable to conclude that they reached the length of the tabernacle, which was thirty cubits; and as it was not easy to get bars of such a length, the notion of Josephus (u) perhaps, may be right, that each two consisted of divers parts which joined one another, the head of one entering into the hollow of the other and as he supposes they were five cubits long, a row of them must have six parts, which went along the sides, north and south, and the west end two, which was but ten cubits.

(u) Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 3. c. 6. sect. 3.)

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Coupled together, Heb. as twins, i.e. equal and equally joined together, and exactly answering one to the other.

Unto one ring, which ring was exactly in the corner, and with the help of the bars kept the corner boards, and with them the other boards of the tabernacle, close together. But you must note, that here were two rings in each corner, the one in the upper, the other in the lower parts.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

They shall be coupled together beneath unto one ring. This is very obscure, and might be explained in several ways. Perhaps it is best to suppose that the coupling was by the "bars," cf. vers. 26-29, the ends of which fitted into a sort of double ring, like the figure 8, attached to the corner posts. Above the head. Rather at" or near the head."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

ויהיו AND THEY SHALL BE — all the boards shall be —תאמים COUPLED TOGETHER with each other, מלמטה BENEATH, so that the thickness of the edges of two adjacent sockets should not form a space between them, keeping them apart. That is what I meant when I explained (v. 17) that the pivot-like tenons of a board should be cut away on all sides, in order that the breadth of the board shall project at the sides beyond the tenons of the boards that it may cover the rim of the socket. In like manner was the adjacent board treated. The result was that they coupled together (stood one close against the other). Each end-board in the western row was cut away along its width into its thickness over against the portion cut away from the adjacent boards of the northern and southern wall, so that the sockets standing between should not part them (the end-board and that standing next to it on the north side or south side).

ויחדו יהיו תמים AND THEY SHALL BE COUPLED TOGETHER — תמים has the same meaning here as תאמים in the phrase immedialely preceding.

על ראשו ABOVE THE HEAD OF IT — i. e. of each board.

אל הטבעת האחת INTO ONE RING — Each board had on the top two semi-circular incisions, one on each end of its breadth, tallying with the thickness of the ring which was to be inserted into it. They passed it (the board) into the same ring into which the next board had been passed (see illustration); Thus it (one board) joined close to the board next to it. I do not know however whether these rings were fixed to the boards or whether they were loose (not screwed down). In the case of the end-board the ring was inserted into the incisions made in the thickness of the north and south board respectively, and the top of the board which was in the west row adjacent to it was passed into it also. Thus the two pairs of walls (the western with the southern and northern respectively) were held together.

כן יהיה לשניהם THUS SHALL IT BE FOR THEM BOTH — for the two end-boards; e. g., for the board at the end of the north side and for the adjacent board in the western wall; and thus shall it be at both corners.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

AND THEY SHALL BE COUPLED TOGETHER ABOVE THE HEAD OF IT UNTO THE ONE RING. According to Rashi’s interpretation this verse goes back to explain that all the boards should be coupled together beneath, where the boards were cut away on their sides, and they all should be coupled together about the head of it, meaning “of each board.” Or it may be that rosho (the head of it) refers to the top of the Tabernacle. Similarly, [according to Rashi] the expression unto the one ring means of each of the boards. Likewise he explained, thus shall it be for them both, for the two end boards [for the board at the end of the north side and for the adjacent board in the western wall].But if this is so, I do not know why Scripture does not explicitly tell us about these rings, saying “and you shall make twenty gold rings” [instead of saying, unto the one ring, which means of each board], seeing that it mentions the cut which he is to make in all the boards. Moreover, how could Scripture say unto the one ring with the definite article [when it has not mentioned it previously]? Perhaps because it is the customary manner with all houses made of boards to attach them at the top with one ring, Scripture shortened the explanation and said the ring — meaning the one which is known to him and customary. Similarly it said of the bars, and thou shalt make their rings of gold for places for the bolts, which means the customary [rings] being known to them. A similar case is the expression, their hooks shall be of gold. I have found in the Beraitha on the work of the Tabernacle [the following text]: “He cut away the board at the top, a fingerbreadth on one side and a fingerbreadth on the other side, and he placed them [i.e., the two adjacent boards] inside one gold ring in order that they should not move apart from each other, for it is said, And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto the one ring. Now it need not have said, unto the one ring; and what does it teach us by saying it? It is to teach us that this is the place where the bolts were inserted.” Accordingly, the verse stating: and they shall be coupled together above the head of it, refers to the head of the board where it was cut away until the place of the upper ring of the bolts, for the incision in the board was to extend as far as the place of the ring. Now Scripture was not particular [concerning these upper parts of the boards] how they should be attached, whether with rings of silver or gold, fixed ones or moveable, or with connecting rods. But the Beraitha states that Moses made rings for that purpose. However, in line with the plain meaning of Scripture this verse refers only to the endboards.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.