Exodus 38:23

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex) Exodus 38:23 appears in the Hebrew Old Testament. The text above is from the Westminster Leningrad Codex. Each word links to its Strong’s number, a concise gloss, and parsing drawn from the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible morphology. Click any word for its full Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB) entry.
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Exodus 38:23 (World English Bible). Public Domain. Lemma interlinear Bible study tool, https://lemma.gebible.app/v/exodus/38/23.

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English Translation
With him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skillful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen.
World English Bible · Public Domain
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Compare translations 3

The same verse in 3 English versions, stacked beneath the original-language interlinear above. Click any original word for its lexicon entry.

Each is an independent rendering of the whole verse — the interlinear is not word-aligned to these translations.

Highlighted words mark where these versions differ — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment.

  • World English Bible Public Domain
    With him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skillful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen.
  • King James Version Public Domain
    And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.
  • unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
    And Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a designer and an embroiderer in blue and in purple and in scarlet and in fine linen, with him.

unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult).

Versions to compare (up to 4)

3 of 4 selected

Show all 18 translations

Every available English version of this verse, each an independent rendering of the whole verse.

  • World English Bible Public Domain
    With him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skillful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen.
  • Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
    With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
  • Majority Standard Bible Public Domain
    With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
  • King James Version Public Domain
    And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.
  • American Standard Version (1901) Public Domain
    And with him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skilful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in fine linen.
  • Revised Version (1885) Public Domain
    And with him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.
  • Geneva Bible (1599) Public Domain
    And with him Aholiab sonne of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan, a cunning workeman and an embroiderer and a worker of needle work in blew silke, and in purple, and in skarlet, and in fine linen.
  • Douay-Rheims (1899) Public Domain
    Having for his companion Ooliab the son of Achisamech of the tribe of Dan: who also was an excellent artificer in wood, and worker in tapestry and embroidery in violet, purple, scarlet, and fine linen.
  • Young's Literal Translation Public Domain
    and with him `is' Aholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and designer, and embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in linen.
  • Literal Standard Version CC BY-SA 4.0
    and with him [is] Aholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and designer and embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in linen.
  • Unlocked Literal Bible CC BY-SA 4.0
    Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan, worked with Bezalel as an engraver, as a skillful workman, and as an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and in fine linen.
  • unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
    And Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a designer and an embroiderer in blue and in purple and in scarlet and in fine linen, with him.
  • Darby Bible Public Domain
    and with him Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and artificer, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in byssus.
  • World Messianic Bible Public Domain
    With him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skillful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen.
  • Webster's Bible Public Domain
    And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skillful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.
  • Free Bible Version CC BY-SA 4.0
    He was assisted by Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer using blue, purple, and crimson thread and finely-woven linen.
  • Bible in Basic English Public Domain
    And with him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; a designer and a trained workman, expert in needlework of blue and purple and red and the best linen.
  • JPS Tanakh (1917) Public Domain
    And with him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, a craftsman, and a skilful workman, and a weaver in colours, in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen. —

Literal Standard Version (2020), Covenant Press — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). Unlocked Literal Bible (unfoldingWord) — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult). Free Bible Version, Dr. Jonathan Gallagher — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org).

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אֲחִיסָמָ֛ךְ
ʼĂchîyçâmâk
H294
“Ahisamach”
Noun, Proper
Part of Speech
Noun
Type
Proper
Full BDB Definition

Origin: from H251 and H5564

TWOT: None

Ahisamach = "my brother is support (has supported)" - a Danite, father of Aholiab, a workman on the tabernacle
  1. וְאִתּ֗וֹ ʼêth H854 “and · with · him” Conjunction + Preposition + Suffix, Personal, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular
  2. אָהֳלִיאָ֞ב ʼOhŏlîyʼâb H171 “Aholiab” Noun, Proper
  3. בֶּן bên H1121 “son of” Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Construct
  4. לְמַטֵּה maṭṭeh H4294 “to/for · staff of” Preposition + Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Construct
  5. דָ֖ן Dân H1835 “Dan” Noun, Proper
  6. חָרָ֣שׁ chârâsh H2796 “craftsman” Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute
  7. וְחֹשֵׁ֑ב châshab H2803 “and · thinking” Conjunction + Verb, Qal, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Absolute
  8. וְרֹקֵ֗ם râqam H7551 “and · variegating” Conjunction + Verb, Qal, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Absolute
  9. בַּתְּכֵ֨לֶת֙ tᵉkêleth H8504 “in/at the · violet” Preposition, Determined + Noun, Common, Feminine, Singular, Absolute
  10. וּבָֽאַרְגָּמָ֔ן ʼargâmân H713 “and · in/at the · purple” Conjunction + Preposition, Determined + Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute
  11. וּבְתוֹלַ֥עַת tôwlâʻ H8438 “and · in/at · worm of” Conjunction + Preposition + Noun, Common, Feminine, Singular, Construct
  12. הַשָּׁנִ֖י shânîy H8144 “the · scarlet” Particle, Definite Article + Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute
  13. וּבַשֵּֽׁשׁ shêsh H8336 “and · in/at the · fine linen” Conjunction + Preposition, Determined + Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

14
words
14
distinct lemmas
Pentateuch
section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is אֲחִיסָמָ֛ךְ Ahisamach H294 — appearing just 3 times in the whole Hebrew Bible.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

אֲחִיסָמָ֛ךְ Ahisamach H294 occurs in 3 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:

Grammatical profile

  • 2 verbs
  • 11 nouns
  • 1 preposition

Verb forms

  • וְחֹשֵׁ֑ב Qal · Participle Active
  • וְרֹקֵ֗ם Qal · Participle Active

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 32 words from the Hebrew and 22 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — the Septuagint runs noticeably shorter here. See the side-by-side →

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

In the original languages it is 14 Hebrew tokens and 21 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.

Cross-references

2

Topical passages linked to Exodus 38:23 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

  • Exodus 35:34 He has put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
  • Exodus 31:6 I, behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all who are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you:

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

Here the Septuagint runs noticeably shorter than the Hebrew — LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) 22 words vs World English Bible 32. A rough length comparison of the two English translations, not a word-level alignment — read both below.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew Exodus 38:23 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

וְאִתּ֗וֹ אָהֳלִיאָ֞ב בֶּן אֲחִיסָמָ֛ךְ לְמַטֵּה דָ֖ן חָרָ֣שׁ וְחֹשֵׁ֑ב וְרֹקֵ֗ם בַּתְּכֵ֨לֶת֙ וּבָֽאַרְגָּמָ֔ן וּבְתוֹלַ֥עַת הַשָּׁנִ֖י וּבַשֵּֽׁשׁ

With him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skillful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX Exodus 38:23 Septuagint · lemma form

οὗτος ποιέω πᾶς ὁ σκεῦος ὁ θυσιαστήριον καί ὁ πυρεῖον αὐτός καί ὁ βάσις καί ὁ φιάλη καί ὁ κρεάγρα χαλκοῦς

He made all the vessels of the altar and its grate, and its base, and its bowls, and the brazen flesh hooks.

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Targum (Aramaic paraphrase)

2

The Targum is the ancient Jewish Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures — an interpretive translation, not the Hebrew text itself. Onkelos (literal) and Pseudo-Jonathan (expansive) render the Torah, and Jonathan the Prophets. Coverage is partial: where no permissively-licensed English translation exists for a verse, only the Aramaic is shown. This is verse-level text, not a word-by-word alignment to the Hebrew.

  1. Targum Onkelos Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)
    וְעִמֵהּ אָהֳלִיאָב בַּר אֲחִיסָמָךְ לְשִׁבְטָא דְדָן נַגָר וָאֳמָן וְצַיָר בְּתִכְלָא וּבְאַרְגְוָנָא וּבִצְבַע זְהוֹרִי וּבְבוּצָא:

    (no public-domain English translation for this verse)

    Targum Onkelos — Aramaic: “Onkelos Genesis” (public domain); “Onkelos Exodus” (public domain); “Onkelos Leviticus” (public domain); “Onkelos Numbers” (public domain); “Onkelos Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “J.W. Etheridge. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel on the Pentateuch. London: Longmans, Green, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.

  2. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)
    וְעִמֵּיהּ אָהֳלִיאָב בַּר אֲחִיסָמָךְ לְשִׁבְטָא דְדָן נַגַר וְאוֹמַן וְצַיַיר בְּתִכְלָא וּבְאַרְגְוָונָא וּבִצְבַע זְהוֹרֵי וּבְבוּצָא

    and with him, Ahaliab bar Achisamak, of the tribe of Dan, a worker in wood, and an artificer, and an embroiderer in hyacinth, and in purple, and in crimson, and in fine linen.

    Targum Pseudo-Jonathan — Aramaic: “Targum Jonathan on Genesis” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Exodus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Leviticus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Numbers” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, trans. J. W. Etheridge, London, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.

Commentary

Notes on Exodus 38:23 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Geneva Bible (1599)

Geneva Bible translators

Or, a graver, or carpenter, Exod. 36:4.

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

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(23) Aholiab . . . an engraver.—This is a mistranslation. Khârâsh means a worker in any material whatsoever. It should be rendered artificer, as it is in 1Ch_29:5; 2Ch_34:11.

A cunning workman.—Literally, a deviser; but the root is used especially of the devising of textile fabrics. (See Exo_26:1; Exo_26:31; Exo_28:6; Exo_28:15; Exo_36:8; Exo_36:35; Exo_39:3, &c.)

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

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

23. a craftsman, and a pattern-weaver, &c.] as Exo_35:35.

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.

John Gill's Exposition

And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation,.... This was not the offering of silver, Exo 35:24 but what was collected in numbering the people, where everyone of twenty years old and upwards paid half a shekel, Exo 30:12 the sum

was an hundred talents, one thousand seven hundred and threescore fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; which, according to Brerewood (q), make of our money, 37,721 pounds, seventeen shillings, and six pence; according to Waserus (r), the whole amounted to 150,887 dollars and a half: and so, according to Lundius (s), the sum is so many imperials, and forty five creutzers or cross pennies.

(q) Ut supra. (De Ponder & pretiis Vet. Num. c. 4, 5.) (r) Ut supra. (De Antiqu. Numis. l. 2. c. 18.) (s) Apud Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 2. p. 253.

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

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See Exo 35:35 note.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The Pulpit Commentary

Aholiab"s special gifts are here pointed out. He was

1. An artificer (a general term with no special application);

2. A skilled weaver; and

3. An embroiderer.

Altogether, his business was with the textile fabrics not with the woodwork or the metal-work of the sanctuary.

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

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Exodus, in the Pentateuch, opens this verse with 14 words (14 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is ʼĂchîyçâmâk (“Ahisamach”). The Greek Septuagint runs shorter here. A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

  1. How does “Ahisamach” (ʼĂchîyçâmâk) shape what this verse is saying?
  2. Exodus 31:6 shares the word «Ahisamach» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
  3. Compared with the Hebrew, the Septuagint runs shorter here. What questions does that raise?
  4. These translations render this verse differently. What is at stake in choosing one wording over another?
  5. The verb «וְחֹשֵׁ֑ב» is Qal Participle Active. How does its form color the action?
  6. Reading how Geneva Bible (1599) and Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?

Things to notice

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Old Testament
Old Testament edition

Read the OT as the Masoretic Hebrew (MT) or the Greek Septuagint (LXX).

English shown for the Greek Septuagint (in the Hebrew ↔ Greek comparison).

Comparing translations? Open the Compare panel on any verse page to stack up to four side by side.