Exodus 28 · Verse 16

Exodus 28:16

Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.
Exodus 28:16, King James Version

Exodus 28:16 in other translations

BSBIt must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.
WEBIt shall be square and folded double; a span shall be its length, and a span its width.
ASVFoursquare it shall be and double; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof.
YLTit is square, doubled, a span its length, and a span its breadth.
DARBYSquare shall it be, doubled; a span the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof.
BBEIt is to be square, folded in two, a hand-stretch long and a hand-stretch wide.
WebsterFoursquare it shall be, being doubled; a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its breadth.

What does Exodus 28:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 28:15-29

15-29. 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. There were twelve different stones, containing each the name of a tribe, and arranged in four rows, three in each. The Israelites had acquired a knowledge of the lapidary's art in Egypt, and…

Read the full comment on Exodus 28:15-29 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 16 Four-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).

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 28:15-30

The chief ornament of the high priest, was the breastplate, a rich piece of cloth, curiously worked. The name of each tribe was graven in a precious stone, fixed in the breastplate, to signify how precious, in God's sight, believers are, and how honourable. How small and poor soever the tribe was, it was as a precious stone in the breastplate of the high priest; thus are all the saints dear to Christ, however men…

Read the full comment on Exodus 28:15-30 →

Exodus 28:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

רָב֥וּעַra.Vu.a'squareH7251
יִֽהְיֶ֖הyih.Yehit will beH1961
כָּפ֑וּלka.Fulfolded doubleH3717
זֶ֥רֶתZe.ret[will be] a spanH2239
אָרְכּ֖וֹ'a.re.Kolength itsH753
וְזֶ֥רֶתve.Ze.retand [will be] a spanH2239
רָחְבּֽוֹ\׃ra.che.Bobreadth itsH7341

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Context

  • Exodus 28:15

    And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

  • Exodus 28:16

    Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

  • Exodus 28:17

    And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.

Read all of Exodus 28

Exodus 28:16 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Será cuadrado y doble, de un palmo de largo y un palmo de ancho:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Il sera carré, double; sa longueur sera d’un empan, et sa largeur d’un empan.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Quadratförmig soll es sein, gedoppelt, eine Spanne seine Länge und eine Spanne seine Breite.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quadrangulum erit et duplex: mensuram palmi habebit tam in longitudine quam in latitudine.