Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.
Parallel translations
- WEB Five curtains shall be coupled together to one another; and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.
- KJV The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.
- BSB Five of the curtains are to be joined together, and the other five joined as well.
- NASB Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another.
- NLT Join five of these curtains together to make one long curtain, then join the other five into a second long curtain.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The ten curtains were joined into two sets of five, each set coupled together. This formed two large panels that would then be linked into one unified covering.
Overview
By coupling five curtains to five, the craftsmen created two manageable sections to be united over the tabernacle frame. The detailed assembly underscores both the care of the workmanship and the theme of unity that runs through the structure. The many parts joined into one whole quietly foreshadow the one people God forms from many, united in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Col 2:19and not holding firmly to the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and ligaments, grows with God’s growth.
- Exod 26:9You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shall double over the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tent.
- 1 Cor 12:4Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
- Eph 2:21–22in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
- Eph 4:3–6being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
- John 17:21that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me.
- 1 Cor 12:12–27For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.
- Col 2:2that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and gaining all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,
- Exod 36:10He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another.
- Eph 4:16from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 26:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.