You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with brass.
Parallel translations
- KJV And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.
- BSB Additionally, make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.
- NKJV And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze.
- NASB You shall also make carrying poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood and overlay them with bronze.
- NLT For carrying the altar, make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze.
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
Poles of acacia wood overlaid with bronze were made for carrying the altar. These allowed the altar to be transported as Israel traveled.
Overview
Like the ark, the altar had poles for carrying, fitting its portable use throughout the wilderness journey. The bronze overlay matched the altar's other fittings. That the place of sacrifice traveled with God's people shows atonement was always near them, a constant provision pointing to the ever-availing sacrifice of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Exod 30:4You shall make two golden rings for it under its molding; on its two ribs, on its two sides you shall make them; and they shall be for places for poles with which to bear it.
- Num 4:44even those who were counted of them by their families, were three thousand two hundred.
- Exod 35:13–15the table with its poles and all its vessels, and the show bread;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 27:6 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.