What Does Exodus 35:22 Mean?
And they came, both men and women, as many as were free-hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold, and every man who made a waving of gold to the LORD.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.THE KEY
The willing heart is not an invisible feeling here: it takes shape in ornaments brought forward and gold lifted as an offering.
THE MEANING
The verse holds inward willingness and visible giving together: people bring gold ornaments and present them to the LORD. The heart’s willingness becomes tangible in the gift, and the gift is raised in presentation.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It unsettles the idea that an offering is only a transfer of property; its source is inward willingness, and the gold is lifted in presentation.
THE ROOT
נָדִיב
nadiv
GROWS FROM
נדב
To volunteer freely or give willingly (n-d-b).
“free-hearted” in this verse is nadiv. The word translated “willing” comes from נ־ד־ב (n-d-b), “to volunteer freely.” Its branch נְדָבָה (nedavah), “freewill offering,” uses the same root for the giver’s disposition and the gift, joining inward willingness to what is brought forward.
ALSO GROWS
nedavah: Freewill offering; voluntary gift.
נְדָבָה
The gift itself shares the root of “willing,” joining the heart’s disposition to the offering.
hitnadev: To volunteer or offer oneself freely.
הִתְנַדֵּב
This related verb makes willingness an enacted choice, echoed by the people bringing their ornaments.
הֵנִיף
henif
GROWS FROM
נוף
To wave or lift (n-w-f), especially in a gesture of presentation.
“made a waving of gold” in this verse is henif. Behind the KJV’s “offered an offering,” the Hebrew pairs הֵנִיף (henif), “lifted or waved,” with תְּנוּפַת זָהָב (tenufat zahav), “a wave offering of gold.” The gift is not only handed over; it is raised in presentation to the LORD.
ALSO GROWS
tenufah: A wave offering; a lifted presentation.
תְּנוּפָה
The noun names the offering in the verse and makes the gesture of presentation visible.
henif: He lifted or waved.
הֵנִיף
This verb describes the act accompanying the gold offering, giving the gift a bodily form.
THE PATTERN
A willing heart gives inward consent a visible form by offering what it holds.
Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring me a lifted offering. From every man whose heart stirs him to give, you take my lifted offering.Then the people rejoiced, for they offered willingly, because with a whole heart they offered willingly to the LORD, and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.Each one, as his heart has taken hold, so let him give, not from grief or from pressure, for God loves a glad giver.THE THREAD
Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring me a lifted offering. From every man whose heart stirs him to give, you take my lifted offering.The same root נ־ד־ב (n-d-b), “to volunteer freely,” underlies “willing” in both verses. The shared root binds the heart’s willingness to the offering itself.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us