What Does Exodus 40:14 Mean?
You shall bring his sons near, and clothe them in coats.
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 thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:THE KEY
Those brought near are not left undefined: the approach is followed by a covering that gives their place a visible form.
THE MEANING
You are brought near, and the clothing comes after. Readiness is received along with the place you enter; you do not arrive already carrying its form.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The verse undoes the belief that you must be fully ready before you can come near: here, the bringing near comes first, and the clothing follows.
THE ROOT
תַּקְרִיב
taqriv
GROWS FROM
קרב
To approach or draw near; in this form, to bring someone near.
“bring near” in this verse is taqriv. The word translated “bring” carries the sense of drawing near. The sons are not merely moved into the scene: they are brought into proximity, and the next action clothes them for the place they enter.
ALSO GROWS
qorbān: Offering; something brought near.
קָרְבָּן
The offering carries the same movement of approach, making “bring near” the action at the heart of the word.
qarov: Near, close.
קָרוֹב
This branch names the nearness the verb creates: the sons are brought from distance into closeness.
הִלְבַּשְׁתָּ
hilbashta
GROWS FROM
לבש
To put on clothing or cause someone to wear it.
“clothe” in this verse is hilbashta. The verb makes the clothing something placed upon the sons, not something they provide for themselves. Nearness is followed by a received outer form, so their place is made visible.
ALSO GROWS
levush: Clothing, attire.
לְבוּשׁ
This noun names the garment as an outward form; the verb here is the act of placing that form on someone.
malbush: Garment, clothing.
מַלְבּוּשׁ
This branch keeps the root’s link to clothing as something worn, illuminating the coats as a received covering.
THE PATTERN
A place of service or belonging is made visible through a covering received from outside oneself.
Let your priests be clothed in alignment, and let your faithful ones ring out for joy.For as many of you as have been immersed into the Anointed One have put on the Anointed One.THE THREAD
I will exult greatly in the LORD; my living soul shall leap in my God; for he has clothed me in garments of deliverance, he has wrapped me in the robe of alignment, as a bridegroom dons a headdress, and as a bride binds on her jewels.The same Hebrew clothing root, לבש (labash, to clothe), appears in “he hath clothed me.” The garment is placed upon the speaker, just as the sons are clothed after being brought near: the covering accompanies the place they enter.
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