Exodus 28:16
New International Version
It is to be square—a span long and a span wide—and folded double.

New Living Translation
Make the chestpiece of a single piece of cloth folded to form a pouch nine inches square.

English Standard Version
It shall be square and doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth.

Berean Standard Bible
It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.

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

New King James Version
It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width.

New American Standard Bible
It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width.

NASB 1995
“It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width.

NASB 1977
“It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width.

Legacy Standard Bible
It shall be square, having been folded double, a span in length and a span in width.

Amplified Bible
The breastpiece shall be square and folded double; a span [about nine inches] in length and a span in width.

Christian Standard Bible
It must be square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
It must be square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide.

American Standard Version
Foursquare it shall be and double; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof.

Contemporary English Version
It is to be 22 centimeters square and folded double

English Revised Version
Foursquare it shall be and double; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Fold it in half so that it's 9 inches square.

Good News Translation
It is to be square and folded double, 9 inches long and 9 inches wide.

International Standard Version
It is to be square when folded double, one hand span long and one hand span wide.

Majority Standard Bible
It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.

NET Bible
It is to be square when doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide.

New Heart English Bible
It shall be square and folded double; a span shall be its length of it, and a span its breadth.

Webster's Bible Translation
Foursquare it shall be, being doubled; a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its breadth.

World English Bible
It shall be square and folded double; a span shall be its length, and a span its width.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
it is square, doubled, a span its length, and a span its breadth.

Young's Literal Translation
it is square, doubled, a span its length, and a span its breadth.

Smith's Literal Translation
Four-square shall it be, doubled; a span its length, and a span its breadth.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
It shall be foursquare and doubled: it shall be the measure of a span both in length and in breadth.

Catholic Public Domain Version
It shall have four corners and be doubled. It shall have the measure of the palm of a hand, both in length and in width.

New American Bible
It is to be square when folded double, a span high and a span wide.

New Revised Standard Version
It shall be square and doubled, a span in length and a span in width.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
It shall be foursquare being doubled; a span is its length and a span its width.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
It shall be square when double, a span its length and a span its width.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Four-square it shall be and double: a span shall be the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thou shalt make it square: it shall be double; of a span the length of it, and of a span the breadth.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Breastpiece
15You are also to make a breastpiece of judgment with the same workmanship as the ephod. Construct it with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. 16It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide. 17And mount on it a setting of gemstones, four rows of stones: In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;…

Cross References
Revelation 21:16
The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia in length and width and height.

Ezekiel 28:13
You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold, prepared on the day of your creation.

Exodus 39:9
It was square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.

1 Kings 7:31
The opening to each stand inside the crown at the top was one cubit deep, with a round opening like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half wide. And around its opening were engravings, but the panels of the stands were square, not round.

1 Chronicles 28:18
the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense; and the plans for the chariot of the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 3:9
The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He also overlaid the upper rooms with gold.

Leviticus 8:8
Then he put the breastpiece on him and placed the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece.

Numbers 7:84-86
So these were the offerings from the leaders of Israel for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold dishes. / Each silver platter weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each silver bowl seventy shekels. The total weight of the silver articles was two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. / The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. The total weight of the gold dishes was a hundred and twenty shekels.

1 Kings 6:20
The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.

2 Chronicles 4:7
He made ten gold lampstands according to their specifications and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

Revelation 4:3
The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne.

Isaiah 54:11-12
“O afflicted city, lashed by storms, without solace, surely I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires. / I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.

Hebrews 9:4
containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

Matthew 17:2
There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Luke 9:29
And as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white.


Treasury of Scripture

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

no reference

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Breadth Double Doubled Folded Foursquare Four-Square Hand-Stretch Length Span Square Thereof Wide Width
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Breadth Double Doubled Folded Foursquare Four-Square Hand-Stretch Length Span Square Thereof Wide Width
Exodus 28
1. Aaron and his sons are set apart for the priest's office
2. Holy garments are appointed
6. The ephod and girdle
15. The breast-plate with twelve precious stones
30. The Urim and Thummim
31. The robe of the ephod, with pomegranates and bells
36. The plate of the mitre
39. The embroidered coat
40. The garments for Aaron's sons














It is to be square
The instruction for the breastpiece to be "square" signifies completeness and perfection in its design. In the Hebrew context, the word for square, "רָבוּעַ" (ravu'a), implies a sense of balance and order. This shape reflects the divine order and symmetry that God desires in His creation and in the worship practices of His people. The square shape also symbolizes the equal representation of the twelve tribes of Israel, each having an equal share in the priestly intercession.

when folded over
The phrase "when folded over" indicates that the breastpiece was designed to be doubled, creating a pouch or pocket. This doubling could symbolize the dual nature of the priest's role: representing the people before God and God before the people. The Hebrew word "כָּפַל" (kafal) suggests a covering or protection, which can be seen as a metaphor for the protective and mediating role of the high priest.

a span long and a span wide
The measurement "a span long and a span wide" refers to the dimensions of the breastpiece, with a span being the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended, approximately nine inches. This specific measurement underscores the precision and intentionality in God's instructions. The span, "זֶרֶת" (zeret) in Hebrew, is a personal and relatable unit of measure, reminding us that God's commands are both grand and intimately connected to human experience. The equal length and width further emphasize the theme of balance and equality among the tribes of Israel, as each tribe is represented by a stone on the breastpiece, signifying their equal importance in the eyes of God.

(16) Foursquare it shall be.--On the idea of perfection connected with the square, see Note on Exodus 27:1. But for this, twelve gems would probably have been arranged in the shape of an oblong.

Doubled.--Symmachus translates khoshen by ??????, "a receptacle" or "bag;" and if the Urim and the Thummim, being material objects, were to be "put in" it (Exodus 28:30), such a construction would seem to have been absolutely necessary. Hence the "doubling," which would not have been needed merely for strength, since linen corselets, stout enough to resist the blow of a sword, were among the manufactures of Egypt, and could no doubt have been produced by the Hebrews.

A span.--The "span" was reckoned at half a cubit, or about nine inches.

Verse 16. - Four square... being doubled. It has been generally supposed that the doubling was merely for the purpose of giving additional strength to the work, which was to receive twelve heavy gems; but Gesenius and others are of opinion that the object was to form a bag, in which the Urim and Thum-mira, which they regard as material objects, might be kept. A span. Half a cubit, or about nine inches.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
It must be
יִֽהְיֶ֖ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

square
רָב֥וּעַ (rā·ḇū·a‘)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 7251: To be quadrate

when folded over double,
כָּפ֑וּל (kā·p̄ūl)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 3717: To fold together, to repeat

a span
זֶ֥רֶת (ze·reṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2239: The spread of the fingers, a span

long
אָרְכּ֖וֹ (’ā·rə·kōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 753: Length

and a span
וְזֶ֥רֶת (wə·ze·reṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2239: The spread of the fingers, a span

wide.
רָחְבּֽוֹ׃ (rā·ḥə·bōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7341: Breadth, width


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OT Law: Exodus 28:16 It shall be square and folded double (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 28:15
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