And you shall cast uses a word that means to pour, so this suggests melting the gold and pouring it into a ring-shaped mold. In cultures where the casting process is unknown, it is better to say “Make four rings from gold for carrying the box” (see Good News Translation; Contemporary English Version has simply “Make four gold rings”), without indicating the method used. Four rings of gold uses the same word that is used for finger rings (see 35.22). The size of the rings is not indicated, but they were large enough to allow the long carrying poles to be inserted through them—possibly from six to eight inches in diameter.

And put them on its four feet suggests that there were to be projections at the bottom of the box, probably at each corner, to serve as feet or “legs” (Good News Translation). Although the size and shape is not indicated, each “foot” would have been large enough for one of the four rings to be fastened to it. Durham takes the word to mean “corners” (so also King James Version, Bible en français courant), but most translations have either feet or “supports” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).

Two rings on the one side … on the other side simply means that the rings extended outward from the sides of the box rather than from the ends. And they would have been aligned so that the poles could be inserted through them.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .