And you shall make uses the singular you. The word for lampstand is menorah, which today refers to the seven-branched source of light used in Jewish worship. The menorah described here is not a holder of candles but rather a stand commonly used at that time for holding seven oil lamps. So “candlestick” (King James Version, American Standard Version) is incorrect. (See the comment on “lamps” at 25.6.) Of pure gold means that it must be “clean,” without any impurities and not mixed with any other metal. In cultures where “lampstands” are unknown, one may use a descriptive phrase; for example, “lamp holder,” “thing on which lamps are placed,” or even “pole that has lamps on top.”
The second sentence reads literally “hammered shall be made the lampstand its base and its stalk.” Of hammered work means “of hammered gold” (Good News Translation) and probably refers to the entire lampstand, not just The base and the shaft. (See the comment on “hammered” at verse 18.) The base refers to the bottom part that supports the shaft, which is the trunk, or “central stem” (Translator’s Old Testament), rising like a tree from the base. Revised English Bible and New American Bible follow a different text that gives the two words in the plural, but it is better to think of one base that supports a single shaft. An alternative translation model is “Take a hammer and pound the gold to make its base and shaft.”
Its cups refers to the holders for the lamps, which were probably placed at the end of each of the branches as well as at the top of the shaft. The word is used elsewhere for a drinking cup, but here the shape was to resemble an almond blossom (verse 34). In some languages it will be helpful to mention this here, “its cups in the shape of almond flowers.” Its capitals is translated in New Revised Standard Version as “its calyxes.” The calyx is the green, leafy base of a flower, or the bud which has opened up into a blossom. New American Bible has “knobs.” Its flowers refers to the “blossoms” (New International Version) or “petals” (Good News Translation). Both the capitals and the flowers should be thought of as part of the cups, so Good News Translation has “its decorative flowers, including buds and petals.” The word “decorative” is not in the text.
Shall be of one piece with it, literally “from it they shall be,” means that all of this decorative work is to be hammered out of one piece of gold. Such a work of art, of one piece, seems almost impossible to make, but 35.30-33 points out that Bezalel, the head craftsman, was given the ability to do this by Yahweh.
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 .