And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold: The common Hebrew conjunction rendered And simply links this sentence to the previous one. Here it may be omitted for naturalness (so Good News Translation). The Hebrew word for hammered work refers to any metal that is beaten or hammered artistically into a desired form or shape. Here it refers to gold that was pounded with a hammer into the shape of a lampstand.

From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work means the whole lampstand made of hammered gold. Its base refers to the bottom part that supported the shaft of the lampstand (see Exo 25.31; 37.17). Its flowers were decorations on the lampstand, shaped like “blossoms” (New International Version) or “petals” (Revised English Bible). De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling says “flower decoration,” which makes clear that they were not real flowers but decorations shaped like them (see Exo 25.31, 33-34; 37.17, 19-20). The Hebrew word for flowers is singular, but it has a collective sense here. Good News Translation renders from its base to its flowers as “from top to bottom.” Although the exact way in which the lampstand was made is not in focus here, Good News Translation‘s rendering is too vague.

According to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses: Bible en français courant renders pattern as “model.” The Hebrew word for pattern is marʾeh, which is better translated “vision” (La Nouvelle Bible Segond), “view” or “depiction,” since this word comes from the root raʾah, meaning “to see.” Had shown renders a causative form of this verb. A possible model for this clause is “in the precise way in which the LORD had shown Moses.”

So he made the lampstand: At the time when the Tabernacle was dedicated for actual use, this verse emphasizes that God’s explicit instructions concerning the construction of the lampstand had been carried out earlier. Verses 2-3 speak about the actual placement of the lamps, but verse 4 refers back to Exo 37.17-24, which refers to the actual construction of the lampstand and its lamps. So a translation of verse 4 should not imply that they were actually made here. A rendering that can make this clear is “so he had made the lampstand.” Good News Translation and Revised English Bible use the passive construction “the lampstand was made,” which leaves open who made it. The Hebrew singular verb form here can certainly be interpreted in this way. In some languages, however, it may be necessary to specify who made the lampstand. If so, translators may specify “Moses” or “the people” as the subject. It is very unlikely that Aaron is the subject here, since he is only associated with the positioning of the lamps on the lampstand after they were made.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .