^8:1¹ The Lord spoke to Moses: ^8:2“Speak to Aaron and tell him, ‘When you set up² the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light³ in front of the lampstand.’ ”

^8:3And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. ^8:4This is how the lampstand was made:⁴ It was beaten work in gold;⁵ from its shaft to its flowers it was beaten work. According to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

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Footnotes

1 This chapter has three main sections to it: the lighting of the lamps (vv. 1–4), the separation of the Levites (vv. 5–22), and the work of the Levites (vv. 23–26). Many modern scholars assume that the chapter belongs to P and was added late. But the chapter reiterates some of the Mosaic material concerning the work of the Levites in the new sanctuary. For the chapter to make sense the historical setting must be accepted; if the historical setting is accepted, the chapter is necessary as part of that early legislation. For more reading, see M. Haran, “The Nature of the ’ohel mo‘edh in the Pentateuchal Sources,” 5 (1960): 50–65, and “The Priestly Image of the Tabernacle,” 36 (1965): 191–226; and C. L. Meyers, The Tabernacle Menorah.
2 The verb is עָלָה (’alah). The Hiphil infinitive construct functions in a temporal clause. The idea of arranging the lamps on the lampstand certainly involved raising the lamps and placing them on the tops of each shaft and branch. Some have taken the idea to mean cause the flame to go up, or light the lamps.
3 The imperfect tense forms part of the instruction, and so the translation has to indicate that. The instruction would seem obvious, but the light was to shine in the area immediately in front of the lampstand, so that it would illumine the way and illumine the table that was across the room (hence, “in front of”).
4 The Hebrew text literally has “and this is the work of the lampstand,” but that rendering does not convey the sense that it is describing how it was made.
5 The idea is that it was all hammered from a single plate of gold.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.” And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.’ ”

Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold—from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

The Lord spoke to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and tell him: When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand.” So Aaron did this; he set up its lamps to give light in front of the lampstand just as the Lord had commanded Moses. This is the way the lampstand was made: it was a hammered work of gold, hammered from its base to its flower petals. The lampstand was made according to the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.

NLTNew Living Translation

The Lord said to Moses, “Give Aaron the following instructions: When you set up the seven lamps in the lampstand, place them so their light shines forward in front of the lampstand.” So Aaron did this. He set up the seven lamps so they reflected their light forward, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. The entire lampstand, from its base to its decorative blossoms, was made of beaten gold. It was built according to the exact design the Lord had shown Moses.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron, and say to him: ‘When you are setting up the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in front of the face of the lampstand.’ ” And Aaron did so; he set up the lampstand in front of the face of its lamps, just as Yahweh commanded Moses. And this is how the lampstand was made, a hammered-work of gold; from its base up to its blossom, it was hammered-work according to the pattern that Yahweh showed Moses; so he made the lampstand.

KJV 1900King James Version

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the Lord commanded Moses. And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the Lord had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.

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