mach.be.ret denotes a point or arrangement where curtain sections or parts of the ephod are joined.

The word most often identifies the joining between sets of curtains, where loops are made along their edges; it also marks the joining area of the ephod near which gold rings are placed.

1. Joining between curtain sets · dominant

   In Exodus 26:4 and Exodus 26:5, the feminine singular absolute form occurs in instructions for loops on the edges of curtains belonging to a first and second joining. The same arrangement is described in Exodus 36:11, Exodus 36:12, and Exodus 36:17, where the APB renders the relevant setting with “the joining” and places loops on the curtain edges.

   Exodus 26:4Exodus 26:5Exodus 36:11Exodus 36:12Exodus 36:17
2. Joining area of the ephod · common

   In Exodus 28:27 and Exodus 39:20, the feminine singular construct form identifies the ephod's joining as the location near which rings are placed, below and opposite its face. In both verses the APB renders the location as “its joining above the artwork of the ephod.”

   Exodus 28:27Exodus 39:20

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the curtain and ephod passages, the APB regularly presents the relevant location as “joining.” Because the English is a whole-verse translation, the exact English correspondence remains limited to the clause context.