ma.sakh denotes a screen or curtain, chiefly placed at tabernacle and court entrances, and also a protective or concealing spread.

The term most often designates a fabric screen or curtain associated with the entrance of the tent, tabernacle, or court, including a curtain used before the ark. A smaller group of verses shows a spread or covering placed over a well, Judah, or a cloud.

1. Entrance or sanctuary screen · dominant

   The singular noun occurs for a made or hung screen at the entrance of the tent, tabernacle, or court. In Exodus 26:36 the APB renders a covering for the tent entrance made from colored yarn and linen; in Exodus 40:28 it renders the setting of a screen at the tabernacle entrance, while Exodus 40:33 places one at the court gate. It also occurs for the curtain taken down to cover the ark in Numbers 4:5.

   Exodus 26:36Exodus 27:16Exodus 40:28Exodus 40:33Numbers 3:25Numbers 4:5
2. Protective or concealing spread · occasional

   Outside the sanctuary descriptions, the noun names what is spread or removed as a covering. In 2 Samuel 17:19 the APB renders a woman spreading it over a well's mouth; Psalm 105:39 describes a cloud spread for protection, and Isaiah 22:8 speaks of Judah's covering being removed.

   2 Samuel 17:19Isaiah 22:8Psalm 105:39

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly uses “covering,” “screen,” or “curtain” in the sanctuary passages, especially where an entrance or gate is named. It also uses “covering” for the well, Judah, and the cloud; these renderings present the verse context rather than a word-by-word alignment.