Fillets

Fillets (Hebrew hashukum, "joinings") refers to the connecting rods or bands used in the construction of the tabernacle court to join the tops of the pillars together and support the linen curtain. They are mentioned in Exodus 27:17, 38:17, and 38:28 in the detailed descriptions of the tabernacle furnishings. According to these passages, the fillets of the pillars in the outer court were made of silver, and the hooks on which the curtains hung were similarly silver.

The term appears only in these tabernacle specifications and is essentially a technical architectural term for a structural element. The precision with which the tabernacle dimensions, materials, and fittings are described in Exodus 25–40 reflects the divine care for the details of Israel's formal worship — every element of the structure that housed the divine presence was specified by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. The silver fillets thus contributed to the overall effect of the outer court's barrier between the holy and the common.