And you shall make horns for it is literally “And you [singular] shall make its horns.” The word for horns refers primarily to an animal’s horns, but here it means “projections” (Good News Translation) of some kind that were to be on its four corners. They may or may not have been shaped like the horns of an animal, but they were obviously vertical extensions “at the top of the four corners” (Good News Translation), even though this is not stated in the text. (See 30.10.) Other references to these horns, however, suggest that they were indeed at the upper corners.

Its horns shall be of one piece with it means that these horns were not to be made separately and then attached to the altar. Rather they were to be carved from the same piece of wood as the altar. Contemporary English Version brings out this point clearly: “and make each of the four top corners stick up like the horn of a bull.” And you shall overlay it with bronze refers to the entire altar. See the comment on overlay at 25.11, and the comment on bronze at 25.3.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .