26 And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.

27 Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.

28 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.

The similarities between the table and the ark continue in these verses, where we hear that the table was also to be borne by staves when transported. And as with the ark, those staves were to be made of shittim wood and overlaid with gold.

The place of attachment for those staves seems ambiguous at first. “On the four feet” seems to suggest that they were at the very bottom of the table, the entire thing teetering in the air above the heads of those who carried it. But also it is supposed to be “against the border,” which in the previous verses seemed to be at the top of the legs, around the board that made that surface of the table. An examination of the original Hebrew seems to clear up the confusion, though. The word used there is רָ֫גֶל (regel), which depending on the context is sometimes rendered “feet,” but other times rendered “legs.” And, indeed, other English translations of this verse render it as “the four legs,” not “the four feet,” which definitely seems more realistic and consistent.

Carrying the ark with staves seems quite practical to me, as that is perhaps the simplest way to convey it for people. Carrying the table, particularly given that it was a small table, seems less practical. If I were the carrier, I would sooner place a small table over my shoulder and carry it that way, but obviously that treatment would be far less respectful. Reverence, not practicality, is clearly the top priority here.