using two variables i and j together in 'for' - bash

[fydcode]

I've been learning bash scripting, and trying some basic stuffs. Just came across a situ where I have to execute a command, where attributes should be from each line of 2 files. file1 and file2.

I guess it can be done with for and while loops. Is there a way to use multiple variables in a single line like this (&& is not working here)

for i in `cat file1` && j in `cat fil2` ; do command $i $j ; done

I am trying to pick i and j simultaneously and execute a command using their values. Curious about how two variables can be used with a single for loop. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!

[cfajohnson]

Is this what you want?

exec 3< "$file1"
exec 4< "$file2"

while read a <&3; read b <&4
do
  ## do something here with $a and $b, e.g.:
  printf "%-20s %s\n" "$a" "$b"
done