Bible Commentaries

And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for ^a glory and for beauty.

(a) By which his office may be known to be glorious and excellent.

And thou shalt speak unto all [that are] wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to ^b consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

(b) Which is to separate him from the rest.

And these [are] the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ^c ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

(c) A short an straight coat without sleeves, put on top of his garments to keep them close to him.

And the ^d curious girdle of the ephod, which [is] upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; [even of] gold, [of] blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

(d) Which went about his upmost coat.

Six of their names on one stone, and [the other] six names of the rest on the other stone, according to ^e their birth.

(e) As they were in age, so should they be graven in order.

And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod [for] stones of ^f memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

(f) That Aaron might remind the Israelites of God.

And two chains [of] pure gold ^g at the ends; [of] wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches.

(g) Of the bosses.

And thou shalt make the breastplate of ^h judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; [of] gold, [of] blue, and [of] purple, and [of] scarlet, and [of] fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

(h) It was so called, because the high priest could not give sentence in judgment without that on his breast.

ⁱ Foursquare it shall be [being] doubled; a span [shall be] the length thereof, and a span [shall be] the breadth thereof.

(i) The description of the breastplate.

And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on ^k the two ends of the breastplate.

(k) Which are upmost toward the shoulder.

And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the ^l two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which [is] in the side of the ephod inward.

(l) Which are beneath.

And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy [place], for a memorial before the LORD continually. p> p>

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(m) Aaron will not enter into the holy place in his own name, but in the name of all the children of Israel.

And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the ⁿ Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

(n) Urim signifies light, and thummim perfection: declaring that the stones of the breastplate were most clear, and of perfect beauty: by urim also is meant knowledge, and thummim holiness, showing what virtues are required in the priests.

And thou shalt make a plate [of] pure gold, and grave upon it, [like] the engravings of a signet, ^o HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

(o) Holiness belongs to the Lord: for he is most holy, and nothing unholy may appear before him.

And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may ^p bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

(p) Their offerings could not be so perfect, but some fault would be in them: which sin the high priest bore and pacified God.

And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and ^q consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.

(q) Or "fill their hands", by giving them things to offer and therefore admit them to their office.

And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy [place]; that they ^r bear not iniquity, and die: [it shall be] a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

(r) In not hiding their nakedness.