Chapter Twenty-Eight
Garments for the Priests
28:1 “Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
Moses is to appoint his brother and his brother’s sons to serve as God’s priests. Known as the priestly line of Aaron, or the Aaronic Priesthood, the first qualification to be a priest was to be born as a descendant of Aaron. This chapter will describe the garments necessary to be worn when serving as a priest. At that time the appropriate garments were to be made for Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
28:2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.
The garments that were to be made are to be considered holy, to only have one application or use, to serve God. They were to be made for glory (Hebrew word ‘ḵā·ḇôḏ’,[1] meaning honor, glory, or majesty, a term that is often used to describe the appearance of God) and for beauty (Hebrew word ‘ṯip·’ā’·rěṯ’,[2] meaning ‘beauty’, which can also be translated as ‘glory’), something that not only gave the priesthood distinction as being representatives of God, the garments would give the priests dignity and honor themselves.
Here is the first mention of Spiritual gifting, abilities given to people that were not naturally obtained or learned. Most of the objects that will be built for the Tabernacle will be made by people who were given special talents and artistic abilities from the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew words translated as “the skillful,” are “ḥǎḵ·mê[3] lēḇ”[4] or “skilled heart.” Those that God filled with the Spirit of Skill (Hebrew word ‘ẖǒḵ·mā(h)’,[5] most often translated as ‘wisdom’) are to make Aaron’s garments, that will allow him (one element of the consecration required), to serve God as a priest.
28:4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests.
Beginning with the garment for the High Priest, these skilled people are to make a breastpiece (or more commonly referred to as the breastplate), an ephod, a robe, a coat, a turban, and a sash.
28:5 They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. 6 “And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked.
An ephod is a sleeve-less coat, usually short and close-fitting with straps or strips of fabric over the shoulders for support. The ephod would cover the upper body (torso) of the priest, somewhat like an apron. This ephod was to be made with gold-, blue-, purple and scarlet-colored yarns and fine twined linen, skillfully designed and made (see Exodus 39:3).
28:7 It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. 8 And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
The ephod was to be made with two shoulder straps, and it was to be secured around the waist with a band made of the same material and colors as the ephod itself.
28:9 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10 six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree.
Two onyx stones were to be engraved with the names of the sons of Israel, six names on one stone and the other six names on the second stone, each name in the order of their birth. The text refers to the skill of a jeweler’s ability to engrave signets, considered a well-known skill at that time. The stones were then to be placed in settings of gold filigree base (Hebrew word ‘miš·beṣôṯ’,[6] a lace-like ornamental design of wire).
28:12 And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for remembrance. 13 You shall make settings of gold filigree, 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.
The stones were to be attached to the shoulder straps as “stones of remembrance,” a reminder to the people that Aaron represents all tribes of the Israelites before God. The High Priest was to “bear” the names before YHWH, (Hebrew ‘nā·śā’,[7] meaning “to carry” or “bear the burden”) on his shoulders. Also, two gold chains were to be made and attached to the filigree settings. Some commentators and translators relate these chains to the breastpiece, which is described beginning with the next verse, however the Septuagint clearly states they are associated with the stones and filigree at the end of verse 14, “you shall place the braided tassels on the small shields on their shoulder-straps on the front sides.” (Exodus 28:14b, NETS) Note: the word ‘tassels’ refer to “the chains” and the word ‘shields’ refer to “the settings”.
28:15 “You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make it—of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it.
The breastpiece is often called the breastplate, however it was more than just a ‘plate’, while it served many roles, the breastpiece might be best described as a “breast pocket.” Here the breastpiece is called the “breastpiece of judgment” (Hebrew ‘miš·pāṭ’,[8] refers to a legal decision), as it will hold in its pocket the Urim and the Thummin (see verse 30; Leviticus 8:8; Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8), items that will be used by the High Priest to obtain a decision from God.
The breastpiece is perhaps the most distinctive part of the High Priest’s garment. It is to be made in the same style (Hebrew ‘mǎ·’ǎśē(h)’,[9] a noun meaning a deed, a task, or workmanship; the word is widely translated including ‘things’, ‘labor’, ‘occupation’, ‘woven’, ‘crafted’, etc.) In other words, the breastpiece was to be made in the same fashion as the ephod (same colors and the same design).
28:16 It shall be square and doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth.
The material (fabric) was to be doubled over creating a square. A span, like a cubit, was a unit of measure, being the spread of a hand (outstretched from tip of thumb to the end of the little finger, approximately one half of a cubit or nine inches). The breastpiece when worn would be a nine-inch square covering the breast of the High Priest.
28:17 You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; 18 and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree. 21 There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.
The breastpiece was to have four rows of stones, three in each row. The first, or top row was to have a sardius stone, a topaz stone, and a carbuncle stone. The second row was to have an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. The third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. The fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Each stone was to be set in a gold filigree. The stones were to represent each son of Israel. The stones were to be like signets, each engraved with the names of the twelve tribes (see Considerations under Genesis 38:27-30 regarding signets). Even though the stones cannot be positively identified, the variety and brilliance of the colors would have been stunning.[10]
28:22 You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.
Additional gold chains were to be made and twisted (for strength) to hold the breastpiece in place on the High Priest’s chest. Some feel this verse refers to the chains in verse 14 (see commentary above).
28:23 And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. 24 And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. 25 The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.
The Septuagint records a different order of the remaining verses in this chapter. Most of the details of these three verses can be found in the Septuagint’s verse 29, however, the instructions regarding the constructions of two rings of gold (verse 23) are missing from the Septuagint. The chains made into cords (see verse 22, Hebrew word ‘ǎḇō·ṯōṯ’,[11] refers to something twisted together for strength), were to be attached to the two settings of filigree that contained the engraved onyx stones on the shoulder. The other end was to be attached to the upper edge of the breastpiece.
28:26 You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 27 And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod.
Two rings were to be made and attached to the inside-lower corners of the breastpiece. Two additional rings were to be made and attached to the ephod. The two sets of rings were to be adjacent to each other and bound together using a blue-colored lace (Hebrew ‘pā·ṯîl’,[12] referring to a rope-like chord, a string made from a variety of materials), so that the breastpiece would be tight against the High Priest’s chest.
28:29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD.
The High Priest was to represent the people of Israel before God. He was to wear the breastpiece whenever he entered the structure (the first room of the structure was known as the Holy Place). This was to be done to serve as a continuous reminder that High Priest represents the people of Israel before YHWH.
28:30 And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the LORD. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the LORD regularly.
The Urim and Thummim are largely unknown and remain a mystery. Since the Hebrew word ‘û·rîm’[13] is a plural noun, sounding very similar to ‘ô·rÎm’,[14] referring to some form of lights, many believe the term ‘Urim’ can be translated as ‘Lights’, however most English Bibles prefer to transliterate and leave it as ‘Urim’. The word ‘Thummim’ (Hebrew word ‘tǔm·mîm’)[15] is also a plural noun and the meaning is not certain. Some believe due to it being similar to ‘tā·mîm’,[16] an adjective referring to something blameless, complete, or without blemish, that it could be translated as ‘perfections’. However, just like the ‘Urim’, the word is most often simply transliterated. It is interesting to note that if the Urim and Thummim were to be translated in this way they would be called “the Lights and the Perfections,” truly an accurate description of God’s guidance.
Even though referenced several times in Scripture, what the Urim and Thummim look like and how they work, are never mentioned, although there are plenty theories and speculations. Whatever they were they provided clear communication between YHWH and the High Priest, not just ‘yes’ or ’no’ answers. This is another aspect that indicates the unique role Moses played as he did not require any apparatus to converse with God.
28:31 “You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment, so that it may not tear.
The next component to be made for the High Priest’s garment was named the “robe of the ephod,” as the ephod was to be worn over the robe. It was to be all blue with an opening in the middle for his head to go through (essentially a sleeve-less pull-over robe). The opening for the head was to have a woven binding (like a hem) around the opening to give it extra strength to prevent it from tearing.
28:33 On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. 35 And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the LORD, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.
The hem on the outer edge was to have a series of decorative pomegranates made of blue-, purple- and scarlet-colored yarns with small bells made of gold between each one. The Mishnah Tractate Zebahim records:
Our rabbis have taught on Tannaite authority: The whole of the priestly robe was blue, as it is said, “And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue” (Ex. 39:22). How were the skirt made? It was blue wool, purple wool, and crimson thread, twisted together, that was brought and manufactured into the shape of pomegranates, the mouths of which had not yet opened; and in the shape of the cones of helmets for children’s heads. Seventy-two bells with seventy-two clappers were presented and hung on it, thirty-six on each side.[17]
Speculation also comes into play regarding the need for bells. Some believe they were to warn other priests that the High Priest was either in, or coming in, the structure and that they should vacate as soon as possible to give him privacy. Others believe that the bells were to alert the other priests that if they stopped hearing the bells, that something was wrong and to come to his aid, possibly preventing his death. A few commentators believe that the bells were for God to hear. In any case, the High Priest was to wear the robe any time he was to enter the structure. It is important to note that for any priest not wearing all of the appropriate garments or not follow protocol in service to God, would be fatal (see verse 43; Exodus 30:21; Leviticus 8:35; 10:7 16:13).
28:36 “You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the LORD.’ 37 And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban. 38 It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.
The next series of components to be made for the High Priest garment was for the headwear. First a plate (the Hebrew word ‘ṣîṣ’,[18] is an unusual noun, one that strictly depends on context, it can refer to a flower or a blossom, a plate, a wing, or even salt) made of gold was to be made and the words “Holy to YHWH” were to be engraved on it.[19] The plate was to be fastened to the front of the High Priest’s turban (Hebrew ‘miṣ·ně’·pět’,[20] can also be translated a crown or a diadem) with a blue colored cord.
The High Priest was to wear the turban with the engraved plate attached “on his forehead so he may take on himself any guilt of the people of Israel when they consecrate their sacred offerings. He must always wear it on his forehead so the LORD will accept the people.” (Exodus 28:35b, NLT) Since the High Priest was the primary intercessor between man and God, and by following God’s protocol for his own consecration, he was able to “take away the guilt” (Hebrew “nā·śā(‘)[21] ěṯ[22] ǎwōn”)[23] from the otherwise blemished offerings for the people, so that they would be acceptable to YHWH.
28:39 “You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.
The High Priest’s coat (Hebrew ‘keṯō’·něṯ’,[24] refers to a coat, a garment or a tunic, a long garment with a collar cut out for one’s head) was to be woven[25] out of fine linen. In addition to the coat, a sash was to be made and embroidered with needlework, described later as “the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework” (Exodus 39:29a). The sash was believed to be very long, according to rabbi Moses Maimonides in his writing regarding the holy Temple vessels (Klei Hamikdash), the sash was three fingerbreadths wide (approximately two inches) and 32 cubits long (estimated to be 48 feet).[26] The historian Josephus adds that it was:
Loosely woven, that you would think it were the skin of a serpent. It is embroidered with flowers of scarlet, and purple, and blue, and fine twined linen; but the warp was nothing but fine linen. The beginning of its circumvolution is at the breast; and when it has gone often round, it is there tied, and hangs loosely there down to the ankles.[27]
28:40 “For Aaron’s sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty.
God now instructs Moses that he should make coats, sashes, and caps for all the other priests (Aaron’s sons). Each one was to be beautiful and distinctive, bringing glory to God. Instead of a turban, the other priests were to wear caps (Hebrew word ‘miḡ·bā·’ôṯ’,[28] head gear, can be a turban, but differentiated from the turban worn by the High Priest, some believe the word implies a “convex shape”).
28:41 And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.
Once everything is made, God instructs Moses that he is to have Aaron and his sons put on the garments. He is to then anoint them and consecrate them to be priests. He is to anoint them (second time the word ‘mā·šǎḥ·tā’[29] is found in Scripture), referring to the pouring of oil in service to God, and to ordain them (Hebrew phrase “mil·lē(‘)·ṯā’[30] ět[31] yā·ḏā’[32] m,”[33] means “to fill the hand,” a frequently used phrase for installing people as priests, see Leviticus 21:10; Numbers 3:3; Judges 17:5, 12; 1 Kings 13:33; 2 Chronicles 13:9) and consecrate them (made holy) so that they can serve God as priests. The process to anoint, ordain, and consecrate will be described in the next chapter.
28:42 You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.
Undergarments were to be made of linen for all the priests. The Hebrew word ‘miḵ·nesê’[34] refers to breeches, being short trousers typically from the waist down to just below the knee. The Hebrew word translated here as ‘hips’ (‘mǒṯ·nǎ’·yim’)[35] can also be translated as loins or waist. They are to be worn anytime they are going into the structure or come near the bronze altar (since the golden altar is inside the structure, there would not be the need to single it out). Again, the penalty for disobedience to these statutes would be death. God considered these rules to be eternal for Aaron and his descendants, never to be revoked.
Considerations
Beginning with Exodus 28:33, the Hebrew word translated as ‘pomegranates’ (‘rim·môn’)[36] is mentioned 32 times in the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 8:8, Moses describes the land of Israel as “a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey.” The columns of Solomon’s Temple were adorned with hundreds of pomegranates (see 1 Kings 7:18-20, 42-44; Jeremiah 52:22-23; 2 Chronicles 3:16; 4:13). Pomegranates were also found on various coins relating to Israel.[37] The image of the pomegranate was then, and remains today, as one of many symbols of Judaism.
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 3519.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 8597.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 2450.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 3820.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 2451.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 4865.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 5375.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 4941.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 4639.
[10] See Considerations under Exodus 24:16-18 regarding the names of stones in Scripture.
[11] Strong’s Hebrew 5688.
[12] Strong’s Hebrew 6616.
[13] Strong’s Hebrew 224.
[14] Strong’s Hebrew 216.
[15] Strong’s Hebrew 8550.
[16] Strong’s Hebrew 8549.
[17] Neusner, J. (2011). The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary (Vol. 18b, p. 723). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
[18] Strong’s Hebrew 6731.
[19] See “Tetragrammaton Revisited” in the Considerations under Genesis 2:7.
[20] Strong’s Hebrew 4701.
[21] Strong’s Hebrew 5375.
[22] Strong’s Hebrew 853.
[23] Strong’s Hebrew 5771.
[24] Strong’s Hebrew 3801.
[25] Hebrew ‘šib·bǎṣ·tā’, same root word used in verse 20 describing the weaving of the gold filigree, referring to a checkered pattern in the weave.
[26] Maimonides, Hilkhot Kelei ha-Mikdash, chapter 8, paragraph 19.
[27] Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged (p. 88). Peabody: Hendrickson.
[28] Strong’s Hebrew 4021.
[29] Strong’s Hebrew 4886, see previous use in Genesis 31:13.
[30] Strong’s Hebrew 4390.
[31] Strong’s Hebrew 853.
[32] Strong’s Hebrew 3027.
[33] Strong’s Hebrew 1992.
[34] Strong’s Hebrew 4370.
[35] Strong’s Hebrew 4975.
[36] Strong’s Hebrew 7416.
[37] Madden, F. W. (1881). Coins of the Jews (p. 109). London: Trübner & Co.