Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 39:10-21

10 And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row.

11 And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

12 And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

13 And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings.

14 And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes.

15 And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold.

16 And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate.

17 And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate.

18 And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it.

19 And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward.

20 And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.

21 And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the Lord commanded Moses.

Today we hear of the 12 stones set upon the breastplate, and the golden chains that anchor it to the shoulders of the ephod, and the blue lace that anchors it to the side of the ephod.

The 12 stones are some of the most individual pieces in all the ornaments of the tabernacle. Each one would have to be shaped and engraved uniquely, just as each member of each tribe would receiving individual care at the hands of the priest.

As with the original description from God, these verses emphasize that the binding of the breastplate to the ephod was so that it “might not be loosed.” This has an obvious practical function, to keep the thing from swinging around and banging into the priest as he goes about his duties, but there is also a symbolism in it as well.

If the breastplate represents the twelve tribes of Israel, and the ephod is the garments of the Lord’s representative, then their tethering together can be seen as a spiritual injunction that the two parties must not drift apart. The people of Israel should see that they are always bound to the tabernacle, the rituals of the priests, and all that they represent. They must bind themselves to God’s commands as if by the strength of metal above and the pliability of lace below.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 39:1-9

1 And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the Lord commanded Moses.

2 And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.

4 They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together.

5 And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the Lord commanded Moses.

6 And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel.

7 And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses.

8 And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

9 It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled.

We turn now to the creation of the priestly garments. Today covers the ephod and the breastplate on the chest, as well as the shoulder-pieces.

A new detail that we learn in these verses is how gold was worked into the fabric of the ephod and breastplate. In the original instructions we were simply told that they were to be made “of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.” From that description one might have assumed that the “gold” simply meant linen dyed the color of gold, or just gold clasps around the edges, but today we learn that fine wires of gold were actually woven as strands throughout the fabric. Certainly, a more arduous task, but far more impressive. Also, far more symbolic, for the gold seems to represent God interwoven among the strands of our own lives.

Moving on to the breastplate, one detail I did not touch on the first time around is that thing is said to be “doubled.” This seems to suggest that it was actually one span by two spans, then folded over to make a square. This explains how it could function as a pocket to hold the Urim and Thummim.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 28:6-8

6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.

7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.

8 And the 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.

Today we hear the details of the ephod and the girdle that the priests wore. The ephod, once again, was a sort of apron that was the priest’s outer layer of clothing, worn above the robe and coat. The girdle was a sash, bound around the waist to secure the layers of clothing against the body.

These two articles of clothing were to be made with linen, dyed in colors of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, woven together in a cunning pattern. There is an immediate connection between this and the inner curtains and walls of the tabernacle. Recall that the instructions for those included that they be made, “of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet.” Also, just as the tabernacle followed that first layer with others of goats’ hair, rams’ skin, and badgers’ skin, similarly the priest had other layers with their robe and their coat.

These similarities in design would have had the aesthetic effect of binding the personage of the priest to the place of his duties. One could tell at a glance that the man belonged with the tabernacle because of their similar adornment. There is also a symbolic lesson, wherein it is suggested that the body of the man was the tabernacle of the Lord, meant to house the same holy and most holy places that the constructed building did. Paul made this very point in 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you.”

In fact, the one difference between the priest’s clothes and the curtains was that the clothes added the extra color of gold. This might suggest that the person was an even holier tabernacle than the physical edifice. While the Israelites would construct this new tabernacle, God had already constructed the human tabernacles, propping them up with bones instead of boards of shittim wood, covering them with human skin instead of badgers, topping them with human hair instead of goats. Man was made for the same purpose as the tabernacle, to be a house of the most holy of places. A sacred structure wherein resides the presence of the Lord.