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Exodus 28

KJV · Chapter 28/40

1And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

2And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

3And 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 consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

4And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an 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.

5And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

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

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

8And 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.

9And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

10Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.

11With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.

12And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

13And thou shalt make ouches of gold;

14And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches.

15And thou shalt make the breastplate of 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.

16Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

17And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.

18And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

19And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

20And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.

21And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.

22And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.

23And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

24And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.

25And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.

26And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.

27And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.

28And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.

29And 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.

30And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the 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.

31And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

32And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.

33And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:

34A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.

35And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

36And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

37And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.

38And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may 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.

39And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.

40And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.

41And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

42And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

43And 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 bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The sacred garments that Aaron and his sons would wear as priests are described in detail, including the ephod, the breastplate with twelve precious stones representing the tribes of Israel, and the gold plate inscribed 'Holiness to the Lord.'

Explanation

This chapter sets out the high priest's garments in rich detail, each element carrying profound symbolic meaning. The breastplate, engraved with twelve precious stones bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, meant that Aaron literally carried the whole people 'upon his heart' whenever he entered God's presence, a powerful image of priestly representation and intercession. The gold plate on his forehead, engraved with the words 'Holiness to the Lord,' allowed the priest himself to 'bear the iniquity of the holy things' offered by the people, ensuring their acceptance before God despite the inevitable imperfections of human rites. The Urim and Thummim, briefly mentioned (v. 30), were objects used to discern God's will in important decisions, though their exact form remains uncertain to this day. This entire set of garments shows that mediating between God and the people demanded careful preparation, visible dignity, and deep spiritual responsibility.

Fun facts

  • The twelve precious stones of the breastplate, each representing a tribe of Israel, are taken up symbolically again in the book of Revelation (21:19-20), where twelve similar precious stones form the foundations of the New Jerusalem, linking this ancient priestly symbol to a prophetic vision of the end of the age.
  • The exact meaning of the Urim and Thummim (v. 30), used to seek divine guidance in important decisions, is still debated by scholars today, with no consensus on their exact physical form, though their use is mentioned in other texts such as Numbers 27:21 and 1 Samuel 28:6, showing their continued importance in Israel's religious life.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Exodus 28:1Here begins the appointment of Aaron, Moses’s brother, and his sons to the office of priests, the only ones authorized to carry out the rituals inside the tabernacle. From this point on, the priesthood in Israel would be restricted to this family, Aaron’s descendants.
  2. Exodus 28:2The high priest’s garments were not ordinary clothes: they had to convey dignity and beauty, visually marking the difference between Aaron and the rest of the people.
  3. Exodus 28:3Making these garments was the task of especially skilled craftsmen, described as having received that talent directly from God.
  4. Exodus 28:4Lists the six main pieces of the priestly garb: breastplate, ephod, robe, embroidered tunic, turban, and sash, each detailed in the following verses.
  5. Exodus 28:5The same materials used in building the tabernacle, gold and the colored fabrics, also made up the priestly garments, linking the priest to the sanctuary itself.
  6. Exodus 28:6The ephod, a kind of vest, was the most elaborate piece, woven with threads of gold interlaced with the colored fabrics and fine linen.
  7. Exodus 28:7Two shoulder straps connected the front and back of the ephod, joining the piece into a single structure.
  8. Exodus 28:8The ephod’s waistband, made with the same materials and technique as the main piece, held the vest firmly to the priest’s body.
  9. Exodus 28:9Two precious stones were to be engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, a piece that symbolically carried the whole people.
  10. Exodus 28:10The twelve names were divided equally between the two stones, six on each side, probably following the birth order of Jacob’s sons.
  11. Exodus 28:11The engraving on the stones followed the technique used for personal identification seals, common in the ancient world, and each stone was framed in gold.
  12. Exodus 28:12Two precious stones, one on each shoulder of the priestly vest (the ephod), bore the engraved names of the twelve tribes of Israel, six on each stone. The idea was that, on entering the sanctuary to serve, Aaron would literally carry the whole people on his shoulders before God.
  13. Exodus 28:13Gold settings were to be prepared specifically to fix these engraved stones on the shoulders of the ephod.
  14. Exodus 28:14Chains of pure gold, braided like interwoven threads, fastened the stones to the settings on the shoulders of the piece.
  15. Exodus 28:15The “breastplate of judgment” was a square piece of embroidered fabric, fastened over the high priest’s chest, with twelve precious stones, one for each tribe. It was called “of judgment” because it also held the Urim and the Thummim, used to seek decisions in God’s name.
  16. Exodus 28:16The breastplate was square and folded in half, forming a kind of pouch, about 9 inches on each side.
  17. Exodus 28:17The breastplate’s first row of precious stones included sardius, topaz, and carbuncle, each representing one of the twelve tribes.
  18. Exodus 28:18The second row carried emerald, sapphire, and diamond, continuing the sequence of twelve different stones.
  19. Exodus 28:19The third row included ligure, agate, and amethyst, keeping the pattern of three stones per row.
  20. Exodus 28:20The fourth and final row carried beryl, onyx, and jasper, completing the twelve precious stones set in gold.
  21. Exodus 28:21Each of the twelve stones bore the engraved name of a tribe of Israel, like a personal seal, reinforcing the same symbolic idea as the shoulder stones.
  22. Exodus 28:22The breastplate also received chains of braided gold, following the same technique used for the chains on the ephod’s shoulders.
  23. Exodus 28:23Two gold rings at the breastplate’s upper corners served as attachment points to fasten the piece to the rest of the garb.
  24. Exodus 28:24The braided gold chains passed through these two rings, connecting the breastplate to the ephod’s structure.
  25. Exodus 28:25The other ends of these chains were fastened to the shoulder-stone settings, on the front of the ephod.
  26. Exodus 28:26Two more gold rings, placed at the bottom of the breastplate, held the piece more firmly against the body, on the inner side of the ephod.
  27. Exodus 28:27Two more rings, placed at the bottom of the ephod’s shoulder straps, near the waistband, completed the breastplate’s fastening system.
  28. Exodus 28:28A blue cord tied the breastplate’s rings to the ephod’s rings, ensuring the piece would never come loose or swing during the priestly service.
  29. Exodus 28:29Whenever he entered the sanctuary, Aaron would symbolically carry the names of the whole people of Israel close to his heart, through the breastplate.
  30. Exodus 28:30The Urim and the Thummim were two objects, with no exact description in the Bible of their shape, kept inside the high priest’s breastplate and used as a kind of sacred lot to seek answers from God on important decisions. The text does not explain how they worked in practice, only that they stayed with the breastplate, near Aaron’s heart.
  31. Exodus 28:31The robe worn underneath the ephod was made entirely of a single blue fabric, without the mix of colors seen in the other pieces.
  32. Exodus 28:32The robe’s head opening had a reinforced, woven border, similar to the collar of a coat of mail, to keep the fabric from tearing with use.
  33. Exodus 28:33Along the hem of the high priest’s robe, small pomegranate-shaped ornaments (the fruit) alternated with little gold bells. It was a decorative detail, but it also had a practical function, explained in the next verse.
  34. Exodus 28:34All around the hem of the robe, embroidered pomegranates and gold bells alternated continuously, a decorative pattern whose function is explained in verse 35.
  35. Exodus 28:35The sound of the bells signaled that the priest was moving through the sacred space while carrying out the ritual correctly. The rule treated entering the sanctuary without following the procedures as something risky; the constant sound was, in a way, a guarantee that everything was being done as it should.
  36. Exodus 28:36A small plate of pure gold, engraved like a seal, bore the inscription ‘HOLINESS TO THE LORD,’ the most visible piece identifying the priestly office.
  37. Exodus 28:37This plate was tied with a blue cord to the front of the high priest’s turban, staying clearly visible on his forehead.
  38. Exodus 28:38This plate’s function was spiritual: it represented Aaron’s intercession, covering any imperfection in the holy offerings brought by the people.
  39. Exodus 28:39The inner tunic and the turban were made of plain fine linen, while the sash received a more elaborate embroidered finish.
  40. Exodus 28:40Aaron’s sons, the ordinary priests, also received garments of their own, simpler than the high priest’s, but still dignified and ornamented.
  41. Exodus 28:41The consecration ceremony included putting on these clothes, anointing with oil, and formally setting apart Aaron and his sons for priestly service.
  42. Exodus 28:42This undergarment was required specifically to keep the priests from being physically exposed while climbing the altar’s steps during the rituals, as the next verse makes clear. It was a practical requirement of decency within the sacred service.
  43. Exodus 28:43These garments, including the linen breeches already mentioned, were mandatory during any service in the sanctuary, on pain of severe punishment.

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