Exodus 39

KJV · Chapter 39/40

1And 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.

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

3And 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.

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

5And 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.

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

7And 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

14And 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.

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

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

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

18And 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.

19And 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.

20And 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.

21And 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.

22And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.

23And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend.

24And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.

25And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates;

26A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the Lord commanded Moses.

27And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,

28And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen,

29And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the Lord commanded Moses.

30And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

31And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the Lord commanded Moses.

32Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they.

33And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets,

34And the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers’ skins, and the vail of the covering,

35The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat,

36The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread,

37The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light,

38And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door,

39The brasen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,

40The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation,

41The cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons’ garments, to minister in the priest’s office.

42According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.

43And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Aaron's sacred garments are made, including the ephod, the breastplate with its twelve precious stones, and the golden plate; the entire work of the tabernacle is finally completed and presented to Moses, who inspects it and blesses the people.

Explanation

This chapter completes the long section devoted to building the tabernacle, now focusing on the elaborate priestly garments that had been specified back in chapter 28. The detailed repetition of each element — from the golden ephod to the plate inscribed 'Holiness to the Lord' — once again reinforces the people's exact faithfulness in following every divine instruction. The emotional climax of the chapter comes at its end, when Moses personally inspects the entire finished work and, finding it made 'as the Lord had commanded,' blesses the people — a moment of satisfaction and approval after months of careful, collective labor. This scene of successful completion stands in powerful contrast to the failure of the golden calf episode, showing a trajectory of restoration: from a people who quickly turned to idolatry to a people who, with patience and generosity, faithfully completed a complex sacred work exactly as God had planned.

Fun facts

  • The phrase repeated throughout the chapter, 'as the Lord commanded Moses' (used at least seven times), deliberately emphasizes the complete faithfulness of the execution, a rhetorical pattern that biblical scholars associate with the idea of 'perfect,' complete obedience in contrast to the people's earlier failures.
  • Moses' blessing upon seeing the finished work (v. 43) echoes the narrative structure of Genesis 1, where God 'saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good' — suggesting an intentional literary connection between the completion of the creation of the world and the completion of the place where God would dwell among his people.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Exodus 39:1This chapter is the practical execution of the instructions about the priestly garments given earlier in chapter 28: the ephod, the breastplate, the robe, and the other pieces. The refrain “as the Lord commanded Moses”—exactly the KJV’s wording—appears several times throughout the chapter, reinforcing that every detail was followed to the letter.
  2. Exodus 39:2The ephod is made exactly as specified, combining gold threads with the colored fabrics and fine linen.
  3. Exodus 39:3Sheets of gold are hammered out into very fine threads, woven by hand into the other fabrics using a painstaking embroidery technique.
  4. Exodus 39:4The shoulder straps are made and attached to the two ends of the ephod, following exactly the design specified before.
  5. Exodus 39:5The ephod’s belt is made with the same materials and the same technique as the main piece, carrying out to the letter the order given to Moses.
  6. Exodus 39:6The two precious stones are prepared and engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel, using the same seal-engraving technique from the ancient world.
  7. Exodus 39:7The engraved stones are fastened onto the shoulders of the ephod, becoming a permanent visual reminder of the whole people of Israel.
  8. Exodus 39:8The breastplate is made with the same careful technique and the same colored materials used on the ephod.
  9. Exodus 39:9The breastplate is made folded in half, forming a kind of square pouch, a little over eight inches on each side.
  10. Exodus 39:10The first row of precious stones is set with sardius, topaz, and carbuncle, following exactly the order specified before.
  11. Exodus 39:11The second row holds emerald, sapphire, and diamond, continuing the sequence of twelve stones.
  12. Exodus 39:12The third row brings ligure, agate, and amethyst, keeping the pattern of three stones per row.
  13. Exodus 39:13The fourth row completes the set with beryl, onyx, and jasper, all set in gold mountings.
  14. Exodus 39:14Each of the twelve stones bears the engraved name of a tribe of Israel, reproducing the same symbolic function as the shoulder stones.
  15. Exodus 39:15Chains of pure braided gold are made for the breastplate, using the same technique as the shoulder chains of the ephod.
  16. Exodus 39:16Two gold settings and two gold rings are made and fixed to the upper edges of the breastplate.
  17. Exodus 39:17The braided chains are fastened into these rings, preparing the connection between the breastplate and the ephod.
  18. Exodus 39:18The other ends of the chains are fastened to the shoulder settings, permanently joining the two pieces at the front.
  19. Exodus 39:19Two more gold rings are fixed to the lower part of the breastplate, on the inner side facing the ephod.
  20. Exodus 39:20Two more rings are positioned on the lower part of the shoulder straps, near the ephod’s belt, completing the attachment system.
  21. Exodus 39:21A blue cord ties the rings of the breastplate to the rings of the ephod, ensuring the piece would never come loose, exactly as God had commanded.
  22. Exodus 39:22The robe worn under the ephod is woven entirely in blue, with no other colors mixed in, as specified before.
  23. Exodus 39:23The opening for the head receives a reinforced, woven edge, similar to the collar of a coat of mail, to keep the fabric from tearing.
  24. Exodus 39:24Pomegranates embroidered in blue, purple, and scarlet are sewn all around the hem of the robe.
  25. Exodus 39:25Bells of pure gold are made and set between the embroidered pomegranates, following the specified decorative pattern.
  26. Exodus 39:26The pattern repeats continuously all around the hem: a bell, a pomegranate, alternating without interruption, exactly as God had ordered.
  27. Exodus 39:27The inner tunics of fine linen are woven for both Aaron and his sons, following the same plain-material pattern.
  28. Exodus 39:28The turban, the headbands, and the breeches are also made of fine linen, completing the basic pieces of the priestly attire.
  29. Exodus 39:29The sash receives a more elaborate embroidered finish, combining fine linen with the colored fabrics used on other pieces.
  30. Exodus 39:30This small gold plate, fastened to the front of the high priest’s turban, bore the engraved phrase “HOLINESS TO THE LORD”—the exact KJV wording—a kind of permanent identification of that office’s unique role. It was the final and most visible piece of the whole priestly attire.
  31. Exodus 39:31The gold plate with the sacred inscription is tied with a blue cord to the front of the turban, exactly as specified.
  32. Exodus 39:32It marks the completion of the entire work of the tabernacle, confirming that the Israelites carried out every instruction exactly as God had commanded.
  33. Exodus 39:33The people bring Moses the complete structure of the tabernacle: the tent, its clasps, boards, bars, pillars, and sockets, all ready for inspection.
  34. Exodus 39:34Along with it come the layers of outer covering, the red-dyed hides, and the sturdy hides used on top, plus the inner veil.
  35. Exodus 39:35The ark of the covenant, already complete with its poles and the mercy seat, is also presented to Moses for a final check.
  36. Exodus 39:36The table of the bread, with all its utensils and the showbread itself, completes the list of pieces delivered.
  37. Exodus 39:37The lampstand of pure gold, with its lamps already arranged and the necessary oil, is also presented ready for use.
  38. Exodus 39:38The gold incense altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the entrance curtain of the tent complete this part of the inventory.
  39. Exodus 39:39The copper altar, its grate, poles, and utensils, together with the washing basin, are also delivered ready to Moses.
  40. Exodus 39:40All the pieces of the outer courtyard—curtains, pillars, sockets, cords, and pegs—complete the long list of items checked off by Moses.
  41. Exodus 39:41Finally, the complete priestly garments, both the everyday ones and the special ones for Aaron and his sons, close out the inventory delivered.
  42. Exodus 39:42It repeats, for the last time, the formula of obedience: every detail of the work was carried out exactly as God had commanded Moses.
  43. Exodus 39:43After months of collective work, Moses carries out a kind of final inspection of everything that was built, checking each piece against what had been commanded. His closing blessing marks the successful end of this stage, setting the stage for the tabernacle’s assembly in the following chapter.

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