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| 1 And thou shalt take thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may serve me as priest--Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. |
His sons with him – There were 8,580 Levites, but only five priests sacrificing, which may illustrate the proportion of justified believers to self-sacrificing consecrated ones. T118, R443:1
After the establishment of the Kingdom the distinction between the Church and the larger company ot Levites will be perpetual. R5418:5
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| 2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for ornament. |
Make holy garments – Symbolizing the heavenly grandeur, honors and glories of the Messiah during his reign. OV127:5
Clad in his robes of glory, the High Priest represented Messiah blessing mankind. PD36/47
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| 3 And thou shalt speak with all that are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to hallow him, that he may serve me as priest. |
Spirit of wisdom – Fecundating their minds, energizing natural faculties without affecting them in any moral sense. E175[E175]
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| 4 And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a cloak, and a checkered vest, a turban, and a girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may serve me as priest. |
A breastplate – Type of the Law. T34
And an ephod – Type of the Abrahamic covenant (front part) and the New covenant (back part). T30
And a robe – Of blue, representing Christ's faithfulness. T30
A broidered coat – Of white linen, representing the High Priest's purity. It's embroidery showed works of grace. T29
A mitre – Of white linen (righteousness), to which the golden plate, or crown, (royalty) was fastened. T29
And a girdle – Indicating a righteous servant. T30
Make holy garments – Symbolizing the heavenly grandeur, honors and glories of Messiah during his reign. OV127:5
Clad in his robes of glory, the High Priest represented Messiah blessing mankind. PD36/47
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| 5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, |
Shall take gold – Representing the divine nature. T18, T20
And blue – Symbol of faithfulness. T30
And purple – Symbol of royalty. T34
And scarlet – Symbol of the blood of the ransom. T34, T109
And fine linen – Symbol of righteousness. T29, T30, T36
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| 6 and shall make the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, scarlet and twined byssus, of artistic work. |
Make the ephod – Type of the Abrahamic covenant (front part) and the New covenant (back part). T30
Of gold – Representing divine power. T34
Of blue – Representing the ability faithfully to maintain his righteous character. T34
And of purple – Proclaims the royal power of the Kingdom cooperating. T34
Of scarlet – Representing redemption from the Adamic curse through the blood of the ransom. T34
Fine twined linen – Indicating the restoration of man to his original purity. T34
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| 7 It shall have two shoulder-pieces joined at the two ends thereof, where it is joined together. |
Two shoulder pieces – Golden clasps, representing divine power to enable Christ to carry out the terms of both covenants. T30
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| 8 And the girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to its work of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet and twined byssus. |
The curious girdle – Representing a servant. "The messenger (servant) of the covenant whom ye delight in." (Mal. 3:1) T33
A servant of a "curious" or peculiar kind. R72:3
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| 9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel: |
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| 10 six of their names on the one stone, and the six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. |
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| 11 According to the work of an engraver in stone, as the engravings of a seal, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; surrounded by enclosures of gold shalt thou make them. |
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| 12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod as stones of memorial for the children of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before Jehovah upon his two shoulders for a memorial. |
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| 13 And thou shalt make enclosures of gold; |
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| 14 and two chains of pure gold; of laced work shalt thou make them, of wreathen work, and fasten the wreathen chains to the enclosures. |
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| 15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment of artistic work, like the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus shalt thou make it. |
The breastplate – Type of the Law. T34
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| 16 Square shall it be, doubled; a span the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof. |
Being doubled – Representing the spirit and the letter of the Law. The front part, which bore the jewels, representing the spirit of the Law, fulfilled in us "who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit." (Rom. 8:4) The back part representing T35; R72:4
Representing the Jewish and Gospel ages. R72:5
A span – Indicating that the Law of God is the full measure of a perfect man's ability. T35; R72:5
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| 17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones--four rows of stones: one row, a sardoin, a topaz, and an emerald--the first row; |
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| 18 and the second row, a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a diamond; |
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| 19 and the third row, an opal, an agate, and an amethyst; |
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| 20 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, and an onyx, and a jasper; enclosed in gold shall they be in their settings. |
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| 21 And the stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, engraved as a seal: every one according to his name shall they be for the twelve tribes. |
And the stones – Representing the true Israel, the "Little Flock." "They shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels." (Mal. 3:17) T36
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| 22 And thou shalt make on the breastplate chains of laced work, of wreathen work, of pure gold. |
Work of pure gold – Indicating that the Law is divine and that we are upheld by the golden chain of divine promises. T36
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| 23 And thou shalt make on the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. |
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| 24 And thou shalt put the two wreathen cords of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate; |
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| 25 and the two ends of the two wreathen cords thou shalt fasten to the two enclosures, and shalt put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, on the front thereof. |
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| 26 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and shalt put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the border thereof, which faceth the ephod inwards. |
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| 27 And two rings of gold shalt thou make, and shalt put them upon the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, to the front thereof just by the coupling thereof, above the girdle of the ephod. |
The ephod underneath – As the Israelite regarded them, not seeing the hidden connection, the Abrahamic covenant and the Law were all one. T34
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| 28 And they shall bind the breastplate with its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. |
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| 29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment on his heart, when he goes in to the sanctuary, for a memorial before Jehovah continually. |
Upon his heart – Showing the Law as a covering for his innermost affections. R72:4
"The Law of his God is in his heart." (Psa. 37:31) R72:4
Continually – That is, all through the year, except on the Atonement Day. R160:6*
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| 30 And thou shalt put into the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, that they may be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before Jehovah; and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before Jehovah continually. |
Urim and the Thummim – Hard cases of judgment were, after Moses' death, brought directly to the Lord through the High Priest, the answer being Yes or No by the Urim and Thummim. A49
Working in some unknown way with the stones of the breastplate. R5042:4; Q697:2
Perhaps by particular stones on the breastplate shining with special brilliancy; perhaps light being Yes, and dark No; nothing definite. Q728:2
Upon Aaron's heart – Indicating that it was precious to him. That which condemned all imperfection was Christ's pleasure--" I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." (Psa. 40:8) T35
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| 31 And thou shalt make the cloak of the ephod all of blue. |
Of blue – Symbol of Christ's faithfulness. T30
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| 32 And its opening for the head shall be in the midst thereof; there shall be a binding of woven work at its opening round about; as the opening of a coat of mail, it shall be in it--it shall not rend. |
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| 33 And on the skirts thereof thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, round about the skirts thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: |
Shalt make pomegranates – Representing that the faithful performance of the Redeemer's work of sacrifice has borne rich fruits. T30
And bells of gold – Signifying that when our High Priest appears in glory the fruit of his sacrificial work will be proclaimed to all. T30
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| 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, in the skirts of the cloak round about. |
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| 35 And it shall be on Aaron for service; that his sound may be heard when he goeth into the sanctuary before Jehovah, and when he cometh out, that he may not die. |
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| 36 And thou shalt make a thin plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, as the engravings of a seal, Holiness to Jehovah! |
Plate of pure gold – A crown proclaiming his royalty. Christ is to be "a priest upon his throne." (Zech. 6:13) T29
HOLINESS TO THE LORD – Thus proclaiming Christ's entire devotion to the accomplishment of Jehovah's purposes. T30
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| 37 And thou shalt put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be upon the turban--upon the front of the turban shall it be. |
On a blue lace – Showing that the crown was rightfully his. T29
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| 38 And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all gifts of their holy things; and it shall be continually on his forehead, that they may be accepted before Jehovah. |
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| 39 And thou shalt weave the vest of byssus; and thou shalt make a turban of byssus; and thou shalt make a girdle of embroidery. |
Thou shalt embroider – The white linen coat represented Christ's purity, while its embroidery showed works of grace. T29
Make the mitre – White linen (righteousness), to which the golden plate or crown of royalty was fastened. T29
Make the girdle – Indicating a righteous servant. T30
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| 40 And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make vests; and thou shalt make for them girdles; and high caps shalt thou make for them, for glory and for ornament. |
And for Aaron's sons – Representing the members of Christ's Body. T36
Make coats – Linen garments, representing the righteousness of Jesus imputed to his Body members. T36
For them girdles – Representing us as servants of righteousness. T36
And bonnets – To indicate that they were not the head of the priesthood, but merely members of the body. God gave Jesus "to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body." (Eph. 1:22, 23) T36; R72:6
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| 41 And thou shalt clothe with them Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and hallow them, that they may serve me as priests. |
Aaron ... and his sons – The anointing came upon Aaron only at first, but then upon each of his sons as they succeeded to the office of chief priest. F131; Q689:3
The High Priest was anointed with oil, which constituted the divine evidence of his call to the priestly office. SM598:2
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| 42 And thou shalt make them linen trousers to cover the flesh of nakedness; from the loins even to the hips shall they reach. |
Linen – Symbol of righteousness. T29, T30, T36
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| 43 And they shall be upon Aaron and his sons when they enter into the tent of meeting, or when they come near to the altar to serve in the sanctuary; that they may not bear iniquity and die--an everlasting statute for him and his seed after him. |
Unto the altar – The Golden Altar in the Holy represents the Church in the sacrificing condition. T120
Representing the privilege of worship and prayer. R5418:5
And die – Every feature had to be exactly performed because typical of important future events. To insure this the penalty for any violation was death. T12
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