| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| |
|
| 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. |
Made the ephod – Type of the Abrahamic covenant (front part) and the New covenant (back part). T30
Of gold – Representing divine power. T34
Blue – Representing the ability faithfully to maintain his righteous character. T34
And purple – Proclaims the royal power of the Kingdom cooperating. T34
And 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
|
| 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. |
Shoulderpieces – Golden clasps representing divine power to enable Christ to carry out the terms of both covenants. T30
|
| 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. |
The curious girdle – Representing a servant. "The messenger (servant) of the covenant whom ye delight in." (Mal. 3:1) T33
|
| |
|
| 6 And they wrought onyx stones enclosed 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. |
The breastplate – Type of the Law. T34
|
| 9 It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled. |
A span – Indicating that the Law of God is the full measure of a perfect man's ability. T35
Being doubled – Representing the spirit and 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 representin T35
|
| 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. |
Four rows of 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
|
| 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 enclosed in ouches of gold in their enclosings. |
|
| 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. |
Work of pure gold – Indicating that the Law is divine and that we are upheld by the golden chain of divine promises. T36
|
| 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. |
The ephod underneath – As the Israelites regarded them, not seeing the hidden connection, the Abrahamic covenant and the Law were all one. T34
|
| 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. |
|
| |
|
| 22 And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. |
The robe . . . of blue – Symbol of Christ's faithfulness. T30
|
| 23 And 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. |
|
| 24 And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen. |
Pomegranates – Representing that the faithful performance of the Redeemer's work of sacrifice has borne rich fruit. T30
|
| 25 And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates; |
Bells of pure gold – The golden bells signifying that when our High Priest appears in glory the fruit of his sacrificial work will be proclaimed to all. T30
|
| 26 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses. |
|
| |
|
| 27 And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, |
Coats of fine linen – Representing the righteousness of Jesus imputed to his Body members. T36
For Aaron – Representing our High Priest, Christ. T36, T116; E449
And for his sons – Representing the members of Christ's Body. T36
|
| 28 And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen, |
A mitre of fine linen – A strip of fine white linen, typical of righteousness, worn around the forehead, to which the golden plate, or crown, was fastened. T29
And goodly 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[T36]
|
| 29 And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses. |
And a girdle – Indicating a righteous servant. T30
|
| |
|
| 30 And 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. |
HOLINESS TO THE LORD – Thus proclaiming Christ's entire devotion to the accomplishment of Jehovah's purposes. T30
|
| 31 And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses. |
A lace of blue – Showing that the crown was righteously his. T29
|
| |
|
| 32 Thus 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. |
Thus was all the work – God's minute instructions respecting the Tabernacle were only for the lessons it would convey to us. Its Court, Holy and Most Holy, its furniture, priests and sacrifices illustrated the most important features of the divine plan. PD36/47
|
| 33 And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets, |
|
| 34 And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the veil of the covering, |
|
| 35 The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat, |
|
| 36 The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the showbread, |
|
| 37 The 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, |
|
| 38 And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door, |
|
| 39 The copper altar, and his grate of copper, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, |
|
| 40 The 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, |
|
| 41 The 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. |
|
| 42 According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. |
|
| 43 And 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. |
|