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| 1 And of the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, they made coloured garments, to minister in the sanctuary; and they make the holy garments which [are] for Aaron, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. |
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| 2 And he maketh the ephod, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and 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
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| 3 and they expand the plates of gold, and have cut off wires to work in the midst of the blue, and in the midst of the purple, and in the midst of the scarlet, and in the midst of the linen work of a designer; |
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| 4 shoulder-pieces they have made for it, joining; at its two ends it is joined. |
Shoulderpieces – Golden clasps representing divine power to enable Christ to carry out the terms of both covenants. T30
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| 5 And the girdle of his ephod which [is] on it is of the same, according to its work, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. |
The curious girdle – Representing a servant. "The messenger (servant) of the covenant whom ye delight in." (Mal. 3:1) T33
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| 6 And they prepare the shoham stones, set, embroidered [with] gold, opened with openings of a signet, by the names of the sons of Israel; |
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| 7 and he setteth them on the shoulders of the ephod stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. |
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| 8 And he maketh the breastplate, work of a designer, like the work of the ephod, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen; |
The breastplate – Type of the Law. T34
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| 9 it hath been square; double they have made the breastplate, a span its length, and a span its breadth, 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
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| 10 And they fill in it four rows of stones; a row of a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle [is] the one 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
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| 11 and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; |
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| 12 and the third row an opal, an agate, and an amethyst; |
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| 13 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper set, embroidered [with] gold, in their settings. |
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| 14 And the stones, according to the names of the sons of Israel, are twelve, according to their names, openings of a signet, each according to his name, for the twelve tribes. |
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| 15 And they make on the breastplate wreathed chains, work of thick bands, 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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| 16 and they make two embroidered things of gold, and two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate, |
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| 17 and they put the two thick bands of gold on the two rings on the ends of the breastplate; |
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| 18 and the two ends of the two thick bands they have put on the two embroidered things, and they put them on the shoulders of the ephod, over-against its front. |
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| 19 And they make two rings of gold, and set [them] on the two ends of the breastplate, on its border, which [is] on the side of the ephod within; |
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| 20 and they make two rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulders of the ephod below, over-against its front, over-against its joining, above the 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
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| 21 and they bind the breastplate by its rings unto the rings of the ephod, with a ribbon of blue, to be above the girdle of the ephod, and the breastplate is not loosed from off the ephod, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. |
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| 22 And he maketh the upper robe of the ephod, work of a weaver, completely of blue; |
The robe . . . of blue – Symbol of Christ's faithfulness. T30
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| 23 and the opening of the upper robe [is] in its midst, as the opening of a habergeon, a border [is] to its opening round about, it is not rent; |
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| 24 and they make on the hems of the upper robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, twined. |
Pomegranates – Representing that the faithful performance of the Redeemer's work of sacrifice has borne rich fruit. T30
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| 25 And they make bells of pure gold, and put the bells in the midst of the pomegranates, on the hems of the upper robe, round about, in the midst of 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
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| 26 a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, [are] on the hems of the upper robe, round about, to minister in, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. |
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| 27 And they make the coats of linen, work of a weaver, 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
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| 28 and the mitre of linen, and the beautiful bonnets of linen, and the linen trousers, of 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]
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| 29 and the girdle of twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, work of an embroiderer, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. |
And a girdle – Indicating a righteous servant. T30
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| 30 And they make the flower of the holy crown of pure gold, and write on it a writing, openings of a signet, 'Holy to Jehovah;' |
HOLINESS TO THE LORD – Thus proclaiming Christ's entire devotion to the accomplishment of Jehovah's purposes. T30
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| 31 and they put on it a ribbon of blue, to put [it] on the mitre above, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. |
A lace of blue – Showing that the crown was righteously his. T29
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| 32 And all the service of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting is completed; and the sons of Israel do according to all that Jehovah hath commanded Moses; so they have done. |
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
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| 33 And they bring in the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all its vessels, its hooks, its boards, its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets; |
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| 34 and the covering of rams' skins, which are made red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the vail of the covering; |
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| 35 the ark of the testimony and its staves, and the mercy-seat; |
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| 36 the table, all its vessels, and the bread of the presence; |
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| 37 the pure candlestick, its lamps, the lamps of arrangement, and all its vessels, and the oil for the light. |
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| 38 And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the spice-perfume, and the covering of the opening of the tent; |
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| 39 the brazen altar and the brazen grate which it hath, its staves, and all its vessels, the laver and its base. |
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| 40 The hangings of the court, its pillars, and its sockets; and the covering for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pins; and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; |
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| 41 the coloured clothes to minister in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to act as priest in. |
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| 42 According to all that Jehovah hath commanded Moses, so have the sons of Israel done all the service; |
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| 43 and Moses seeth all the work, and lo, they have done it as Jehovah hath commanded; so they have done. And Moses doth bless them. |
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