Old Testament Commentary - Exodus 28

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 28 Aaron and his sons to be consecrated and anointed to minister in priest's office—Aaron's garments to include a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a coat, a mitre, and a girdle—Breastplate of judgment to contain twelve precious stones with names of tribes of Israel thereon—Urim and Thummim to be carried in breastplate.
1 AND take thou unto thee ^aAaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the ^bpriest's ^coffice, even Aaron, ^dNadab and Abihu, Eleazar and ^eIthamar, Aaron's ^fsons. 2 And thou shalt make holy ^agarments for Aaron thy brother^a for glory and for ^bbeauty. 3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are ^awise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of ^bwisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.	2^a thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother Primarily, the 'holy' garments which Moses was commanded to have made for Aaron and his sons for the administration of the tabernacle, are all 'outward' or 'outer-wear' garments. The are not to be confused with the 'temple garments' of today. Whereas the Aaronic priest was to administer primarily in the outward ordinances of the Aaronic Priesthood of the tabernacle, therefore the outer clothing or the 'outward' dress of that priesthood is also 'outward' or 'outer=wear'. The ordinances in the temple performed to day are those which are the 'inner ordinances' of the Melchizedek Priesthood and that priesthood's garment, like unto the ordinances, are 'inner garments' or 'inner-wear' garments of the Holy Priesthood. Now both priesthoods did not consist only of outer wear for the Aaronic and inner wear for the Melchizedek. Each also had an inner garment worn under the 'outer garments' of the priesthood of Aaron, and outer garments worn over the 'inner garments' of the priesthood of Melchizedek. But the particular 'holy garment' of each which corresponds to the temple ordinance of each was that of the outer garment in relation to the garment of the priesthood of Aaron dealing with the outward ordinances. And the inner holy garment of the temple woren in correspondence with the inner ordinances of the gospel today is that inner garment of that Holy Priesthood of the temple today. Those are the 'holy garments'. The other clothing also worn in each instance the added inner or under clothes of the Arronic outfit were also temple clothes, but not stipulated as the 'holy garments' of the outward ordinances which were performed. And the out clothing of the temple today are temple clothes, but they are not the special inner holy garment of the house of the Lord worn under them. That each of these may represent the holy garment of the other is true, but they do not have that special stipulation in relation to the special garment of each priesthood and the type of ordincances each do perform.	3^a Lev. 1:1; Moses 1:17 ^b Ex. 3:12; Moses 1:1-3 4^a Deut. 327:11; D&C 124:18 (18,99) 5^a TG Obedience ^b TG Abrahamic Covenant TG Covenants ^c TG Israel, Twelve Tribes TG Peculiar People ^d TG Israel, Blessing of TG Treasure 6^a TG Election ^b TG Israel, Mission of; TG; Priesthood; TG Priesthood, History of ^c Ex. 22:31; 1 Pet. 2:9 (5-9); TG Holiness ^d TG Separation
4 And these are the ^agarments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ^bephod, and a robe, and a broidered ^ccoat, a ^dmitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the ^epriest's office. 5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.		3^a Lev. 1:1; Moses 1:17 ^b Ex. 3:12; Moses 1:1-3 4^a Deut. 327:11; D&C 124:18 (18,99) 5^a TG Obedience ^b TG Abrahamic Covenant TG Covenants ^c TG Israel, Twelve Tribes TG Peculiar People ^d TG Israel, Blessing of TG Treasure 6^a TG Election ^b TG Israel, Mission of; TG; Priesthood; TG Priesthood, History of ^c Ex. 22:31; 1 Pet. 2:9 (5-9); TG Holiness ^d TG Separation
6 ¶ And they shall make the ^aephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. 7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. 8 And the ^acurious 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.		3^a Lev. 1:1; Moses 1:17 ^b Ex. 3:12; Moses 1:1-3 4^a Deut. 327:11; D&C 124:18 (18,99) 5^a TG Obedience ^b TG Abrahamic Covenant TG Covenants ^c TG Israel, Twelve Tribes TG Peculiar People ^d TG Israel, Blessing of TG Treasure 6^a TG Election ^b TG Israel, Mission of; TG; Priesthood; TG Priesthood, History of ^c Ex. 22:31; 1 Pet. 2:9 (5-9); TG Holiness ^d TG Separation
9 And thou shalt take two ^aonyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: 10 Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. 11 With the work of an ^aengraver 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 ^bouches of gold. 12 And 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.
13 ¶ And thou shalt make ouches of gold; 14 And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of ^awreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches.
15 ¶ And thou shalt make the ^abreastplate of judgment with cunning work; ^bafter 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. 16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.
17 And 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. 18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. 21 And 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 ^ahis name shall they be according to the ^btwelve tribes.
22 ¶ And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold. 23 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24 And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate. 25 And 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.
26 ¶ And 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 ^ain the side of the ephod inward. 27 And 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. 28 And 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. 29 And 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.
30 ¶ And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the ^aUrim 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.
31 ¶ And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 And there shall be an ^ahole 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 ^bhole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.
33 ¶ And 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: 34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. 35 And it shall be upon Aaron ^ato 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.
36 ¶ And thou shalt make a ^aplate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, ^bHOLINESS TO THE LORD. 37 And thou shalt ^aput it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the ^bmitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. 38 And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may ^abear 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 ^baccepted before the LORD.
39 ¶ And thou shalt embroider the ^acoat of fine ^blinen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.
40 ¶ And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make ^acoats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and ^bbonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. 41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt ^aanoint them, and ^bconsecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.
42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: 43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they ^acome in unto the ^btabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they ^cbear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a ^dstatute for ever unto him and his seed after him.