1Y HARÁS que se presente delante de ti Aarón tu hermano (y sus hijos juntamente con él), tomado de entre los hijos de Israel, para que él sea constituído mi Sacerdote; a saber, Aarón, con Nadab, Abiú, Eleazar e Itamar, hijos de Aarón. 2Y harás vestiduras santas a Aarón tu hermano, para honra y hermosura. 3Hablarás a todos los sabios de corazón, a quienes yo he llenado de espíritu de sabiduría, para que hagan las vestiduras de Aarón, para santificarle, para que él sea mi Sacerdote. 4¶Y estas son las vestiduras que le han de hacer: El Pectoral, y el Efod, y la Túnica tejida a forma de cuadros, la Mitra y el Cinturón. Harán también vestiduras santas para Aarón tu hermano y para sus hijos, a fin de que ejerzan el sacerdocio delante de mí. 5Y para estas cosas tomarán el oro, y el hilo de jacinto y púrpura y escarlata, y el torzal de lino fino blanco. 6¶Y harán el efod de oro, e hilo de jacinto y púrpura y escarlata y torzal de lino fino blanco; de labor primorosa. 7Tendrá dos hombreras que se junten a los extremos de él, para que con ellas se enlace en uno. 8Y el cinto de labor primorosa, que estará sobre él para ceñirlo, será de semejante labor y de lo mismo, es decir, de oro, e hilo de jacinto y púrpura y escarlata, y torzal de lino fino blanco. 9Y tomarás dos piedras de ónice y grabarás sobre ellas los nombres de los hijos de Israel; 10seis de sus nombres estarán en una piedra, y los seis nombres restantes en la otra piedra, colocados en el orden de su nacimiento; 11de obra de grabador en piedra, con grabadoras como de sello, harás grabar aquellas dos piedras; conforme a los nombres de los hijos de Israel: guarnecidas de engastes de oro las harás. 12Y pondrás aquellas dos piedras sobre las hombreras del efod, como piedras de recuerdo a favor de los hijos de Israel; para que lleve Aarón los nombres de ellos delante de Jehová, sobre sus dos hombros, por memorial. 13Harás pues los engastes de oro; 14y harás dos cadenillas de oro puro; a manera de trenzas las harás, de hechura ensortijada; y fijarás las cadenillas ensortijadas en los engastes. 15¶Y harás el Pectoral de Juicio de labor primorosa; al estilo de la obra del efod lo harás; de oro, e hilo de jacinto y púrpura y escarlata, y torzal de lino fino blanco lo harás. 16Cuadrado será y doblado; de un palmo será su longitud, y de un palmo su anchura; 17y lo engastarás con engastes de pedrería, es a saber, cuatro órdenes de piedras. Una hilera será un sardio, un topacio y un carbunclo; esta será la hilera primera. 18Y la hilera segunda, una esmeralda, un zafiro y una sardónica. 19Y la hilera tercera, un jacinto, un ágata y una ametista. 20Y la hilera cuarta, un berilo, un ónice y un jaspe. Estarán guarnecidas de oro en sus engastes. 21Y las piedras estarán arregladas conforme a los nombres de los hijos de Israel; doce, según los nombres de ellos; con grabaduras como de sello, cada una con su nombre; serán correspondientes a las doce tribus. 22Harás también sobre el pectoral cadenillas, a manera de trenzas, de hechura ensortijada, de oro puro. 23Y harás sobre el pectoral dos anillos de oro, y pondrás los dos anillos a los dos extremos superiores del pectoral; 24y fijarás las dos cadenillas de oro ensortijadas a los dos anillos, en los extremos del pectoral: 25y los otros dos extremos de las dos cadenillas ensortijadas los pondrás sobre los dos engastes, y los fijarás sobre las hombreras del efod, por su parte delantera. 26Y harás otros dos anillos de oro y los pondrás sobre los dos extremos inferiores del pectoral, en el borde que está hacia el revés del efod, por el lado de adentro. 27También harás dos anillos de oro y los fijarás sobre las dos hombreras del efod, hacia abajo, por la parte delantera de ellas, cerca de su enlace, por encima del cinto del efod de labor primorosa. 28Y atarán el pectoral por medio de sus anillos a los anillos del efod, con un cordón de jacinto, para que permanezca sobre el cinto del efod de labor primorosa; y no se ha de separar el pectoral del efod. 29Así llevará Aarón las nombres de los hijos de Israel, en el pectoral de juicio, sobre su corazón; siempre que entre en el Santuario los llevará, por memorial delante de Jehová perpetuamente. 30Y pondrás dentro del pectoral de juicio el Urim y el Tumim, para que estén sobre el corazón de Aarón siempre que entre a la presencia de Jehová; y para que lleve Aarón la causa de los hijos de Israel sobre su corazón delante de Jehová perpetuamente. 31¶Y harás el manto del efod todo de jacinto. 32Y habrá una abertura para la cabeza en medio de él; y la abertura tendrá una orla en su derredor, de obra tejida, a la manera del cuello de un coselete, para que no se rompa. 33Y harás sobre el ribete inferior de él granadas de jacinto y púrpura y escarlata, sobre su ribete inferior, a la redonda, con campanillas de oro en medio de ellas, todo en derredor; 34de manera que haya una campanilla de oro y una granada, una campanilla de oro y una granada, sobre el ribete inferior del manto, en torno de él. 35Y estará sobre Aarón siempre que ministre; pues ha de oírse su sonido cuando entra adentro del Santuario a la presencia de Jehová, y cuando sale, para que no muera. 36¶Y harás una lámina de oro puro, e inscribirás en ella, con grabaduras como de sello, SANTIDAD A JEHOVÁ. 37Y la pondrás sobre un listón de jacinto; y estará sobre la mitra, por la parte de enfrente: delante de la mitra estará. 38Estará pues sobre la frente de Aarón, para que lleve Aarón la iniquidad de las cosas santas que santificaren los hijos de Israel, en todas sus santas dádivas; y estará sobre su frente perpetuamente, para que ellos sean aceptos delante de Jehová. 39¶Y tejerás la túnica a forma de cuadros, de lino fino blanco; harás la mitra también de lino fino blanco, pero el cinturón lo harás de labor recamada. 40¶Asimismo para los hijos de Aarón harás túnicas; les harás también cinturones; y harás tiaras para ellos, honra y para hermosura. 41Y harás vestir con estas cosas a Aarón tu hermano y a sus hijos; y los ungirás, los consagrarás, y los santificaras, para que sean mis sacerdotes. 42Harás también para ellos calzoncillos de lino blanco, para cubrir su desnudez; alcanzarán desde los lomos hasta los muslos. 43Y los llevarán Aarón y sus hijos, siempre que entren en el Tabernáculo de Reunión, o cuando se lleguen al altar para ministrar en el Santuario, para que no lleven iniquidad y así mueran: estatuto perpetuo será para él y para su descendencia después de él.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 APPOINTMENT TO THE PRIESTHOOD. (Exo. 28:1-43)
take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him--Moses had hitherto discharged the priestly functions (
Ps 99:6), and he evinced the piety as well as humility of his character, in readily complying with the command to invest his brother with the sacred office, though it involved the perpetual exclusion of his own family. The appointment was a special act of God's sovereignty, so that there could be no ground for popular umbrage by the selection of Aaron's family, with whom the office was inalienably established and continued in unbroken succession till the introduction of the Christian era.
2 holy garments--No inherent holiness belonged either to the material or the workmanship. But they are called "holy" simply because they were not worn on ordinary occasions, but assumed in the discharge of the sacred functions (
Ezek 44:19).
for glory and for beauty--It was a grand and sumptuous attire. In material, elaborate embroidery, and color, it had an imposing splendor. The tabernacle being adapted to the infantine aid of the church, it was right and necessary that the priests' garments should be of such superb and dazzling appearance, that the people might be inspired with a due respect for the ministers as well as the rites of religion. But they had also a further meaning; for being all made of linen, they were symbolical of the truth, purity, and other qualities in Christ that rendered Him such a high priest as became us.
6 ephod--It was a very gorgeous robe made of byssus, curiously embroidered, and dyed with variegated colors, and further enriched with golden tissue, the threads of gold being either originally interwoven or afterwards inserted by the embroiderer. It was short--reaching from the breast to a little below the loins--and though destitute of sleeves, retained its position by the support of straps thrown over each shoulder. These straps or braces, connecting the one with the back, the other with the front piece of which the tunic was composed, were united on the shoulder by two onyx stones, serving as buttons, and on which the names of the twelve tribes were engraved, and set in golden encasements. The symbolical design of this was, that the high priest, who bore the names along with him in all his ministrations before the Lord, might be kept in remembrance of his duty to plead their cause, and supplicate the accomplishment of the divine promises in their favor. The ephod was fastened by a girdle of the same costly materials, that is, dyed, embroidered, and wrought with threads of gold. It was about a handbreadth wide and wound twice round the upper part of the waist; it fastened in front, the ends hanging down at great length (
Rev 1:13).
15 thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work--a very splendid and richly embroidered piece of brocade, a span square, and doubled, to enable it the better to bear the weight of the precious stones in it. There were twelve different stones, containing each the name of a tribe, and arranged in four rows, three in each. The Israelites had acquired a knowledge of the lapidary's art in Egypt, and the amount of their skill in cutting, polishing, and setting precious stones, may be judged of by the diamond forming one of the engraved ornaments on this breastplate. A ring was attached to each corner, through which the golden chains were passed to fasten this brilliant piece of jewelry at the top and bottom tightly on the breast of the ephod.
30 thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and Thummim--The words signify "lights" and "perfections"; and nothing more is meant than the precious stones of the breastplate already described (compare
Exod 39:8-
Exod 39:21;
Lev 8:8). They received the name because the bearing of them qualified the high priest to consult the divine oracle on all public or national emergencies, by going into the holy place--standing close before the veil and putting his hand upon the Urim and Thummim, he conveyed a petition from the people and asked counsel of God, who, as the Sovereign of Israel, gave response from the midst of His glory. Little, however, is known about them. But it may be remarked that Egyptian judges wore on the breast of their official robes a representation of Justice, and the high priest in Israel long officiated also as a judge; so that some think the Urim and Thummim had a reference to his judicial functions.
31 the robe of the ephod all of blue--It was the middle garment, under the ephod and above the coat. It had a hole through which the head was thrust, and was formed carefully of one piece, such as was the robe of Christ (
John 19:23). The high priest's was of a sky-blue color. The binding at the neck was strongly woven, and it terminated below in a fringe, made of blue, purple, and scarlet tassels, in the form of a pomegranate, interspersed with small bells of gold, which tinkled as the wearer was in motion.
34 a golden bell and a pomegranate--The bells were hung between the pomegranates, which were said to have amounted to seventy-two, and the use of them seems to have been to announce to the people when the high priest entered the most holy place, that they might accompany him with their prayers, and also to remind himself to be attired in his official dress, to minister without which was death.
36 plate--literally, a petal of a flower, which seems to have been the figure of this golden plate, which was tied with a ribbon of blue on the front of the mitre, so that every one facing him could read the inscription.
37 mitre--crown-like cap for the head, not covering the entire head, but adhering closely to it, composed of fine linen. The Scripture has not described its form, but from JOSEPHUS we may gather that it was conical in shape, as he distinguishes the mitres of the common priests by saying that they were not conical--that it was encircled with swathes of blue embroidered, and that it was covered by one piece of fine linen to hide the seams.
39 coat of fine linen--a garment fastened at the neck, and reaching far down the person, with the sleeves terminating at the elbow.
girdle of needlework--a piece of fine twined linen, richly embroidered, and variously dyed. It is said to have been very long, and being many times wound round the body, it was fastened in front and the ends hung down, which, being an impediment to a priest in active duty, were usually thrown across the shoulders. This was the outer garment of the common priests.
40 bonnets--turbans.
42 linen breeches--drawers, which encompassed the loins and reached half way down the thighs. They are seen very frequently represented in Egyptian figures.
