1"Harás que se acerque a ti, de entre los hijos de Israel, tu hermano Aarón y sus hijos con él, para que Aarón y sus hijos Nadab, Abihú, Eleazar e Itamar me sirvan como sacerdotes. 2Harás vestiduras sagradas para tu hermano Aarón, que le den gloria y esplendor. 3Tú hablarás a todos los sabios de corazón, a quienes he llenado de espíritu de sabiduría, y ellos harán las vestiduras de Aarón, para consagrarlo a fin de que me sirva como sacerdote. 4Las vestiduras que serán confeccionadas son las siguientes: el pectoral, el efod, la túnica, el vestido a cuadros, el turbante y el cinturón. Harán las vestiduras sagradas para tu hermano Aarón y para sus hijos, a fin de que me sirvan como sacerdotes. 5"Tomarán oro, material azul, púrpura, carmesí y lino; 6y harán el efod de oro, de material azul, de púrpura, de carmesí y de lino torcido, obra de fina artesanía. 7Tendrá dos hombreras que se junten a sus dos extremos, para poderse unir. 8Su ceñidor para ajustar el efod, que estará sobre éste, será de su misma hechura y de los mismos materiales: oro, azul, púrpura, carmesí y lino torcido. 9Tomarás dos piedras de ónice y grabarás en ellas los nombres de los hijos de Israel: 10seis de sus nombres en una piedra y los nombres de los seis restantes en la otra piedra, conforme al orden de su nacimiento. 11Por mano de grabador en piedra y con grabadura de sello, harás grabar aquellas dos piedras con los nombres de los hijos de Israel, y les harás engastes de oro alrededor. 12Y pondrás aquellas piedras sobre las hombreras del efod, como piedras memoriales para los hijos de Israel. Aarón llevará sus nombres delante de Jehovah, sobre sus dos hombreras, como memorial. 13Harás engastes de oro, 14y dos cadenillas de oro puro, trenzadas como cordón, y fijarás en los engastes las cadenillas trenzadas como cordón. 15"Harás el pectoral del juicio, obra de fina artesanía; lo harás como la hechura del efod: de oro, de material azul, de púrpura, de carmesí y de lino torcido. 16Será cuadrado y plegado; será de un palmo de largo y de un palmo de ancho. 17Lo llenarás con los engastes de piedras, con cuatro hileras de piedras: La primera hilera tendrá un rubí, un topacio y un berilo. 18La segunda hilera tendrá una turquesa, un zafiro y un diamante. 19La tercera hilera tendrá un jacinto, un ágata y una amatista. 20La cuarta hilera tendrá un crisólito, un ónice y un jaspe. Estas piedras estarán montadas en engastes de oro. 21Las piedras corresponderán a los nombres de los hijos de Israel; serán doce como sus nombres. Corresponderán a las doce tribus, como grabaduras de sello, cada una con su nombre. 22"Harás sobre el pectoral cadenillas trenzadas como cordón, de oro puro. 23Harás también sobre el pectoral dos anillos de oro, los cuales pondrás en los dos extremos del pectoral. 24Meterás los dos cordones de oro en los dos anillos, en los extremos del pectoral. 25Los dos extremos de ambos cordones fijarás sobre los dos engastes, y los fijarás a las hombreras del efod en su parte delantera. 26"Harás también otros dos anillos de oro, los que pondrás en los dos extremos del pectoral, en el borde que está al lado interior del efod. 27Harás también otros dos anillos de oro y los fijarás en la parte inferior de las dos hombreras del efod, en su parte delantera, frente a su unión sobre el ceñidor del efod. 28Así atarán el pectoral por sus anillos a los anillos del efod con un cordón azul, para que esté sobre el ceñidor del efod y para que el pectoral no se desprenda del efod. 29Y cuando Aarón entre en el santuario, llevará los nombres de los hijos de Israel en el pectoral del juicio sobre su corazón, para memorial continuo delante de Jehovah. 30"Y pondrás el Urim y el Tumim en el pectoral del juicio, para que estén sobre el corazón de Aarón cuando entre a la presencia de Jehovah. Así llevará continuamente Aarón el juicio de los hijos de Israel sobre su corazón, en presencia de Jehovah. 31"Harás la túnica del efod toda de material azul. 32En medio de ella, en la parte superior, habrá una abertura que tendrá un borde alrededor. Será obra de tejedor, como la abertura de una coraza de cuero, para que no se rompa. 33En sus bordes inferiores harás granadas de material azul, de púrpura y de carmesí; y entre ellas y alrededor de sus bordes harás campanillas de oro: 34campanilla de oro y granada, luego campanilla de oro y granada, alrededor de los bordes de la túnica. 35Aarón las llevará cuando ministre. Su sonido se oirá cuando entre en el santuario delante de Jehovah, y cuando salga, para que no muera. 36"Harás de oro puro una lámina en forma de flor, y grabarás en ella con grabadura de sello: ‘Consagrado a Jehovah.’ 37La colocarás sobre un cordón azul, y estará sobre el turbante; estará en la parte delantera del turbante. 38Estará sobre la frente de Aarón, y Aarón cargará con la culpa relacionada con las cosas sagradas que los hijos de Israel hayan consagrado, todos sus obsequios sagrados. Estará continuamente sobre su frente para que hallen gracia delante de Jehovah. 39"Tejerás a cuadros un vestido de lino y harás un turbante de lino. Harás también un cinturón, obra de bordador. 40También harás vestidos y cinturones para los hijos de Aarón, y les harás turbantes para gloria y esplendor. 41Con ellos vestirás a tu hermano Aarón, y con él a sus hijos. Los ungirás, los investirás y los consagrarás para que me sirvan como sacerdotes. 42"También les harás pantalones de lino para cubrir su desnudez desde la cintura hasta los muslos. 43Aarón y sus hijos estarán vestidos con ellos cuando entren en el tabernáculo de reunión, o cuando se acerquen al altar para servir en el santuario; no sea que carguen con la culpa y mueran. Este es un estatuto perpetuo para él y para sus descendientes 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.