1Hicieron las vestiduras tejidas de material azul, de púrpura y de carmesí, para servir en el santuario. Hicieron las vestiduras sagradas para Aarón, como Jehovah había mandado a Moisés. 2Hicieron el efod de oro, de material azul, de púrpura, de carmesí y de lino torcido. 3Extendieron láminas de oro e hicieron hilos para tejerlos junto con el material azul, la púrpura, el carmesí y el lino, obra de fina artesanía. 4Le hicieron hombreras que se juntaban sobre él en sus dos extremos, para poderse unir. 5Su ceñidor para ajustar el efod, el cual está sobre éste, era de la misma hechura y de los mismos materiales: oro, azul, púrpura, carmesí y lino torcido, como Jehovah había mandado a Moisés. 6Labraron las piedras de ónice con engastes de oro alrededor. Fueron grabadas con grabadura de sello, con los nombres de los hijos de Israel. 7Y las pusieron sobre las hombreras del efod, como piedras memoriales para los hijos de Israel, como Jehovah había mandado a Moisés. 8Hicieron también el pectoral, obra de fina artesanía como la hechura del efod: de oro, de material azul, de púrpura, de carmesí y de lino torcido. 9Era cuadrado y plegado; hicieron el pectoral de un palmo de largo y de un palmo de ancho, plegado. 10Engastaron en él cuatro hileras de piedras: La primera hilera tenía un rubí, un topacio y un berilo. 11La segunda hilera tenía una turquesa, un zafiro y un diamante. 12La tercera hilera tenía un jacinto, un ágata y una amatista. 13La cuarta hilera tenía un crisólito, un ónice y un jaspe. Estas piedras estaban montadas en engastes de oro. 14Estas piedras correspondían a los nombres de los hijos de Israel; eran doce como sus nombres. Correspondían a las doce tribus, como grabaduras de sello, cada una con su nombre. 15Hicieron también sobre el pectoral las cadenillas trenzadas como cordón, de oro puro. 16Asimismo, hicieron los dos engastes de oro y los dos anillos de oro, y pusieron los anillos en los dos extremos del pectoral. 17Metieron los dos cordones de oro en los dos anillos en los extremos del pectoral, 18y fijaron los dos extremos de los dos cordones en los dos engastes y los fijaron sobre las hombreras del efod, en su parte delantera. 19Hicieron otros dos anillos de oro que pusieron en los dos extremos del pectoral, en el borde que está al lado interior del efod. 20Hicieron otros dos anillos de oro y los fijaron en la parte inferior de las dos hombreras del efod, en su parte delantera, frente a su unión sobre el ceñidor del efod. 21Después ataron el pectoral por sus anillos a los anillos del efod con un cordón azul, para que estuviese sobre el ceñidor del efod y para que el pectoral no se desprendiese del efod, como Jehovah había mandado a Moisés. 22Hizo también la túnica del efod, obra de tejedor, toda de material azul. 23La túnica tenía una abertura en medio de ella como abertura de coraza de cuero, con un borde alrededor de la abertura, para que no se rompiera. 24En los bordes inferiores de la túnica hicieron las granadas de material azul, de púrpura, de carmesí y de lino torcido. 25También hicieron las campanillas de oro puro, y las pusieron entre las granadas alrededor de los bordes de la túnica: 26campanilla y granada, luego campanilla y granada, alrededor de los bordes de la túnica, para servir, como Jehovah había mandado a Moisés. 27También hicieron para Aarón y sus hijos el vestido de lino, obra de tejedor. 28Hicieron de lino el turbante y los adornos de los otros turbantes. Y los pantalones fueron hechos de lino torcido. 29También el cinturón era de lino torcido, de material azul, de púrpura y de carmesí, obra de bordador, como Jehovah había mandado a Moisés. 30Asimismo, hicieron de oro puro una lámina en forma de flor para la diadema sagrada, y con grabadura de sello inscribieron en ella: "Consagrado a Jehovah." 31Sobre ella pusieron un cordón azul, para colocarla en alto sobre el turbante, como Jehovah había mandado a Moisés. 32Así fue acabada toda la obra de la morada, el tabernáculo de reunión. Los hijos de Israel hicieron conforme a todo lo que Jehovah había mandado a Moisés; así lo hicieron. 33Llevaron a Moisés el tabernáculo, la tienda y todos sus accesorios: sus ganchos, sus tablones, sus travesaños, sus pilares, sus bases, 34la cubierta de pieles de carneros teñidas de rojo, la cubierta de pieles finas, el velo de separación; 35el arca del testimonio, sus varas y el propiciatorio; 36la mesa con todos sus utensilios y el pan de la Presencia; 37el candelabro de oro puro, su hilera de lámparas y todos sus utensilios; el aceite para la iluminación; 38el altar de oro, el aceite de la unción, el incienso aromático, la cortina de la entrada del tabernáculo; 39el altar de bronce con su rejilla de bronce, sus varas y todos sus utensilios; la fuente y su base, 40las mamparas del atrio, sus pilares, sus bases, la cortina de la entrada del atrio, sus cuerdas, sus estacas y todos los utensilios para el servicio en la morada, el tabernáculo de reunión; 41las vestiduras de material tejido, para servir en el santuario, las vestiduras sagradas para el sacerdote Aarón y las vestiduras de sus hijos, para servir como sacerdotes. 42Los hijos de Israel hicieron todo el trabajo conforme a todo lo que Jehovah había mandado a Moisés. 43Moisés vio toda la obra, y he aquí que la habían hecho como Jehovah había mandado; así la habían hecho. Y Moisés los bendijo.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 In this account of the making of the priests' garments, according to the instructions given (ch. 28), we may observe, 1. That the priests' garments are called here
clothes of service, Exod 39:1. Note, Those that wear robes of honour must look upon them as clothes of service; for from those upon whom honour is put service is expected. It is said of those that are arrayed in white robes that they
are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, Revel 7:13,
Revel 7:15. Holy garments were not made for men to sleep in, or to strut in, but to do service in; and then they are indeed for glory and beauty. The Son of man himself
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. 2. That all the six paragraphs here, which give a distinct account of the making of these holy garments, conclude with those words,
as the Lord commanded Moses, Exod 39:5,
Exod 39:7,
Exod 39:21,
Exod 39:26,
Exod 39:29,
Exod 39:31. The like is not in any of the foregoing accounts, as if in these, more than any other of the appurtenances of the tabernacle, they had a particular regard to the divine appointment, both for warrant and for direction. It is an intimation to all the Lord's ministers to make the word of God their rule in all their ministrations, and to act in observance of and obedience to the command of God. 3. That these garments, in conformity to the rest of the furniture of the tabernacle, were very rich and splendid; the church in its infancy was thus taught, thus pleased, with the rudiments of this world; but now under the gospel, which is the ministration of the Spirit, to affect and impose such pompous habits as the church of Rome does, under pretence of decency and instruction, is to betray
the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and to entangle the church again in the bondage of those carnal ordinances which were imposed only till the time of reformation. 4. That they were all shadows of good things to come, but the substance is Christ, and the grace of the gospel; when therefore the substance has come, it is a jest to be fond of the shadow. (1.) Christ is our great high-priest; when he undertook the work of our redemption, he put on the clothes of service - he arrayed himself with the gifts and graces of the Spirit, which he received not by measure - girded himself with the curious girdle of resolution, to go through with his undertaking - charged himself with the curious girdle of resolution, to go through with his undertaking - charged himself with all God's spiritual Israel, bore them on his shoulders, carried them in his bosom, laid them near his heart, engraved them on the palms of his hands, and presented them in the breast-plate of judgment unto his Father. And (lastly) he crowned himself with
holiness to the Lord, consecrating his whole undertaking to the honour of his Father's holiness: now consider how great this man is. (2.) True believers are spiritual priests. The clean linen with which all their clothes of service must be made is
the righteousness of saints (
Revel 19:8), and
Holiness to the Lord must be so written upon their foreheads that all who converse with them may see, and say, that they bear the image of God's holiness, and are devoted to the praise of it.
32 Observe here, I. The builders of the tabernacle made very good despatch. It was not much more than five months from the beginning to the finishing of it. Though there was a great deal of fine work about it, such as is usually the work of time, embroidering and engraving, not only in gold, but in precious stones, yet they went through with it in a little time. Church-work is usually slow work, but they made quick work of this, and yet did it with the greatest exactness imaginable. For, 1. Many hands were employed, all unanimous, and not striving with each other. This expedited the business, and made it easy. 2. The workmen were taught of God, and so were kept from making blunders, which would have retarded them. 3. The people were hearty and zealous in the work, and impatient till it was finished. God had prepared their hearts, and then
the thing was done suddenly, 2Chr 29:36. Resolution and industry, and a cheerful application of mind, will, by the grace of God, bring a great deal of good work to pass in a little time, in less than one would expect.
II. They punctually observed their orders, and did not in the least vary from them. They did it
according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, Exod 39:32,
Exod 39:42. Note, God's work must be done, in every thing, according to his own will. His institutions neither need nor admit men's inventions to make them either more beautiful or more likely to answer the intention of them.
Add thou not unto his words. God is pleased with willing worship, but not with will-worship.
III. They brought all their work to Moses, and submitted it to his inspection and censure,
Exod 39:33. He knew what he had ordered them to make; and now the particulars were called over, and all produced, that Moses might see both that they had made all, omitting nothing, and that they had made all according to the instructions given them, and that, if they had made a mistake in any thing, it might be forthwith rectified. Thus they showed respect to Moses, who was set over them in the Lord; not objecting that Moses did not understand such work, and therefore that there was no reason for submitting it to his judgment. No, that God who gave them so much knowledge as to do the work gave them also so much humility as to be willing to have it examined and compared with the model. Moses was in authority, and they would pay a deference to his place.
The spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets. And besides, though they knew how to do the work better than Moses, Moses had a better and more exact idea of the model than they had, and therefore they could not be well pleased with their own work, unless they had his approbation. Thus in all the services of religion we should
labour to be accepted of the Lord. IV. Moses, upon search, found all done according to the rule,
Exod 39:43. Moses, both for their satisfaction and for his own, did look upon all the work, piece by piece, and behold they had done it according to the pattern shown him, for the same Being that showed him the pattern guided their hand in the work. All the copies of God's grace exactly agree with the original of his counsels: what God works in us, and by us, is the fulfilling of the good pleasure of his own goodness; and when the mystery of God shall be finished, and all his performances come to be compared with his purposes, it will appear that behold all is done according to the counsel of his own will, not one iota or tittle of which shall fall to the ground, or be varied from.
V. Moses blessed them. 1. He commended them, and signified his approbation of all they had done. He did not find fault where there was none, as some do, who think they disparage their own judgment if they do not find something amiss in the best and most accomplished performance. In all this work it is probable there might have been found here and there a stitch amiss, and a stroke awry, which would have served for an over-curious and censorious critic to animadvert upon; but Moses was too candid to notice small faults where there were no great ones. Note, All governors must be a praise to those that do well, as well as a terror to evil-doers. Why should any take a pride in being hard to be pleased? 2. He not only praised them, but prayed for them. He blessed them as one having authority, for the less is blessed of the better. We read not of any wages that Moses paid them for their work, but this blessing he gave them. For, though ordinarily the labourer be worthy of his hire, yet in this case, 1. They wrought for themselves. The honour and comfort of God's tabernacle among them would be recompence enough.
If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself. 2. They had their meat from heaven on free-cost, for themselves and their families, and their raiment waxed not old upon them; so that they neither needed wages nor had reason to expect any.
Freely you have received, freely give. The obligations we lie under, both in duty and interest, to serve God, should be sufficient to quicken us to our work, though we had not a reward in prospect. But, 3. This blessing, in the name of the Lord, was wages enough for all their work. Those whom God employs he will bless, and those whom he blesses are blessed indeed. The blessing he commands is
life for evermore.