1Avec la pourpre, l'écarlate et le cramoisi ils firent les vêtements du service, pour faire le service dans le sanctuaire, et ils firent les vêtements sacrés qui étaient pour Aaron, comme YEHOVAH l'avait commandé à Moïse. 2On fit donc l'éphod d'or, de pourpre, d'écarlate, de cramoisi et de fin lin retors. 3On étendit des lames d'or, et on les coupa en fils pour les mêler à la pourpre, à l'écarlate, au cramoisi et au fin lin, en ouvrage d'art. 4On fit à l'éphod des épaulettes qui se joignaient; il se joignait ainsi par ses deux extrémités. 5Et la ceinture pour l'attacher, qui se trouvait par-dessus, était de la même pièce et du même ouvrage: d'or, de pourpre, d'écarlate, de cramoisi et de fin lin retors, comme YEHOVAH l'avait commandé à Moïse. 6Et l'on enchâssa dans des chatons d'or, les pierres d'onyx, portant les noms des enfants d'Israël gravés en gravure de cachet. 7Et on les mit sur les épaulettes de l'éphod, pour être des pierres de mémorial pour les enfants d'Israël, comme YEHOVAH l'avait commandé à Moïse. 8On fit aussi le pectoral en ouvrage d'art, comme l'ouvrage de l'éphod: or, pourpre, écarlate, cramoisi et fin lin retors. 9Il était carré. L'on fit le pectoral double; sa longueur était d'un empan, et sa largeur d'un empan, en double. 10Et on le garnit de quatre rangs de pierres: au premier rang, une sardoine, une topaze et une émeraude; 11Au second rang, une escarboucle, un saphir et une calcédoine; 12Au troisième rang, une opale, une agate et une améthyste; 13Au quatrième rang, un chrysolithe, un onyx et un jaspe. Ces pierres furent entourées de chatons d'or dans leurs montures. 14Et les pierres, selon les noms des enfants d'Israël, étaient au nombre de douze, d'après leurs noms; elles portaient, en gravure de cachet, chacune le nom d'une des douze tribus. 15Puis l'on fit sur le pectoral des chaînettes tordues en façon de cordons en or pur. 16On fit aussi deux agrafes d'or et deux anneaux d'or, et on mit les deux anneaux aux deux extrémités du pectoral. 17Et l'on mit les deux cordons aux deux anneaux, aux extrémités du pectoral. 18Et l'on mit les deux extrémités des deux cordons aux deux agrafes, sur les épaulettes de l'éphod, sur le devant. 19On fit aussi deux autres anneaux d'or, et on les mit aux deux autres extrémités du pectoral sur le bord, qui était du côté de l'éphod, en dedans. 20On fit encore deux autres anneaux d'or, et on les mit aux deux épaulettes de l'éphod par le bas, sur le devant, à côté de l'endroit où il se joint, au-dessus de la ceinture de l'éphod. 21Et on attacha le pectoral par ses anneaux aux anneaux de l'éphod, avec un cordon de pourpre, afin qu'il tînt sur la ceinture de l'éphod, et que le pectoral ne se détachât pas de l'éphod, comme YEHOVAH l'avait commandé à Moïse. 22On fit aussi la robe de l'éphod en tissu simple, entièrement de pourpre. 23Et l'ouverture pour passer la tête, au milieu de la robe, était comme l'ouverture d'une cotte d'armes; il y avait une bordure à son ouverture, tout autour, afin qu'elle ne se déchirât point. 24Et l'on mit aux bords de la robe des grenades de pourpre, d'écarlate et de cramoisi, en fil retors. 25On fit aussi des clochettes d'or pur; et l'on mit les clochettes entre les grenades aux bords de la robe, tout autour, entre les grenades: 26Une clochette et une grenade, une clochette et une grenade, aux bords de la robe, tout autour, pour faire le service, comme YEHOVAH l'avait commandé à Moïse. 27On fit aussi les tuniques de fin lin, en tissu simple, pour Aaron et pour ses fils. 28Et la tiare de fin lin, et les ornements des mitres de fin lin, et les caleçons de lin, de fin lin retors; 29Et la ceinture de fin lin retors, de pourpre, d'écarlate et de cramoisi, en tissu de broderie, comme YEHOVAH l'avait commandé à Moïse. 30On fit aussi d'or pur la lame, la couronne sainte, et l'on y écrivit, d'une écriture en gravure de cachet: SAINTETÉ À YEHOVAH. 31Et on y mit un cordon de pourpre, pour la mettre sur la tiare, en haut, comme YEHOVAH l'avait commandé à Moïse. 32Ainsi fut achevé tout l'ouvrage du Tabernacle, de la tente d'assignation; et les enfants d'Israël firent selon tout ce que YEHOVAH avait commandé à Moïse; ils firent ainsi. 33Et ils apportèrent le Tabernacle à Moïse, la tente, et tous ses ustensiles, ses crochets, ses planches, ses traverses, ses colonnes et ses soubassements; 34La couverture de peaux de béliers teintes en rouge, et la couverture de peaux de couleur d'hyacinthe, et le voile de tenture; 35L'arche du Témoignage et ses barres, et le propitiatoire; 36La table avec tous ses ustensiles, et le pain du témoignage, 37Le lampadaire pur, avec les lampes, les lampes arrangées, et tous ses ustensiles, et l'huile du luminaire; 38L'autel d'or, l'huile de l'onction, le parfum d'aromates, et la tapisserie de l'entrée du tabernacle, 39L'autel d'airain et sa grille d'airain, avec ses barres, et tous ses ustensiles, la cuve et sa base, 40Les tentures du parvis, ses colonnes, ses soubassements, la tapisserie pour la porte du parvis, ses cordes, ses pieux, et tous les ustensiles du service du Tabernacle, pour la tente d'assignation; 41Les vêtements du service, pour faire le service dans le sanctuaire, les vêtements sacrés pour Aaron le sacrificateur, et les vêtements de ses fils pour exercer la sacrificature. 42Les enfants d'Israël avaient fait toute la tâche, suivant tout ce que YEHOVAH avait commandé à Moïse. 43Et Moïse examina tout l'ouvrage, et voici, ils l'avaient fait tel que YEHOVAH l'avait commandé; ils l'avaient fait ainsi; et Moïse les bénit.
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.