Exodus 28:29-43

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 28:15-30

The most considerable of the ornaments of the high priest was this breast-plate, a rich piece of cloth, curiously wrought with gold and purple, etc., two spans long and a span broad, so that, being doubled, it was a span square, Exod. 28:16. This was fastened to the ephod with wreathen chains of gold (Exod. 28:13, 14, 22) both at top and bottom, so that the breast-plate might not be loosed from the ephod, Exod. 28:28. The ephod was the garment of service; the breast-plate of judgment was an... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 28:31-39

Here is, 1. Direction given concerning the robe of the ephod, Exod. 28:31-35. This was next under the ephod, and reached down to the knees, was without sleeves, and was put on over their head, having holes on the sides to put the arms through, or, as Maimonides describes it, was not sewed together on the sides at all. The hole on the top, through which the head was put, was carefully bound about, that it might not tear in the putting on. In religious worship, care must be taken to prevent... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 28:40-43

We have here, 1. Particular orders about the vestments of the inferior priests. They were to have coats, and girdles, and bonnets, of the same materials with those of the high priest; but there was a difference in shape between their bonnets and his mitre. Theirs, as his, were to be for glory and beauty (Exod. 28:40), that they might look great in their ministration: yet all this glory was nothing compared with the glory of grace, this beauty nothing to the beauty of holiness, of which these... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 28:29

And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart ,.... Their names being engraven on the stones, and the stones put into the breastplate of judgment, and this breastplate hanging down upon the breast and heart of Aaron, he was a representative of the twelve tribes of Israel, as Christ his antitype is the representative of the whole Israel of God; and who lie near the heart of Christ, are set as a seal upon it, are engraven on the palms of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 28:30

And thou shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim ,.... What these interpreters are at a loss about, both Jewish and Christian; some have confessed their ignorance of them, have conjectured they were only these two words and put in the duplicature of the breastplate; that the name of Jehovah, with other divine were put there and so called; and some have that they were little images, the same with the teraphim, the high priest carried in the folds of breastplate, by... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 28:31

And thou shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. This was a different garment from the ephod, was longer than that, and was under it, and of different materials: that was made of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen; this only of linen, and wholly of a blue colour, without any curious figures upon it, as were on that: in Exodus 39:22 , it is said to be of woven work; it was woven from top to bottom, and had no seam in it: so Josephus says F2 Antiqu. l. 3. c. 7. sect. 4. ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 28:32

And there shall be a hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof ,.... At the neck of it, for the high priest to put his head through when he put it on: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it ; a large hem or selvage, perhaps of the same kind of woven stuff the robe itself was made of, and this was done to strengthen it: as it were the hole of an habergeon ; a corslet or coat of mail: that it be not rent ; when the high priest put it on; or through the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 28:33

And beneath upon the hem of it ,.... Or the skirts of it, at the bottom of the robe: thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof ; these were figures made of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, in the form of pomegranates: Jarchi says they were round and hollow, and made like hens' eggs, about the size of them, and of an oval form: and bells of gold between them round about ; according to some, the bells were put into the pomegranates,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 28:34

A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate ,.... First a golden bell and then a pomegranate, then a bell and then a pomegranate again, and so on: upon the hem of the robe round about ; all round the hem or skirts of the robe were they placed in this manner: the Targum of Jonathan says, the sum or number of them were seventy one; but Maimonides F3 Hilchot Cele Hamikdash, c. 9. sect. 4. says there were seventy two, thirty six in each skirt; and so says R. Levi... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 28:35

And it shall be upon Aaron to minister ,.... That is, the robe before described shall be put upon him, that he might minister in the priest's office, for without this, as well as the other garments, he might not: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out ; by means of which the priests would have notice that they might depart, and he be alone in his ministrations; or rather, that the people might know his going out and... read more

Group of Brands