Exodus 28

Ex. 28 1 And bring thou near unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, 2 Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. And thou shalt make holy garments 3 for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to 4 sanctify him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a coat of chequer work, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons,

5 that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And they shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, 7 the work of the cunning workman. It shall have two shoulderpieces joined to the two ends 8 thereof; that it may be joined together. And the cunningly woven band, which is upon it, to gird it on withal, shall be like the work thereof and of the same piece; of gold, of blue, 9 and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and 10 grave on them the names of the children of Israel: six of their names on the one stone, and 11 the names of the six that remain on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be inclosed in 12 ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulderpieces of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the 13 LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial. And thou shalt make ouches of gold: and two 14 chains of pure gold; like cords shalt thou make them, of wreathen work: and thou shalt put the wreathen chains on the ouches.15 And thou shalt make a breastplate of judgement, the word of the cunning workman; like the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine 16 twined linen, shalt thou make it. Foursquare it shall be and double; a span shall be the 17 length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, 18 four rows of stones: a row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; and the 19 second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and 20 an amethyst; and the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be inclosed 21 in gold in their settings. And the stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according 22 to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes. And thou shalt make upon the breastplate 23 chains like cords, of wreathen work of pure gold. And thou shalt make upon the breastplate 24 two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastplate. 25 And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt put on the two ouches, and put 26 them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, in the forepart thereof. And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, upon the edge. 27 thereof, which is toward the side of the ephod inward. And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and shalt put them on the two shoulderpieces of the ephod underneath in the forepart 28 thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the cunningly woven band of the ephod. And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be upon the cunningly woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate 29 be not loosed from the ephod. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgement upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a 30 memorial before the LORD continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgement the Urim and the Thummim; [that is, the Lights and the Perfections:] and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgement of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.31 And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. And it shall have a hole for the 32 head in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, 33 as it were the hole of a coat of mail, that it be not rent. And upon the skirts of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the skirts thereof; 34 and bells of gold between them round about: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell 35 and a pomegranate, upon the skirts of the robe round about. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and the sound thereof shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, 37 HOLY TO THE LORD. And thou shalt put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be upon the mitre; 38 upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the 39 LORD. And thou shalt weave the coat in chequer work of fine linen, and thou shalt make a

40 mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make a girdle, the work of the embroiderer. And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and headtires shalt 41 thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and upon his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanc- 42 tify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they 43 shall reach: and they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they go in unto the tent of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and unto his seed after him.

Ex. §§ 1-31 The holy garments made, “as the LORD commanded Moses.”

The Jews were in the midst of the vast masses of heathendom; they were set apart to be a people to reflect the character and holiness and to maintain the worship of the living and the true God. Their tendency, as their whole history shows, was to borrow from surrounding nations, and so they came by and by to fall into the practices of the heathen. God, therefore, in order to leave no opening by which there could be the admission of anything extrinsic, foreign, or heathen, laid down these excessively minute specifications, that the people might in all things have a law, a rule, and a guide to act by. No one can read the whole of these arrangements about the high-priest, and these regulations about the tabernacle economy, and then compare with them the Epistle to the Hebrews, without seeing that no chance could have made Christ in all things so minutely to correspond to them; and that nothing but a preconcerted arrangement on God’s part, to set forth the Saviour, under types and figures and shadows, to the Jews, could have made the harmony between Christ, the end of the Law, and the shadows that prefigured him. J. C.

The Jewish religion was, in its several particular institutions, intended to typify and prefigure the more perfect dispensation of the Gospel. That the Jewish high-priest was a manifest type of our Lord and Saviour, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews has frequently declared. So the tabernacle itself was a type of our Redeemer dwelling in our nature (John 1:14), as was the ark in the holy of holies, with its mercy-seat, an emblem of Him from whose mouth we have received the Law, and whose satisfaction to Divine justice is our true propitiatory or mercy-seat. In like manner the several altars appointed in the tabernacle and the sacrifices appointed to be performed upon them equally lead us to Christ and his dispensation. Since the chief end of the several institutions relating to the ceremonial part of the Jewish worship was to prefigure the person and transactions of our blessed Saviour, so the ceremonies appointed under it could never be of any esteem in the sight of God except as they tended to promote this end, and to prepare men’s minds for the reception of a more perfect institution of religion. Stackhouse.

Previous to this time there was probably no separate order of priesthood in the Church of God; but every father was the priest of his family, as in killing the lamb of the passover and sprinkling the blood, or each worshipper had been at liberty to transact the business of sacrifice as he pleased. So far, in the history of Israel as redeemed from Egypt, Moses seems to have officiated occasionally as priest, as in the case of offering the sacrifice and sprinkling the blood of the covenant; or he selected young men as temporary priests. But the erection of a special place of worship most notably carried with it the setting up of an order of priesthood, with ritual of worship. The very name “cohen,” which we translate “priest,” is supposed by the critics to denote the idea of a familiar friend of God. The distinctive function of the office was to receive and present to God, as his nearest friend and associate, that which belonged to him. The three great elements entering into the idea of their position and office were: That they are chosen by Jehovah himself to be his. That they are officially holy in a pre-eminent sense. That they have, by reason of their election and holiness, the privilege of drawing near to God, as holding a position intermediate between man and God, and therefore of mediators. The apostle defines their position as thus “ordained for men in things pertaining to God.” They were, therefore, in a certain sense charged with the interests of both parties, having to transact unto God in behalf of those whose sins have separated them from him. S. R.

As chosen and set apart for God, Israel was his heritage among the nations; and as similarly chosen and set apart for the special work of the priesthood, the family of Aaron was his heritage in Israel. The privilege was to be theirs of drawing peculiarly near to God, and their first qualification for using it was that they were the objects of his choice. Their designation and appointment must be from above—not derived from the choice of their fellow-men—

“for no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” The grounds of the Divine choice in the case of Aaron are nowhere given. P. F.

1. Bring thou near Aaron and his sons.** Moses is directed to consecrate Aaron, although he was never himself dedicated by anointing and investiture to the service of God; whence we perceive that the sacraments have their power and effect not from the virtue of the minister, but only from the commandment of God. Calv.

Eleazar and Ithamar are here mentioned for the first time, except in the genealogy (6 : 23). Eleazar succeeded his father in the high-priesthood, and was himself succeeded by his son Phinehas. But Eli, the next high-priest named in the history, was of the line of Ithamar. The representatives of both families held office at once in the time of David. Clark.

2. Holy garments.** Like the priestly class of contemporaneous peoples, the priesthood of Israel, also, was to be distinguished by a peculiar official dress. An entire chapter is devoted to its details. With a strong Egyptian caste throughout, it shows, perhaps, an equal acquaintance with the customs of a Shemitic ancestry. Linen was the fabric uniformly employed for clothing by the priests of Egypt; while, if we may trust the frescos of Egyptian dwellings, delight in colors was a marked Shemitic trait. Hence it may be seen that the directions for clothing the Jewish priests are everywhere stamped with marks of the Mosaic age. What is characteristic in them characterizes as well Oriental antiquities in general. E. C. B.

For glory and for beauty. These external ornaments denoted the want of those which are true and spiritual; for if the priest had been absolutely and entirely perfect, these typical accessories would have been superfluous. In order that Aaron might be a fit peacemaker between God and man, he put off his ordinary garments, and stood forth as a new man. Hence the holy garments were supposed to conceal his faults; and also to represent the incomparable adornment of all virtues. Calv.—So also the fine quality of the stuffs and the gold and diversified colors and rich embroidery appearing in the garments of the priesthood were designed to express the elevated rank and dignity of those who are recognized by God as sons in his house, permitted to draw near with confidence to his presence, and to go in and out before him. P. F.—These glorious garments were appointed: (1) That the priests themselves might be reminded of the dignity of their office, and behave themselves with due decorum. (2) That the people might be possessed with a holy reverence of that God whose ministers appeared in such grandeur. (3) That the priests might be types of Christ, who should offer himself without spot to God, and of all Christians who have the beauty of holiness put upon them, in which they are consecrated to God. Our adorning under the Gospel, both that of ministers and Christians, is not to be of gold and pearl and costly array, but the garments of salvation, and the robe of righteousness (Is. 61 : 10; Ps. 132 : 9, 16). H.

The garments appointed to be worn by the priesthood in their sacred ministrations were strikingly expressive of the holiness required in their personal state, while in certain parts of the high-priest’s dress other ideas besides were symbolized. The stuff of all of them was linen, and, with the exception of the more ornamental parts of the high-priest’s dress, must be understood to have been white. They are not expressly so called in the Pentateuch, but are incidentally described as white in 2 Ch. 5 : 12. The coolness and comparative freedom from perspiration attending the use of linen garments had led men to associate with them, especially in the burning clime of Egypt, the idea of cleanliness. Their symbolical use in an ethical religion like the Mosaic must have been expressive of inward purity; and hence in the symbolical language of Revelation we read so often of the white and clean garments of the heavenly inhabitants, which are expressly declared to mean “the righteousness of saints.” P. F.

3. Wise hearted.** As with the gifts of the Spirit in the New Testament, so we find in the Old Testament all natural gifts employed in the service of the kingdom of God ascribed to the Spirit of God. Geri.—Whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. So we find that ingenuity in arts and sciences comes from God. It is not intimated here that these persons were filled with the spirit of wisdom for this purpose only; for the direction to Moses is to select those whom he found to be expert artists; and those who were such, God shows by these words, had derived their knowledge from Himself. No man by course of reading or study ever acquired a genius of this kind; we call it natural and say it was born with the man: Moses teaches us to consider it as Divine. When I see COPERNICUS and KEPLER contributing to pull down the false systems of the universe, and NEWTON demonstrating the true one; and when I see the long list of useful inventors, by whose genius, industry, and skill long and tedious processes in the necessary arts of life have been shortened, labor greatly lessened, and much time and expense saved, I then see with Moses men who are wise-hearted, whom God has filled with the spirit of wisdom for these very purposes; that he might help man by man, and that as time rolls on he might give to his intelligent creatures such proofs of his Being, infinitely varied wisdom, and gracious Providence, as should cause them to depend on Him and give Him that glory which is due to his name. How pointedly does the Prophet Isaiah refer to this sort of teaching as coming from God, even in the most common and less difficult arts of life. The whole passage is worthy of serious attention (28:24-29). A. C.

Of the garments appointed to be made “for glory and for beauty,” out of the richest materials, four were common to the high-priests and to the ordinary priests—viz., the linen drawers, the linen coat, the linen girdle, and the bonnet—the bonnet or turban of the high-priest being termed a mitre. The other four were peculiar to the high-priest—viz., the ephod, with its remarkable girdle, the breast-plate, the long robe, with its bells and pomegranates, and the golden plate on his forehead. The ephod seems to have been a short, double apron, suspended by shoulder-straps before and behind the person, the two being connected together by clasps under two precious onyx stones on the top of the shoulders, engraved with the names of the tribes, and the whole bound close around the person by a “curious girdle,” which formed a part of the ephod itself. All parts of the ephod were “of gold, of blue, of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen work.” Next was the breast-plate. It was ordered to be “set in settings of stones, even four rows of stones;” and each of the stones was to be of different sort. “And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve.” In addition to this breast-plate upon the ephod, it was ordered: “Thou shalt put into the breast plate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim (’the lights and the perfections’), and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart when he goeth in before the Lord; and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart continually.” The third article peculiar to the dress of the high-priest was the “robe of the ephod, all of blue.” “And beneath, upon the hem of it, thou shalt make pomegranates of blue and of purple and of scarlet round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister, and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out that he die not.” The fourth article peculiar to the high-priest’s dress was the golden plate and mitre. “And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold and grave upon it like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And upon the forefront of the mitre shall it be. And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hallow in their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.” Such were the portions of dress peculiar to the high-priest. The other form common to the high-priests and other priests—the coat or tunic of fine linen “embroidered,” the girdles and bonnets “for glory and for beauty,” and the drawers of linen—need no other description than their names. S. R.

Carefully note the distinction between the ephod itself (“a double apron suspended by shoulder-straps before and behind the person”), and the two onyx stones attached to the ephod upon the shoulders. The names of the tribes were engraved upon the onyx stones (six on each stone) as well as upon the breast-plate, which also was fastened by chains and rings to the ephod. So that Aaron bore the names of the children of Israel “upon his shoulders,” and also “upon his heart,” “for a memorial before the LORD continually.” “Upon his shoulders, the seat of strength, and upon his heart, the seat of love” (Gibson). B.

The ephod, with its “curious girdle” and the onyx stones upon its shoulder-pieces, was the distinctive priestly garment. It hung upon the shoulders down to the waist, and was formed of the most costly and beautiful materials, corresponding exactly to those employed in the interior decoration of the holy place. The girdle was made of the same materials, with the same combination of colors. As garments were associated in the Hebrew mind with character, and the girdle with energy in work, we find in the correspondence of both with the interior of the holy place, a memorial of the necessity that those who enter the house of the Lord must be themselves holy and beautiful in character, and be engaged in high and holy service. But the most important part of the ephod were the shoulder-pieces, on which were set two onyx stones, with the names of the tribes engraved on them, six on the one and six on the other; and (verse 12) “Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial.” Here we have the idea of representation clearly and beautifully symbolized. The shoulders, to a Hebrew mind, were the symbol of strength; and the idea was, that when the high-priest entered the holy place he did not go alone, but carried with him on his strong shoulders the children of Israel, whom he represented; and the estimation in which the people were held was expressed in the value of the precious stones on which the names were engraved, and the setting of pure gold with which they were surrounded. J. M. G.

9. Two onyx stones. That the connection between the priest and the people might be made more plain, God not only placed on his breast the memorials of the twelve tribes, but also engraved their names on his shoulders. Thus the people would understand that this one man was not separated from the others for the sake of private advantage, but that in his one person they were all a kingdom of priests, which Peter teaches to have been at length really fulfilled in Christ (1 Pet. 2:5); as Isaiah had foretold that there should be priests of God and Levites brought from the Gentiles (66:21); to which John makes allusion in the apocalypse, where he says that we are all priests in Christ (Rev. 1:6). Hence arises our confidence of ascending to heaven because Christ raises us up with him; as Paul says, we “sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus;” however weak we may be in ourselves, herein is all our strength that we are his burden. Calv.—These two precious stones, on which the names of the children of Israel were engraved, were put upon the high-priest’s shoulders, and he was to bear them before the Lord upon his shoulders. How plainly does this point out the care that the great Redeemer takes of all that are his own! They are precious in his sight—they are his jewels; and “they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels.” M’Cheyne.

Ez. 28:15-29; 39:8-21.

Make it of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. Set in it four rows of stones, twelve, according to the names of the children of Israel.

The ephod and the hoshen, or breast-plate, which signified the kingly dignity, do not stand in subordinate relation the one to the other. They are both treated in the original as independent articles, yet at the same time making together one whole. The dignity also which they represent must in some way exhibit itself under a double aspect; and thus in fact was the kingly dignity, both among the Hebrews and all Oriental antiquity conceived of—viz., as uniting in itself the two grand prerogatives of lordship and judgment. Thus 1 Sam. 8:5, 6; 2 Sam. 15:4; 1 Kings 3:9. So Artemidorus remarks, “the ancients said that reigning was judging.” Now the “reigning dignity” is plainly indicated by the ephod, inasmuch as its distinguishing feature was the “shoulder-piece,” and the “shoulder” both in sacred and profane antiquity is considered as the “seat of sovereignty.” Thus Isaiah says of the Messiah

(ch. 9:5), “And the government shall be upon his shoulder.” The same idea was familiar among the Romans in India and in Egypt. As to what relates to the “judicial prerogative,” we need not go beyond the designation given in the original to the breast-plate—viz., breast-plate of judgment to show its symbolical bearing. Bahr.

That the Jewish High-Priest did indeed personify the whole body of the Israelites not only appears from this, that he bore the names of all the tribes on his breast and his shoulders—which unquestionably imported that he drew near to God in the name and stead of all—but also from the circumstance that when he committed any heinous sin, his guilt was imputed to the people. Thus in Lev. 4:3, “if the priest that is anointed sin to the trespass or guilt of the people.” When he sinned the people sinned, because he represented the whole people. And on this account it was that the sacrifice for a sin committed by him had to be offered as the public sacrifices were, which were presented for sin committed by the people at large; the blood must be brought into the holy place and the body burned without the camp. Vitringa.

We see the representative character of Christ’s priesthood and all its functions imaged in that of the High-Priest, possessing as he did the names of the twelve tribes upon his breast when he entered the tabernacle and having their cause and interest ever before him. Christ, in like manner, does nothing for himself, but only as the Shepherd and Saviour of his people. “For their sakes, he sanctified himself,” by laying down his life to purchase their redemption. All the real Israel whom the Father has given to him are borne upon his bosom within the veil, and shall assuredly reap the fruits of his successful mediation. P. F.—The priesthood of Aaron shadowed forth the infinitely greater and more glorious priesthood of Christ. In the execution of his office as the great high-priest of the Church, he was ordained to enter into the holy place, there to appear in the presence of God for us. This he has done. He ascended to heaven after his resurrection, that he might there complete the work he had begun on earth. On his heart are engraved the names of all his people, and not one of them is overlooked or forgotten. He presents them all before his Father, as the objects of his own kind and solicitous sympathy and care, and they are dear to the Father, because they are dear to the Son. Bush.

There still remains the wonderful truth of his continuous intercession for us. In its widest meaning that word expresses the whole of the manifold ways by which Christ undertakes and maintains our cause. But the narrower signification of prayer on our behalf is applicable, and is in Scripture applied, to our Lord. As on earth, the climax of all his intercourse with his disciples was that deep yet simple prayer which forms the holy of holies of John’s gospel, so in heaven his loftiest office for us is set forth under the figure of his intercession. Before the throne stands the slain Lamb, and therefore do the elders in the outer circle bring acceptable praises. Within the veil stands the priest, with the names of the tribes blazing on the breast-plate and on the shoulders of his robes, near the seat of love, near the arm of power. And whatever difficulty may surround that idea of Christ’s priestly intercession, this at all events is implied in it, that the mighty work which he accomplished on earth is ever present to the Divine mind as the ground of our acceptance and the channel of our blessings; and this further, that the utterance of Christ’s will is ever in harmony with the Divine purpose. A. M.—In the high-priestly prayer of our Lord, we find him commencing this office of intercession. “I pray for them,” says he of his disciples. The intercession then commenced; but it has been continuing ever since; it is prolonged through all time; it embraces not the apostles only, but every soul of the redeemed. The names upon the high-priest’s breast-plate betoken the individuality of Christ’s intercession for his people. Not a single want or woe of a single soul is forgotten by the God-Man, when he intercedes. E. M. G.

The probable opinion relative to the Urim and Thummim is, that they were in fact identical with the stones of the breast-plate, but called by this name from the instrumental uses which they were made to subserve in the symbolical economy of the priesthood. This opinion, which is held by Josephus, Philo, and most of the ancient Jewish doctors, and has been generally adopted by the moderns, is supported by the following considerations: (1) If the words Urim and Thummim be regarded as epithets, rather than names, applied to the stones, nothing could be more appropriate. From their intrinsic properties of splendor, brilliancy, and luminousness, they might very properly be termed Lights and Perfections, an expression supposed by many to be grammatically equivalent to most

perfect lights. This is the view of Braunius, who says that not only were precious stones to be employed, but they were to be the most shining and perfect of the kind. (2) If the Urim and Thummim were not the same with the gems of the breast-plate, it is wholly inexplicable that the sacred narrative gives us no account of them. While every other part of the ritual is described with scrupulous minuteness, how comes it that nothing is said of an article which, in obtaining responses from God, was absolutely indispensable and which was in every respect among the most important items of the whole apparatus? The silence of the historian, therefore, on this point must be regarded as strong evidence that the Urim and Thummim were identical with the stones. (3) It will be observed upon comparing Ex. 39 : 8-21 with Lev. 8 : 8, that in the description of the breast-plate, given in the former, while the rows of stones are mentioned, nothing is said of the Urim and Thummim; while in the latter, which speaks of the investiture of Aaron with the pontifical habit, the Urim and Thummim are mentioned, but the stones are passed over in silence. What inference more obvious than that these objects were in fact one and the same? Bush.

There was a congregation of all Israel, or assembly of the people, that all things might be done with general consent. There was a senate of wise and able persons to prepare things by previous deliberation and consultation that they might not be concluded rashly in a popular assembly, before they were maturely considered and examined by men of wisdom and experience. There was a judge to assemble the states-general on proper occasions, to preside in their assemblies, to command the armies of the united provinces, and to see the national resolutions duly executed. And finally, here was an oracle which was to be consulted by the high-priest on great occasions, that no rash resolutions of the people, senate, or judge might be brought into execution in cases of moment and difficulty; but they were to ask counsel of God, or to obtain the royal assent of Jehovah as king of Israel, by his oracle. This was a wise provision to preserve a continual sense in the Hebrew nation of the principal design of their constitution, to keep them from idolatry and to the worship of the one true God as their immediate protector; and that their security and prosperity depended upon adhering to his counsels and commands. Locman.

Between the time of Moses and the period when the prophetic office became recognized as the authoritative and inspired exponent of the Divine will, “the Urim and the Thummim” in the breast-plate of the high-priest was the medium through which God communicated his guidance in matters of great national importance and perplexity. This title first appears, without the least explanation, as if it was perfectly familiar in the times when the Book of Exodus was written. If familiar then they have not been so in modern days. As to the mere meaning of the words there is little conflict of opinion. But there is nothing in the mere meaning of the terms to determine their usage and significance, and almost as little in the historic narrative concerning the thing itself. Various theories have been held as to the nature of the Urim and the Thummim, and as to the method by which God made known his will thereby. Deane.—Whatever was the precise method through which the response was conveyed, the mode in which the priest acted is sufficiently plain. When any national emergency arose for which the Law had made no provision, the high-priest arrayed himself in his breast-plate and pontifical vestments, and went into the holy place, and standing close before the veil, but not entering within it, stated the question or difficulty, and received an answer. Several instances will occur of this manner of consulting the Lord. Pic. B.—During the transition period between the great Lawgiver and the full establishment of the prophetic office occurred the transfer of the true Theocracy of Jehovah to the mediate Theocracy of the Jewish king and the Jewish prophet. When the people in their haste and political ambition demanded a king, the power of the Urim and the Thummim began to decline. When Saul, the chosen king of the people, refused the prophetic teaching of Samuel and violated his allegiance to God, he lost this Divine decision; while David, through Abiathar (1 Sam. 23 : 6, 9-12), retained it in a modified form. And when at length the God-chosen king ascended the throne, and Jehovah established his house forever, the previous Theocracy became embodied in the kingly office, and the Urim and the Thummim gave place to the grand succession of Jewish prophets. The Urim and Thummim derive their significance, therefore, from the direct government of the Israelites by Jehovah. By means of these mysterious symbols he guided the destinies of the nation in matters of great public importance and perplexity. And when at length a visible king reigned by Divine appointment, the counsel of the Urim and the Thummim passed into the public ministry of the prophets, which modified and controlled the political organizations of the kings.

But if the office of the Urim and the Thummim departed with the establishment of the Jewish monarchy and prophets, their influence and symbolic teaching still survive. That which in the olden Jewish times was the prerogative of the few, becomes in Christian days the privilege of the many. Christ makes all his faithful followers “kings and priests unto God.” And much of the sacred symbolism that gathered around the ancient priesthood now gathers in another form around the believer in Christ. Mere symbols have given place to true spiritual power. The whole history of religious feeling, from the first dawn of light upon Abraham’s mind till the consummation of the promises in Christ, has been one long struggle of the spiritual reality against its material surroundings. Symbols had their effect in leading the mind up to the underlying essence; but when at length, in the full light of Gospel truth, we have the Spirit of God made manifest in the hearts and consciences of Christians, the symbols have done their duty and pass away as obsolete memorials of an imperfect past. The Spirit of God which once underlay the symbols and spake through them to the devout mind now communicates directly with the heart, and needs no material intervention. G. Deane.

It is called the “robe of the ephod” simply because it was worn immediately under it. Its Hebrew name is meil, rendered in the Greek an under-garment reaching down to the feet. The meil was a distinguishing priestly vestment, and therefore Christ appears (Rev. 1 : 13) “clothed with a garment down to the feet,” to show himself the great high priest of the Church. It was a long linen gown, all of one piece, and so formed as to be put on over the head, and with openings or arm-holes in the sides in place of sleeves. Round its lower border were tassels made of blue, purple, and scarlet, in the form of pomegranates, interspersed with small gold bells, in order to make a noise when the high priest went into or came out from the holy place. Bush.

The robe of the ephod was a long robe, worn under the ephod and appearing below it. It was all of blue, the heavenly color, as was the cloth which covered the ark when it was carried on the priests’ shoulders in sight of the people (Nu. 4 : 5, 6). Chief attention is directed to its hem, which consisted of a fringe adorned with bells and pomegranates alternately, the bells bebeing of gold, and the pomegranates of the other characteristic colors of the interior of the holy place. The pomegranate was the queen fruit of Palestine. It was large and full of innumerable seeds, and was therefore the best emblem of that fruitfulness which is expected of those who are privileged to live in communion with God. The bells are significant of joy, and of that communication of blessing to others which is characteristic of the priestly office. It is probably to the ringing of the golden bells on the hem of the high priest’s robe that reference is made in such a passage as Ps. 89 : 15 : “Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound.” J. M. G.

By the sound of the bells the people could be admonished of the high-priest’s entrance into the holy place, and so unite their prayers with his incense offering. “An everlasting covenant he made with him (Aaron), and gave him the priesthood among the people; he beautified him with comely ornaments, and clothed him with a robe of glory. He put upon him perfect glory; and strengthened him with rich garments, and the ephod. And he compassed him with pomegranates, and with many golden bells round about, that as he went there might be a sound, and a noise made that might be heard in the temple, for a memorial to the children of his people” (Ecclus) Bush.—The golden bells on the ephod, by their precious matter and pleasant sound, do well represent the good profession that the saints make; and the pomegranates the fruit they bring forth. And as in the hem of the robe of the ephod bells and pomegranates were constantly connected, so it is in the true saints. Their good profession and their good fruit do constantly accompany one another. The fruit they bring in life answers the pleasant sound of their profession. Edwards.—Christians are priests. Wherever you go carry a savor of Christ. His name is like ointment poured forth; it is like the vine flourishing and the pomegranate budding. Carry a sound of Christ wherever you go. Not a step without the sound of the Gospel bell! Even in smallest things be spreading the glad sound. Edwards says wherever a godly person enters, he is a greater blessing than if the greatest monarch were entering. So be it with you. M’ Cheyne.

The plate was the principal part of the mitre, and the badges of the priestly are closely interwoven with those of the kingly dignity in the appointed vesture of the Jewish pontiff. For this fact a twofold reason may be assigned. In the first place, this favored people was chosen as a “royal priesthood,” a “kingdom of priests,” and the unity of the nation in this exalted character was made visible in the person of him who was ordained as their supreme representative. Nothing therefore would be more appropriate than that corresponding symbols of this twofold distinction should appear on the head-dress of the high-priest, as we here learn to have been the fact. Indeed the Jewish tradition amplifies this idea somewhat, and affirms a threefold dignity of their race, which they say was indicated by a triplet of crowns—viz., the crown of the priesthood, the crown of the kingdom, and the crown of the Law. Secondly, this conjunction of sacerdotal and royal symbols in the mitre was intended to serve as a typical intimation of the union of these two offices in the person of Christ, who was to sit as “a priest upon his throne,” being made a priest after the order of Melchizedek, king of righteousness. Bush.

Upon its plate of pure gold was inscribed, “HOLINESS TO THE LORD.” In the high-priest’s garments, as in the tabernacle itself, the culmination of all is in “Holiness to the Lord.” “Holiness to the Lord” was the sum of the Ten Commandments graven on stone and deposited in the ark of the covenant; and now it must also be graven in gold, set in a setting of heaven’s purest azure, and displayed upon the forehead of the High-priest; and here again the representative character of Aaron is distinctly brought out: “it shall be always on his forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord.” J. M. G.—Aaron must hereby be reminded that God is holy, and that his priests must be holy; holiness becomes his house and household. The high-priest must be consecrated to God, and so must all his ministrations be. All that attend in God’s house must have Holiness to the Lord engraven upon their foreheads—that is, they must be holy, devoted to the Lord, and designing his glory in all they do. This must appear in their forehead, in an open profession of their relation to God as those that are not ashamed to own it, and in a conversation in the world answerable to it. H.

The Holiness, or sanctification, of the Lord. This inscription became as a bright memorial, incessantly though silently proclaiming to the eye, to the heart, to the conscience, “a holy God, a holy service, a holy minister, a holy people, and a holy covenant.” The children of Israel could not look upon it without being reminded of the great principle which Jehovah would have to pervade all his worship, and which is elsewhere so solemnly announced, “I will be sanctified in all them that draw nigh unto me.” And to the saints in all ages it should serve as a remembrancer of the equivalent intimation, that as “he which hath called us is holy, so are we to be holy in all manner of conversation.” Bush.

Holiness to the Lord! where is that inscription to be stamped now? The Jewish tabernacle has expanded into that world-wide brotherhood, where whosoever doeth righteousness is accepted. Morning has risen into day. The ministry of Aaron is ended. All the outward glory and beauty of that Hebrew worship which the Lord commanded Moses has vanished into the eternal splendors of the Gospel, and been fulfilled in Christ. What teaching has it left? What other than this?—that we are to engrave our “Holiness to the Lord” first on the heart, and then on all that the heart goes out into, through the brain and the hand; on the plates of gold our age of enterprise is drawing up from mines and beating into currency; on bales of merchandise and books of account; on the tools and bench of every handicraft; on your weights and measures; on pen and plough and pulpit; on the door-posts of your houses, and the utensils of your table, and the walls of your chambers; on cradle and playthings and schoolbooks; on the locomotives of enterprise, and the bells of the horses, and the ships of navigation; on music-halls and libraries; on galleries of art, and the lyceum desk; on all of man’s inventing and building, all of his using and enjoying; for all these are trusts in a stewardship, for which the Lord of the servants reckoneth. F. D. H.

The dress of white linen was the strictly sacerdotal dress common to the whole body of priests. These were “for glory and for beauty” not less than the golden garments (as they were called by the Jews) which formed the high-priest’s dress of state. Clark.—Only in the glory of grace and the beauty of holiness which they shadowed forth, do we behold the true glory and beauty of these sacred robes. In concluding this account of the priestly robes, it may be useful to repeat that the robes common to all were the drawers, the embroidered coat, the girdle, and the turban; but besides this the high-priest wore the ephod, the robe of the ephod with its bells and pomegranates, the breast-plate over the ephod, the shoulder-pieces of onyx stone, and the engraved ornament of pure gold in front of his turban. Bush.

39:1-31. In this chapter all the six paragraphs which give a distinct account of the making of these holy garments conclude with those words, as the Lord commanded Moses (verses 5, 7, 21, 26, 29, 31). 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. H.

And now let us enumerate the main ideas which are symbolized in the vestments of the High-priest. The ephod with its girdle signified the beautiful character and the exalted service which are becoming to the holy place; and the shoulder-pieces and the breast-plate, with the precious stones and the engraving on them, signified that the children of Israel as a whole and each child individually was borne on the strong shoulders and carried in the warm heart of their representative in the presence of the Lord, giving the conceptions of strength to sustain and love to cherish; the Urim and Thummim added the thought of heavenly guidance along a path that “shineth more and more unto the perfect day;” the pomegranates and bells on the blue robe of the ephod symbolized heavenly fruitfulness and joy; while the climax of all was reached in the golden graving of holiness unto the Lord. You see how rich was the symbolism of the high-priestly vestments. And how expressive as types of the glory and the grace of our great high-priest. The Lord Jesus needed no priestly vestments; for he had the great realities, of which these were only the symbols. His strength to save and his love for lost sinners were so conspicuous all through his strong and loving life that onyx stones upon his shoulders or precious stones upon his breast would have been superfluous. And no symbol of Urim and Thummim was needful for one who could say, “I am the light of the world.”

The priestly garments of the Old Testament were prophetic. They set forth in symbol important truths concerning the person and work of the great High-Priest who was to come. But now that he has come and fulfilled all the types and symbols, it is manifest that to revive them is only to obscure the glory of him in whom they are fulfilled. It was all very well for those who had not the reality to prize the shadows; but for those who have the substance to grasp the shadows is childish and foolish in the extreme. And it is all the less excusable that the apostles were so careful to warn us against this very childishness. It was for this purpose that the Epistle to the Galatians was written. J. M. G.

As to the supposed significance of minor points, such as the minutiae of the high-priest’s dress, much must be left to individual taste and judgment. One man may derive edification from a mode of viewing these things which to another seems absurd. The grand error of the earlier typologists consisted in forcing every possible analogy of this sort on the text, not as an allowable subjective use or application, but as a part of its essential meaning. Let us see to it, however, that in shunning this extreme, we do not rush into the opposite, and let go the principle of typical significance altogether, though so natural and reasonable in itself, and so expressly recognized in the New Testament. J. A. A.

THE WORK APPROVED AND THE WORKMEN BLESSED. THE TABERNACLE REARED AND FURNISHED. THE COURT ENCLOSED. THE GLORY FILLS THE SANCTUARY. OFFERINGS OF THE PRINCES.