Exodus 28: The priests and their holy garments

In plain English: "Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the Israelites, so that he may serve me in the priest's office: Aaron, with Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

Good to know: Exodus 19:22 and 19:24 speak of "the priests" without saying who they are. This is the verse where Yahweh names who is to serve him in the priest's office: Aaron and his four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Exodus 6:23 names these four as Aaron's sons.

In plain English: Make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.

In plain English: Speak to all who are wise-hearted (skilled), whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. They are to make Aaron's garments, to set him apart (make him holy), so that he may serve me in the priest's office.

In plain English: These are the garments they are to make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a fitted tunic (or: a tunic of checkered work), a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for Aaron your brother and for his sons, so that he may serve me in the priest's office.

In plain English: They are to use the gold, the blue, the purple, the scarlet, and the fine linen.

In plain English: "They are to make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen, the work of a skilled workman.

In plain English: It is to have two shoulder straps joined to its two ends, so that it is joined together.

In plain English: The skillfully woven band that is on it is to be like the work of the ephod and of the same piece: of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

In plain English: Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the Israelites (literally: the sons of Israel),

In plain English: six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that are left on the other stone, in the order of their birth.

In plain English: Engrave the two stones with the names of the Israelites, in the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet (a seal). Make them to be enclosed in settings of gold.

In plain English: Put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, as stones of memorial (reminder) for the Israelites. Aaron is to bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulders as a memorial.

In plain English: Make settings of gold,

In plain English: and two chains of pure gold. Make them like cords, of braided work. Put the braided chains on the settings.

In plain English: "Make a breastplate of judgment, the work of a skilled workman. Make it like the work of the ephod: of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

In plain English: It is to be square and folded double. A span is to be its length and a span its width.

The Hebrew word: "Span" is zereth, which the dictionary gives as "the spread of the fingers, i.e. a span". It is the width of a hand stretched out wide. In Exodus the word is only here and in Exodus 39:9.

Good to know: A span is often reckoned at about 9 inches (23 centimeters). The text gives no conversion.

In plain English: Set in it settings of stones in four rows. The first row is to be a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl.

In plain English: The second row is to be a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald.

In plain English: The third row is to be a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst.

In plain English: The fourth row is to be a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They are to be enclosed in gold in their settings.

In plain English: The stones are to match the names of the Israelites: twelve, one for each name. Each is to be engraved like a signet (a seal), according to its name. They are to be for the twelve tribes.

In plain English: On the breastplate make chains like cords, of braided work of pure gold.

In plain English: On the breastplate make two rings of gold and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

In plain English: Put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.

In plain English: Put the other two ends of the two braided chains on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod, at its front.

In plain English: Make two rings of gold and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its edge, which is on the side toward the ephod, inward.

In plain English: Make two rings of gold and put them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod underneath, at its front, close to where it joins, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.

In plain English: They are to bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue lace (cord), so that it stays on the skillfully woven band of the ephod and does not swing out from the ephod.

In plain English: Aaron is to bear the names of the Israelites in the breastplate of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before Yahweh continually.

In plain English: Put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate of judgment. They are to be on Aaron's heart when he goes in before Yahweh. Aaron is to bear the judgment of the Israelites on his heart before Yahweh continually.

The Hebrew words: "Urim" and "Thummim" are Hebrew words that this Bible keeps as they are. The dictionary's first meaning for Thummim is "perfections".

Good to know: The text does not explain the Urim and the Thummim. This verse says only that they are put in the breastplate of judgment, that they are on Aaron's heart when he goes in before Yahweh, and that Aaron bears "the judgment of the children of Israel" on his heart. It does not say what they were, what they were made of, or how they were used. The two names are together in 5 verses of the Bible: here, Leviticus 8:8, Deuteronomy 33:8, Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65. The Urim alone is in Numbers 27:21 and 1 Samuel 28:6, both about asking Yahweh. None of these verses says what they were.

In plain English: "Make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

In plain English: It is to have a hole for the head in the middle of it. Around the hole is to be a binding of woven work, like the hole of a coat of mail (armor; or: a collar), so that it is not torn.

In plain English: On its hem make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around the hem, with bells of gold between them and around them,

In plain English: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe.

In plain English: It is to be on Aaron when he serves. Its sound is to be heard when he goes into the holy place before Yahweh and when he comes out, so that he does not die.

In plain English: "Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet (a seal), 'HOLY TO YAHWEH.'

In plain English: Put it on a blue lace (cord), and it is to be on the sash (literally: the turban). It is to be on the front of the sash (the turban).

The Hebrew word: Both times this verse says "sash", the Hebrew word is mitsnepheth, which this Bible translates "turban" in the other 5 verses of Exodus that use it (28:4, 28:39, 29:6, 39:28 and 39:31). In 28:4 and 28:39 the turban and the sash are both named, and the sash is a different word, abnet, which the dictionary gives as "a belt". The dictionary gives mitsnepheth as "a tiara, i.e. official turban (of a king or high priest)".

What changes: Read as "turban", the verse says the gold plate goes on a blue cord on the turban, at the front of it. Exodus 39:31 says it is fastened "on the turban above".

In plain English: It is to be on Aaron's forehead. Aaron is to bear the iniquity (guilt) of the holy things, which the Israelites make holy in all their holy gifts. It is to be always on his forehead, so that they may be accepted before Yahweh.

In plain English: Weave the tunic with fine linen. Make a turban of fine linen. Make a sash, the work of an embroiderer.

In plain English: "Make tunics for Aaron's sons. Make sashes for them. Make headbands for them, for glory and for beauty.

In plain English: Put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. Anoint them, consecrate them, and sanctify (set apart) them, so that they may serve me in the priest's office.

The Hebrew words: "Consecrate" here is, word for word, "fill their hand": the verb male, to fill, and the word for hand, yad. The dictionary gives male as "to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively)".

How it is translated: In Exodus the two words go together like this in 6 verses: here, 29:9, 29:29, 29:33, 29:35 and 32:29. This Bible uses a form of "consecrate" in all 6.

Good to know: The text does not explain why the word "hand" is used. The "ram of consecration" in Exodus 29:22 is milluim, a word that sounds like male. The dictionary gives it as "a fulfilling (only in plural), i.e. (literally) a setting (of gems), or (technically) consecration". Exodus 25:7 uses the same word for the stones that are "set" in the ephod.

In plain English: Make linen pants for them, to cover their naked flesh. They are to reach from the waist to the thighs.

In plain English: They are to be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the Tent of Meeting, or when they come near to the altar to serve in the holy place, so that they do not bear iniquity (guilt) and die. This is to be a statute (a lasting rule) forever for him and for his offspring after him.