45 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Exodus 28 This chapter informs us of the servants God would have to minister to him in the house, or tabernacle, he had ordered to be made, even Aaron and his sons, Exodus 28:1 of the garments they were to wear in their service, Exodus 28:2 and first of the garments of the high priest, and particularly of the ephod, with the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him,.... Moses is bid to fetch or send for Aaron and his sons to him: or "cause" them to "draw near" (n) to him, and stand before him, that he might in the name of the Lord, and by his authority, distinguish and separate them from among the children of Israel: and before them all invest...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
Orders being given for the fitting up of the place of worship, in this and the following chapter care is taken about the priests that were to minister in this holy place, as the menial servants of the God of Israel. He hired servants, as a token of his purpose to reside among them. In this chapter, I. He pitches upon the persons who should be his...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother,.... Called so, because in these he was to minister in the holy place, and perform holy service; and because typical of the holy human nature of Christ our great High Priest, and of his spotless righteousness, and of the garments of sanctification, both outward and inward, that all believers...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And thou shall speak unto all that are wise hearted,.... That have knowledge and understanding in mechanic arts, particularly in making garments; and it required men of more than ordinary skill to be employed in making these, because they were uncommon ones, and required a good deal of thought and judgment, and care and application, to make them...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And these are the garments which they shall make,.... Some for Aaron and some for his sons, some peculiar to the high priest, and others in common to him and other priests: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle; of each of which, with others, there is a more particular account in this chapter, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they shall take,.... The Targum of Jonathan adds, out of their substance; that is, those that were wise hearted, and had knowledge and skill in making such garments; these were to take, not out of their own personal substance, but they were to take or receive from Moses what the people freely offered for such service, Exodus 36:3, gold, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they shall make the ephod,.... This was the outermost garment of, all, and was put over the robe; it was a short garment, reaching to the loins, as Kimchi (p); or to the buttocks, as Abarbinel (q); and not to the heels or feet, as Jarchi (r), and Maimonides (s); for Josephus (t) says it was but a cubit long, which was little more than half a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
It shall have the two shoulder pieces thereof,.... Which were two pieces that joined to the ephod, reaching from the arm holes to the shoulders both on the right and left, coming from before and behind; and meeting on the shoulders, were buttoned with two onyx stones, and covering the shoulders are called by this name: joined at the two edges...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it,.... Which was worn along with it, and went out from it like two thongs, as Jarchi says, which girt the ephod close to the back and breast: shall be of the same; of the same matter as the ephod, and woven in the same manner, and together with it: according to the work thereof; wrought with the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And thou shall take two onyx stones,.... called from the colour of a man's nail, which they to resemble: the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan call them stones of beryl, and so the Syriac version; the Septuagint, stones of emerald, and the Arabic version, crystal stones: but, according to Josephus (x), they were sardonyx stones, and in which...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Six of their names on one stone,.... The names of the six eldest on the stone upon the right shoulder: and the other six names of the rest on the other stone: the names of the six youngest on the stone upon the left shoulder; for these stones, as afterwards said, were put on the shoulders of the priests, according to their birth; the order of it;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
With the work of an engraver in stone,.... Not in common but precious stones: Moses was not to do this himself, as it could not be supposed he should, but he was to employ an engraver, whose business it was, and one that was capable of doing it in a professional manner: [like] the engravings of a signet shall thou engrave the two stones with the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And thou shall put the stones upon the shoulders of the ephod,.... That is, the shoulder pieces of it; these stones were put there, the names of the twelve sons of Israel being engraven on them, and they, set in rims or sockets of gold, and serving for buttons to the shoulder pieces: but chiefly the design of them was for stones of memorial unto...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And thou shalt make ouches of gold. Or sockets of gold, to put the two onyx stones in, Exodus 28:11 for of other ouches we read not, excepting the enclosings, in which the twelve stones of the breastplate were set, Exodus 28:20 and these are again mentioned because of the chains to be fastened to them, of which in the following verse.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And two chains of pure gold at the ends,.... The use of which was to hang the breast plate on, after described; one end of them was fastened to rings on the ouches in the shoulder pieces, and the other end to rings on the breastplate, and thus it hung: of wreathen work shall thou make them; these chains were not made after the manner of circles or...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And thou shall make the breastplate of judgment,.... Called a "breastplate", because worn upon the breast of the high priest; and a breastplate "of judgment", because it was to put him in mind that he should do justice and judgment in the execution of his office, and that he should have at heart the judgment of the people of Israel; and in...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Four square it shall be, [being] doubled,.... That is, when it was doubled; for the length of it, according to Maimonides (c), was a cubit, which is two spans, and so, when it was doubled, was but one, and its length and breadth being alike, as follows: a span [shall be] the length thereof, and a span [shall be] the breadth thereof; a square,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And thou shalt set in it settings of stones,.... Or "fill in it fillings of stones" (d); which shows that there were in it ouches, or sockets of gold, the hollows of which were to be filled up with precious stones: even four rows of stones; making a four square, and so filling up the measure of the breastplate: the first row shall be a sardius, a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. The first of these stones is by both the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan rendered an "emerald", as by us; and which is described by Pliny (k) as of a green colour, exceeding delightful and pleasant, and to which he gives the third place among precious stones; though by many the...