Exodus 28: What the Passage Says

The Chapter in a Sentence

The LORD tells Moses to bring Aaron and his sons out from among the Israelites to serve him as priests, and to have skilled workers make holy garments for them. He gives detailed instructions for the ephod, the breastplate of judgment set with twelve engraved stones, the blue robe with bells and pomegranates on its hem, the gold plate engraved HOLINESS TO THE LORD for the turban, and the tunics, sashes, caps, and linen undergarments. Several of the instructions state their own purpose: the stones carry the names of Israel before the LORD as a reminder, and the robe is worn so that Aaron will not die, and the linen undergarments so that the priests do not bear guilt and die.

Claim by Claim

1. 28:1
   • The LORD tells Moses to bring Aaron his brother near to himself from among the Israelites.
   • Aaron's sons are to be brought with him.
   • The purpose is that Aaron serve the LORD as priest.
   • Aaron is Moses' brother.
   • Aaron's sons are Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
2. 28:2
   • Moses is to make holy garments for his brother Aaron.
   • The garments are for glory and for splendor.
3. 28:3
   • Moses is to speak to all who are skilled of heart.
   • The LORD says he has filled them with a spirit of wisdom.
   • They are to make Aaron's garments.
   • The garments serve to consecrate Aaron.
   • The purpose is that Aaron serve the LORD as priest.
4. 28:4
   • These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven checkered tunic, a turban, and a sash.
   • They are to make holy garments for Aaron and for his sons.
   • The purpose is that he serve the LORD as priest.
5. 28:5
   • The workers are to take gold, blue yarn, purple yarn, scarlet yarn, and fine linen.
6. 28:6
   • They are to make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen.
   • The ephod is to be the work of a skilled designer.
7. 28:7
   • The ephod is to have two shoulder pieces attached at its two ends.
   • It is to be joined together.
8. 28:8
   • The skillfully woven band on the ephod is to be of the same workmanship and of one piece with it.
   • That band is to be of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen.
9. 28:9
   • Moses is to take two onyx stones.
   • He is to engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel.
10. 28:10
    • Six of the names go on one stone.
    • The remaining six names go on the second stone.
    • The names are arranged in the order of their birth.
11. 28:11
    • The two stones are to be engraved with the names of the sons of Israel by the work of a stone engraver, like the engravings of a seal.
    • The stones are to be mounted in gold filigree settings.
12. 28:12
    • Moses is to fasten the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod.
    • The stones are stones of memorial for the sons of Israel.
    • Aaron is to bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders as a memorial.
13. 28:13
    • Moses is to make filigree settings of gold.
14. 28:14
    • He is to make two chains of pure gold, of braided cord work, made like cords at the edges.
    • He is to attach the corded chains to the settings.
15. 28:15
    • Moses is to make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skilled designer.
    • It is to be made like the work of the ephod.
    • It is to be made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen.
16. 28:16
    • The breastpiece is to be square and doubled over.
    • Its length is to be a span.
    • Its width is to be a span.
17. 28:17
    • Moses is to set in the breastpiece mountings of stones, four rows of stones.
    • The first row is a red stone, a topaz, and a green stone.
18. 28:18
    • The second row is a turquoise, a lapis or sapphire, and a hard bright stone.
19. 28:19
    • The third row is a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst.
20. 28:20
    • The fourth row is a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.
    • The stones are to be set in gold in their mountings.
21. 28:21
    • The stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel.
    • There are twelve stones, according to their names.
    • Each is engraved like a seal, each with its own name.
    • They stand for the twelve tribes.
22. 28:22
    • Moses is to make for the breastpiece chains of braided cord work of pure gold.
23. 28:23
    • He is to make two gold rings for the breastpiece.
    • He is to put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.
24. 28:24
    • He is to fasten the two gold cords into the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece.
25. 28:25
    • He is to fasten the other two ends of the two cords to the two filigree settings.
    • He is to attach these to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at its front.
26. 28:26
    • He is to make two more gold rings.
    • He is to put them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its edge facing the inner side of the ephod.
27. 28:27
    • He is to make two more gold rings.
    • He is to attach them to the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, low down at its front, near its seam, above the woven band of the ephod.
28. 28:28
    • The breastpiece is to be tied by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue.
    • This is so that the breastpiece rests above the woven band of the ephod.
    • This is so that the breastpiece does not come loose from the ephod.
29. 28:29
    • Aaron is to bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place.
    • This is a memorial before the LORD continually.
30. 28:30
    • Moses is to put the Urim and the Thummim into the breastpiece of judgment.
    • They are to be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before the LORD.
    • Aaron is to bear the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.
31. 28:31
    • Moses is to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue.
32. 28:32
    • There is to be an opening for the head in the middle of the robe.
    • The opening is to have a woven binding around it.
    • The binding is to be like the opening of a coat of mail.
    • This is so that the robe is not torn.
33. 28:33
    • On the hem of the robe Moses is to make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, all around the hem.
    • Gold bells are to be between the pomegranates all around.
34. 28:34
    • A gold bell and a pomegranate are to alternate around the hem of the robe.
35. 28:35
    • Aaron is to wear the robe when he ministers.
    • Its sound is to be heard when he enters the holy place before the LORD and when he comes out.
    • This is so that he does not die.
36. 28:36
    • Moses is to make a plate of pure gold.
    • He is to engrave on it, like the engraving of a seal, the words 'Holy to the LORD.'
37. 28:37
    • He is to fasten the plate on a blue cord.
    • It is to be on the turban.
    • It is to be on the front of the turban.
38. 28:38
    • The plate is to be on Aaron's forehead.
    • Aaron is to bear the guilt of the holy things that the Israelites consecrate as all their holy gifts.
    • The plate is to be on his forehead continually.
    • This is so that the gifts are accepted before the LORD.
39. 28:39
    • Moses is to weave the tunic in checkered work of fine linen.
    • He is to make the turban of fine linen.
    • He is to make the sash the work of an embroiderer.
40. 28:40
    • For Aaron's sons Moses is to make tunics.
    • He is to make sashes for them.
    • He is to make headgear for them.
    • These are for glory and for splendor.
41. 28:41
    • Moses is to clothe Aaron his brother and his sons with him in these garments.
    • He is to anoint them.
    • He is to ordain them by filling their hands.
    • He is to consecrate them.
    • The purpose is that they serve the LORD as priests.
42. 28:42
    • Moses is to make them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh.
    • The undergarments are to reach from the waist to the thighs.
43. 28:43
    • Aaron and his sons are to wear them when they enter the tent of meeting.
    • They are also to wear them when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place.
    • This is so that they do not incur guilt and die.
    • This is a perpetual statute for Aaron and for his descendants after him.

Words Worth Explaining

Every language note in this chapter, gathered. These explain what a word meant, never what it means for the reader.

28:1

The speaker is God, addressing Moses; Aaron is Moses' older brother. A priest in Israel was not a preacher but a functionary attached to the sanctuary: he handled the offerings at the altar, maintained the sacred space, and gave rulings on what was clean or unclean. From here on the office is restricted to Aaron and his male descendants. Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar are his four sons.

28:2

"Holy" in Hebrew does not mean morally good; it means set apart from ordinary use and reserved for the sanctuary. These clothes are not Aaron's property but the uniform of the office. The pair of words behind "glory and beauty" is the vocabulary normally used of royal or ceremonial splendor, the garments are meant to look important.

28:3

"Wisdom" here means practical skill with the hands: weaving, dyeing, metalwork, gem cutting. The King James "wise hearted" translates a Hebrew phrase that means something closer to "expert." In Hebrew the heart is the seat of thought and skill, not of feeling.

28:4

The six garments named here are technical terms and are described in detail later in the chapter. The "breastplate" is not armor but a small folded pouch of cloth worn on the chest. The "ephod" is a sleeveless apron-like vestment worn over the robe, front and back panels joined at the shoulders and tied with a woven band. The robe is a long sleeveless garment worn under the ephod; the tunic is the long shirt worn under everything; the turban is a wound linen headdress; the sash is a long band wrapped around the waist.

28:5

Blue, purple and scarlet describe dyed wool yarn, not plain colors of cloth. The blue and purple dyes came from Mediterranean shellfish and the scarlet from a crushed insect; all three were among the most expensive materials in the ancient world, associated with royalty. "Fine linen" is a smooth, tightly spun Egyptian-style flax cloth.

28:6

The gold is worked into the fabric as thread: sheets of gold were hammered thin and cut into strips to be woven in with the wool and linen. The Hebrew term behind "skilled craftsman" (King James "cunning work") refers to the most elaborate grade of weaving, in which designs were worked into the cloth itself.

28:8

"Curious girdle" in the King James means an intricately woven waistband. Curious then meant carefully and skillfully made, not strange.

28:9

"The sons of Israel" means the twelve tribes. Israel is the second name of Jacob, and the tribes are named after his twelve sons. Onyx is a traditional identification; the Hebrew stone name cannot be pinned down with certainty.

28:11

A seal was a small stone carved in reverse and pressed into wet clay or wax to sign a document or mark ownership. Seal-cutting was the finest engraving trade of the ancient world, so this is a description of quality: the names are to be cut as sharply as a seal is cut.

28:12

LORD printed in capitals stands for the personal name of God in the Hebrew text, four consonants usually written YHWH. Jewish readers avoided pronouncing it and said "the Lord" instead, and English translations have followed that convention ever since.

28:13

The King James word here is "ouches." It is an old word for settings: the gold frames that grip a stone and hold it in place.

28:14

"Braided cord work" describes chains made of gold wire twisted or plaited like rope rather than made of linked rings.

28:15

"Judgment" here means a legal decision or verdict, not condemnation. The name reflects the pouch's function: it holds the objects used to obtain decisions (verse 30), and it carries the tribes' cases before God.

28:16

A span is the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger on a spread hand, about nine inches or twenty-three centimetres, half a cubit. So the finished pouch is roughly nine inches square, a piece of cloth folded double to form a pocket.

28:17

The names of these twelve stones are among the most uncertain words in the Hebrew Bible. Ancient stone names were grouped by color and hardness rather than by mineral composition, so they do not line up neatly with modern gem names; the King James list follows old Greek and Latin guesses. "Sardius" is a red stone, probably carnelian; "carbuncle" is any glowing red stone, often taken as garnet.

28:18

"Diamond" is almost certainly wrong: diamonds could not be cut or engraved with ancient tools, and the Hebrew word is unknown. The stone called "emerald" here may be turquoise or another blue-green stone.

28:19

"Ligure" is a word of unknown meaning, taken over from the old Greek translation; other versions guess jacinth or amber.

28:20

The King James "sapphire" and "diamond" in the previous verses almost certainly do not mean what those words mean now: ancient sapphire was probably lapis lazuli, and diamond cutting did not yet exist. Read the whole list as twelve distinct precious stones rather than a modern jeweler's inventory.

28:21

The twelve tribes are the descendants of Jacob's twelve sons; carrying all twelve names means the priest represents the whole nation, not any one group, when he enters the sanctuary.

28:29

"Over his heart" is a Hebrew way of saying "on his chest." "Holy place" is the outer of the two rooms inside the tent-sanctuary, entered only by priests.

28:30

The Urim and the Thummim are never described. The names appear to mean something like "lights" and "perfections" or "completeness," and elsewhere in the Bible they are used to put yes-or-no questions to God, apparently by casting or drawing lots kept in the pouch. What they physically were (stones, sticks, marked tokens) is unknown.

28:31

"The robe of the ephod" means the robe worn underneath the ephod, not a part of the ephod itself.

28:32

The neck opening is to be reinforced with a woven binding so it cannot rip. The King James "habergeon" is a coat of mail; the Hebrew word for the garment being compared is uncertain, and it may simply mean a sturdy leather or linen corselet with a bound neck-hole.

28:33

Pomegranates are a round red fruit full of seeds, common in the region and a standard decorative motif in ancient Near Eastern art and architecture. These are ornaments made of colored yarn, hung along the hem alternating with small gold bells.

28:35

The bells make the high priest audible while he is inside the sanctuary. The text ties wearing the prescribed clothing directly to staying alive: approaching this space in the wrong way carried a death penalty under these instructions.

28:36

The plate is a thin strip of gold worn across the front of the turban. "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" translates two Hebrew words meaning "set apart for the LORD", the wording used on dedicated property, marking the wearer as belonging to the sanctuary. Capital letters here are a King James convention for the inscription, not a feature of Hebrew.

28:38

"Bear the guilt" is legal language: to carry the liability for something. Offerings brought by ordinary Israelites might be defective or improperly handled, and the high priest is held answerable for that so the gifts still count as acceptable. "Set apart as holy" means handed over to the sanctuary and no longer available for ordinary use.

28:39

Three different textile techniques are distinguished in this chapter: plain weaving for the tunic, the elaborate designed weaving of the ephod and pouch, and needlework embroidery added after weaving, used here for the sash.

28:40

The ordinary priests get a simpler outfit: tunic, sash and a cap, but no ephod, no pouch and no gold plate. Those belong to the chief priest alone.

28:41

"Anoint" means to pour perfumed olive oil over the head, the standard ceremony for installing someone in office; kings were installed the same way. "Ordain" translates a Hebrew idiom that literally reads "fill the hand," an old expression for formally investing someone with a position and its income.

28:42

"Bare skin" is a polite Hebrew expression for the genitals. Altars were approached by ramps or steps and priests wore no trousers under long robes, so linen shorts are required to prevent exposure during the service, the same concern appears in Exodus 20:26.

28:43

The "tent of meeting" (King James "tabernacle of the congregation") is the portable tent-sanctuary described in the preceding chapters, so called because it is where God meets with Israel. "Lasting rule" translates a Hebrew word meaning perpetual or for the foreseeable future, as long as the arrangement stands. "Descendants" is literally "seed," the ordinary Hebrew word for a person's line of offspring.