Exodus 28:20

28:20 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. ¹  They are to be enclosed in gold in their filigree settings.

Numbers 27:21

27:21 And he will stand before Eleazar the priest, who ²  will seek counsel ³  for him before the Lord by the decision of the Urim. ⁴  At his command ⁵  they will go out, and at his command they will come in, he and all the Israelites with him, the whole community.”

Deuteronomy 33:8

Blessing on Levi

33:8 Of Levi he said:

Your Thummim and Urim ⁶  belong to your godly one, ⁷ 

whose authority you challenged at Massah, ⁸ 

and with whom you argued at the waters of Meribah. ⁹ 

[28:20]  ¹ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 375-76) points out that these are the same precious stones mentioned in Ezek 28:13 that were to be found in Eden, the garden of God. So the priest, when making atonement, was to wear the precious gems that were there and symbolized the garden of Eden when man was free from sin.

[27:21]  ² tn The passage simply has “and he will ask,” but Eleazar is clearly the subject now.

[27:21]  ³ tn Heb “ask.”

[27:21]  ⁴ sn The new leader would not have the privilege that Moses had in speaking to God face to face. Rather, he would have to inquire of the Lord through the priest, and the priest would seek a decision by means of the Urim. The Urim and the Thummim were the sacred lots that the priest had in his pouch, the “breastplate” as it has traditionally been called. Since the Law had now been fully established, there would be fewer cases that the leader would need further rulings. Now it would simply be seeking the Lord’s word for matters such as whether to advance or not. The size, shape or substance of these objects is uncertain. See further C. Van Dam, The Urim and Thummim.

[27:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “mouth,” meaning what he will say.

[33:8]  ⁶ sn Thummim and Urim. These terms, whose meaning is uncertain, refer to sacred stones carried in a pouch on the breastplate of the high priest and examined on occasion as a means of ascertaining God’s will or direction. See Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8; Num 27:21; 1 Sam 28:6. See also C. Van Dam, NIDOTTE 1:329-31.

[33:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “godly man.” The reference is probably to Moses as representative of the whole tribe of Levi.

[33:8]  ⁸ sn Massah means “testing” in Hebrew; the name is a wordplay on what took place there. Cf. Exod 17:7; Deut 6:16; 9:22; Ps 95:8-9.

[33:8]  ⁹ sn Meribah means “contention, argument” in Hebrew; this is another wordplay on the incident that took place there. Cf. Num 20:13, 24; Ps 106:32.