Exodus 28:15-29

28:15 “You are to make a breastpiece for use in making decisions, ¹  the work of an artistic designer; you are to make it in the same fashion as the ephod; you are to make it of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 28:16 It is to be square ²  when ³  doubled, nine inches ⁴  long and nine inches wide. 28:17 You are to set in it a setting for stones, four rows of stones, a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl – the first row; 28:18 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 28:19 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 28:20 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. ⁵  They are to be enclosed in gold in their filigree settings. 28:21 The stones are to be for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to the number of ⁶  their names. Each name according to the twelve tribes is to be like ⁷  the engravings of a seal.

28:22 “You are to make for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure gold, 28:23 and you are to make for the breastpiece two gold rings and attach ⁸  the two rings to the upper ⁹  two ends of the breastpiece. 28:24 You are to attach the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece; 28:25 the other ¹⁰  two ends of the two chains you will attach to the two settings and then attach them ¹¹  to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 28:26 You are to make two rings of gold and put them on the other ¹²  two ends of the breastpiece, on its edge that is on the inner side of the ephod. 28:27 You are to make two more ¹³  gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the waistband of the ephod. 28:28 They are to tie the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue cord, so that it may be above the waistband of the ephod, and so that the breastpiece will not be loose from the ephod. 28:29 Aaron will bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of decision over his heart ¹⁴  when he goes into the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.

[28:15]  ¹ tn Heb “a breastpiece of decision” (חֹשֶׁן מִשְׁפָּט, khoshen mishpat; so NAB). The first word, rendered “breastpiece,” is of uncertain etymology. This item was made of material similar to the ephod. It had four rows of three gems on it, bearing the names of the tribes. In it were the urim and thummim. J. P. Hyatt refers to a similar object found in the Egyptian reliefs, including even the twisted gold chains used to hang it from the priest (Exodus [NCBC], 282).

[28:16]  ² tn Heb “four.”

[28:16]  ³ tn “when” is added for clarification (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 375).

[28:16]  ⁴ tn The word זֶרֶת (zeret) is half a cubit; it is often translated “span.”

[28:20]  ⁵ 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.

[28:21]  ⁶ tn For clarity the words “the number of” have been supplied.

[28:21]  ⁷ tn The phrase translated “the engravings of a seal” is an adverbial accusative of manner here.

[28:23]  ⁸ tn Heb “give, put.”

[28:23]  ⁹ tn Here “upper” has been supplied.

[28:25]  ¹⁰ tn Here “the other” has been supplied.

[28:25]  ¹¹ tn Here “them” has been supplied.

[28:26]  ¹² tn Here “other” has been supplied.

[28:27]  ¹³ tn Here “more” has been supplied.

[28:29]  ¹⁴ sn So Aaron will have the names of the tribes on his shoulders (v. 12) which bear the weight and symbol of office (see Isa 9:6; 22:22), and over his heart (implying that they have a constant place in his thoughts [Deut 6:6]). Thus he was to enter the presence of God as the nation’s representative, ever mindful of the nation’s interests, and ever bringing the remembrance of it before God (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 306).