Esodo 39:2 Commento

This chapter gives us an account of the finishing of the work of the tabernacle. I. The last things prepared were the holy garments. The ephod and its curious girdle (Exo 39:1-5). The onyx-stones for the shoulders (Exo 39:6, Exo 39:7). The breastplate with the precious stones in it (Exo 39:8-21). The robe of the ephod (Exo 39:22-26). The coats, bonnets, and breeches, for the inferior priests (Exo 39:27-29). And the plate of the holy crown (Exo 39:30, Exo 39:31). II. A summary account of the whole work, as it was presented to Moses when it was all finished (Exo 39:32, etc.).

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 39 In this chapter is continued the account of making the several things belonging to the sanctuary, particularly the clothes for the service of the tabernacle, and the garments of the priests, as the ephod and its curious girdle, Exo 39:1 the breastplate and the putting of the stones in it, and the fastening of it to the ephod, Exo 39:8 the robe of the ephod, with the bells and pomegranates to it, Exo 39:21 and the coats, mitre, bonnets, breeches, and girdle of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons, Exo 39:27 and the golden plate, Exo 39:30 and all being finished, the tabernacle and everything belonging to it were brought to Moses, and viewed by him; who seeing that all was done exactly according to the commandment of the Lord, blessed the people, and particularly the artificers, Exo 39:38.

And he made the ephod of gold,.... From hence to the end of verse thirty one we have a very particular account of the making of the priest's garments exactly according to the directions given to Moses; see Gill on Exo 28:1 &c. to end of chapter twenty eight; only it may be observed, that here in Exo 39:3 an account is given of the manner in which they made the gold fit to be worked along with the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; they beat the gold into thin plates, and then cut them into wires, and then twisted them together with the yarn: the gold that was used in the weaving of the ephod and the breastplate, spoken of in the law, was wrought after this manner; the workman took one thread of pure gold, and put it with six threads of blue, and twisted the seven threads as one, and so he wrought a thread of gold with six of purple, and another thread with six of scarlet, and another with six of linen or flax, so that there were four threads of gold, and all the threads were twenty eight, as it is said; "they did beat" or spread out "the gold", &c. "to work in the midst of blue", &c. from whence is learnt that the thread of gold was twisted in the midst of them (y): and it may be further observed, that after the enumeration of the stones in the breastplate, Exo 39:10 no mention is made of the Urim and Thummim, which seems to confirm the opinion of many, and which is my own, that they are the same with the stones: moreover, in Exo 39:28, it may be observed, that what the coats for the common priests were made of is expressed, which is not before, which was linen; expressive of their purity and holiness, and in which they ought always to appear before God and man, and in which apparel they have been imitated among the Heathens: the priests of Hercules are said to be clothed with linen (z), and the Egyptian priests wore only a linen garment (a); hence the priests of Isis, with whom she is represented as surrounded by Juvenal (b), are called by him "grex liniger", and by Martial, "linigeri" (c). (y) Maimon. Cele Hamikdash, c. 9. sect. 5. (z) Silius Ital. de Bell. Punic. l. 3. (a) Herodot. Euterpe sive, l. 2. c. 38. (b) Satyr. 6. (c) L. 12. Epigram. 26.

Bezaleel makes the clothes of service for the holy place, and the holy garments, Exo 39:1. The ephod, Exo 39:2. Gold is beaten into plates, and cut into wires for embroidery, Exo 39:3. He makes the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, Exo 39:4. The curious girdle, Exo 39:5. Cuts the onyx stones for the shoulder-pieces, Exo 39:6. Makes the breastplate, its chains, ouches, rings, etc., Exo 39:7-21. The robe of the ephod, Exo 39:22-26. Coats of fine linen, Exo 39:27. The mitre, Exo 39:28. The girdle, Exo 39:29. The plate of the holy crown, Exo 39:30, Exo 39:31. The completion of the work of the tabernacle, Exo 39:32. All the work is brought unto Moses, Exo 39:33-41. Moses, having examined the whole, finds every thing done as the Lord had commanded in consequence of which he blesses the people, Exo 39:42, Exo 39:43.

Ephod - See this described, Exo 25:7 (note).

GARMENTS OF THE PRIESTS. (Exo. 39:1-43) cloths of service--official robes. The ephod of the high priest, the robe of the ephod, the girdle of needlework, and the embroidered coat were all of fine linen; for on no material less delicate could such elaborate symbolical figures have been portrayed in embroidery, and all beautified with the same brilliant colors. (See on Exo. 28:1-43).

Preparation of the priests' clothes. - Previous to the description of the dress itself, we have a statement in Exo 39:1 of the materials employed, and the purpose to which they were devoted ("cloths of service," see at Exo 31:10). The robes consisted of the ephod (Exo 39:2-7, as in Exo 28:6-12), the choshen or breastplate (Exo 39:8-21, as in Exo 28:15-29), the mel or over-coat (Exo 39:22-26, as in Exo 28:31-34); the body-coats, turbans, drawers, and girdles, for Aaron and his sons (Exo 39:27-29, as in Exo 28:39-40, and Exo 28:42). The Urim and Thummim are not mentioned (cf. Exo 28:30). The head-dresses of the ordinary priests, which are simply called "bonnets" in Exo 28:40, are called "goodly bonnets" or "ornamental caps" in Exo 39:28 of this chapter (מגבּעת פּארי, from פּאר an ornament, cf. פּאר ornatus fuit). The singular, "girdle," in Exo 39:29, with the definite article, "the girdle," might appear to refer simply to Aaron's girdle, i.e., the girdle of the high priest; but as there is no special description of the girdles of Aaron's sons (the ordinary priests) in Exo 29:40, where they are distinctly mentioned and called by the same name (abnet) as the girdle of Aaron himself, we can only conclude that they were of the same materials and the same form and make as the latter, and that the singular, האבנט, is used here either in the most general manner, or as a generic noun in a collective sense (see Ges. 109, 1). The last thing mentioned is the diadem upon Aaron's turban (Exo 39:30, Exo 39:31, as in Exo 28:36-38), so that the order in which the priests' robes are given here is analogous to the position in which the ark of the covenant and the golden altar stand to one another in the directions concerning the sacred things in ch. 25-30. "For just as all the other things are there placed between the holy ark and the golden altar as the two poles, so here all the rest of the priests' robes are included between the shoulder-dress, the principal part of the official robes of the high priest, and the golden frontlet, the inscription upon which rendered it the most striking sign of the dignity of his office" (Baumgarten).