Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's

sons.

2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

1. Nadab and Abihu, the two elder sons of Aaron, had accompanied their father and the seventy Elders when they went a part of the way with Moses up the mountain (xxiv. 1, 9). Soon after their consecration they were destroyed for "offering strange fire before the Lord" (Lev. x. 1, 2). Eleazar and Ithamar are here mentioned for the first time, except in the genealogy, vi. 23. Eleazar succeeded his father in the High-priesthood, and was himself succeeded by his son Phinehas (Judg. xx. 28). But Eli, the next High-priest named in the history, was of the line of Ithamar. The representatives of both families held office at once in the time of David. See 1 Chro. xxiv. 1-3; 2 S. viii. 17.

I

3. avise hearted] The heart was frequently spoken of as the seat of wisdom (Ex. xxxi. 6, xxxv. 10, 25, xxxvi. 1; Job ix. 4; Prov. xi. 29, xvi. 21, 23, &c.). The same notion is traced in the Latin phrase bomo cordatus; also in the language of Homer, XV. 52; 'Od.' VII. 82, XVIII. 344. The bowels, as distinguished from the heart, were commonly recognized as the seat of the affections (Gen. xliii. 30; 1 K. iii. 26; Is. lxiii. and, in the Hebrew text, Deut. xiii. 6; 2 S. xxiv. 14, &c. See also Luke i. 78; 2 Cor. vi. 12, vii. 15; Phil. i. 8, ii, 1; Philemon, v. 7, &c.).

15:

the spirit of wisdom] See on xxxi. 3. What may be especially noticed in this place is, that the spirit of wisdom given by the Lord is spoken of as conferring practical skill in the most general sense: those who possess it are called because they possess it; they are not first called and then endowed with it.

garments to consecrate him] There is here a solemn recognition of the significance of an appointed official dress. It expresses that the office is not created or defined by the man himself (Heb. v. 4), but that he is invested with it according to prescribed institution. The rite of anointing was essentially connected with investiture in the holy garments (xxix. 29, 30; xl. 12-15).-The history of all nations shews the importance of these forms. As time goes on, their "ancient and well-noted face" becomes more and more valuable as a

4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

witness against restless longing for change. The following points in this divinely ordained investiture of the Priests of Jehovah seem to be worthy of special notice in our own day:— (1) there was nothing left to individual taste or fancy, every point was authoritatively laid down in minute detail: (2) the High-priest, when performing his highest and holiest functions, was attired in a plain white dress (Lev. xvi. 4): (3) the only garments worn by the other priests "for glory and for beauty" (v. 40), when they were engaged in the service of both the Golden Altar and the Brazen Altar (see Lev. vi. 10), were also white, with the exception of the Girdle (v. 40): (4) there were no changes in the dresses of the priests at the three Great Festivals, nor any periodical change whatever, except when the Highpriest, on the Day of Atonement, put off his robes of office for the dress of white linen.

4. There are here mentioned six articles

belonging to the official dress of the Highpriest, which are described in the verses that follow; but the description does not follow the order of this enumeration, and it com

prises, in addition, the gold plate of the mitre (v. 36) and the garments which were common to all the priests.

and his sons] These, it is evident, were the representatives of the family who, in the ages that followed, inherited the High-priesthood in succession. But the sons who were con

secrated at this time with Aaron as common priests, are designated in the same way in v. 40 and elsewhere.

5. gold, and blue, &c.] the gold and the blue and the scarlet and the fine 11nen. The definite article is prefixed to each substantive to denote specially the quantity and the quality of the material required for the dresses. With the exception of the gold, the materials were the same as those of the tabernacle-cloth, the vail of the Tabernacle and the entrance-curtain of the Tent (xxvi. 1, 31, 36. See on xxv. 4). The gold was wrought into thin flat wires which could either be woven with the woollen and linen threads, or worked with the needle (see

Or, embroidered.

6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.

7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.

8 And the 'curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

xxxix. 3 and on xxxv. 35). In regard to the mixture of linen and woollen threads in the Ephod and other parts of the High-priest's dress, a difficulty seems to present itself in connection with the law which forbad garments of linen and woollen mixed to be worn

by the Israelites (Lev. xix. 19; Deut. xxii. 11); It has been conjectured that the coloured threads here mentioned were not woollen but dyed linen (Knobel). But see on Lev. xix. 19.

The Ephod.

6-12 (xxxix. 2-7).

6. the ephod] The Hebrew word is here retained, which, according to its etymology, has the same breadth of meaning as our word vestment. The garment being worn over the shoulders, the word is rendered by the LXX. Twuís (which occurs also Ecclus. xlv. 8), and by the Vulgate superhumerale. It consisted of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and "fine twined linen" (on xxvi. 1) wrought together in work of the skilled weaver (on xxvi. 1 and Xxxv. 35). It was the distinctive vestment of the High-priest, to which "the breastplate of judgment" was attached (vv. 25—28).

7. From this verse, and from xxxix. 4, it would seem that the Ephod consisted of two principal pieces of cloth, one for the back and the other for the front, joined together by shoulder straps (see on v. 27). Below the arms, probably just above the hips, the two pieces were kept in place by a band attached to one of the pieces, which is described in the next verse. Most Jewish authorities have thus understood the description. But Josephus describes the Ephod as a tunic (XT) having sleeves (Ant.' III. 7. § 5). It is just possible that the fashion of it may have changed before the time of the historian. On the respect in which this Ephod of the Highpriest was held, see 1 S. ii. 28, xiv. 3, xxi. 9, xxiii. 6, 9, xxx. 7. But an Ephod made of linen appears to have been a recognized garment not only for the common priests (1 S. xxii. 18) but also for those who were even

temporarily engaged in the service of the Sanctuary (1 S. ii. 18; 2 S. vi. 14; 1 Chro. xv. 27).

8. the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same] The meaning might rather be expressed:-the band for fastening it, which is upon it, shall be of the same work, of one piece with it. So de Wette, Knobel, Zunz, Herx., &c. This band being woven on to one of the pieces of the Ephod was passed round the body, and fastened by buttons, or strings, or some other suitable contrivance.

9. two onyx stones] The Hebrew name of the stone here spoken of is shobam. It is uniformly rendered onyx in our Bible and in the Vulgate; Josephus calls it the sardonyx. The LXX. and Philo, on the other hand, call it the beryl. But the Greek translators are inconsistent in translating the word in different places, so that, as regards this question, no confidence can be placed in them. The stone was most likely one well adapted for engraving; in this respect the onyx is preferable to the beryl. See on v. 17.

11. an engraver in stone] an artificer in stone. See on xxxv. 35.

like the engravings of a signet] Cf. vv. 21, 36. These words probably refer to a peculiar way of shaping the letters, adapted for engraving on a hard substance.--Seal engraving on precious stones was practised in Egypt from very remote times, and in Mesopotamia, probably, from 2000 A. C.

ouches of gold] The gold settings of the engraved stones are here plainly denoted; but, according to the derivation of the Hebrew word, they seem to have been formed not of solid pieces of metal, but of woven wire, wreathed round the stones in what is called cloisonnée work, a sort of filigree, often found in Egyptian ornaments. Mr King conjectures that these stones, as well as those on the breastplate, were "in the form of ovals, or rather ellipses, like the cartouches, containing proper names, in hieroglyphic inscriptions."

The Breastplate.

13-30. (Cf. xxxix. 8-21.)

13. ouches] See on v. II. These were two in number, to suit the chains mentioned in the next verse. Cf. v. 25 and xxxix. 18.

14. two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them] Rather, two chains of pure gold shalt thou make of wreathen work, twisted like cords. -They were more like cords of twisted gold wire than chains in the ordinary sense of the word. Such chains have been found in Egyptian tombs, and some of these were exhibited in the Paris Exhibition of 1867.

ment.

The

15. the breastplate of judgment] meaning of the Hebrew word (choshen) rendered breastplate, appears to be simply ornaThe names given to it in nearly all versions must therefore be regarded as glosses. The LXX., Philo, Josephus and the son of Sirach (Ecclus. xlv. 10) call it λoyeîov, or λóytov, and the Vulgate rationale, in reference to its use as an oracle in making known the judgments of the Lord. It was from this use that it was designated the Choshen of Judgment. Symmachus renders the word as a reVOL. I.

ceptacle, or bag (dóxiov), from what appears to have been its form. The names given to it by most modern translators (like our own breastplate) relate merely to its place in the dress. It was to be made of a piece of cunning work (the work of the skilled weaver, see xxxv. 35), the same in texture and materials as the Ephod. This piece was a cubit (two spans) in length and half a cubit (a span) in width, and it was to be folded together so as to form a square of half a cubit. Whether it was doubled with no other purpose than to give it stability (Rosenmüller, Knobel, Kalisch), or in order to form what was used as a bag (Gesenius, Bähr, Fürst), has been questioned: but the latter appears to be by far the more likely alternative. On

the mode in which it was attached to the Ephod, see v. 22 sq., and on its probable use as a bag, see Note at the end of the Chapter.

17. settings] The same Hebrew word is less aptly rendered "inclosings” in v. 20. From xxxix. 13 it appears that they were ouches of cloisonnée work, like those mentioned in v. II as the settings of the gems on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod.

four rows of stones] No very near approach to certainty can be obtained in the identification of these precious stones. In several instances the Hebrew names themselves afford some light on the subject. The oldest external authority to help us is the LXX., and next to it come Josephus (Ant.' III. 7. § 5; Bel. Jud.' v. 5. § 7) and the other old versions, especially the Vulgate. It must however be observed that the Greek and Latin names are not always consistently applied to the same Hebrew word in different places (see on v. 9). One point of interest in the inquiry appears to be the etymological identity of several of the names of stones in Hebrew, Greek, Latin and the modern languages of Europe. These names were probably transmitted to the Greeks and Romans by the Phoenician merchants, whose traffic in most of the precious stones

BB

18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

here mentioned is alluded to by Ezekiel (xxviii. 13). But, unfortunately, the identity of the stone denoted by no means follows from the identity of the name. A name was often given in ancient times to a substance on account of some single characteristic, such as its colour or its hardness. Hence adamant was applied to the diamond, to steel, and to other hard bodies: sapphire was certainly applied to the lapis-lazuli, and, though not till a much later age, to what we call the sapphire. Hence it is plain that our conclusions on the subject can rarely be quite certain. The field of conjecture in the present inquiry may however be somewhat narrowed from the results of the study of the antique gems of Assyria, Egypt and Ancient Greece. We need not hesitate to

exclude those stones which appear to have been unknown to the ancients, and those which are so hard that the ancients did not know how to engrave them. On such grounds, according to Prof. Maskelyne, we must at once reject the diamond, the ruby, the sapphire, the emerald, the topaz, and the chrysoberyl.-The best information on the subject may be found in two articles in the Edinb. Rev.' Nos. 253, 254, by Prof. Maskelyne, to whom these notes on the breastplate are greatly indebted.

a sardius] Heb. odem, i.e. the red stone; LXX. σápotov; Vulg. sardius; Jos. σapdóvuέ in one place (Ant.' III. 7. § 5), but σápotov in another (Bel. Jud.' v. 5. § 7). The Sardian stone, or sard, was much used by the ancients for seals; and it is perhaps the stone of all others the best for engraving (see Theophrastus, 'de Lapid.' 8; Pliny, 'H. N.' XXXVII. 23, 31). It is mentioned Ezek. xxviii. 13.

topaz] Heb. pitdāh; LXX. and Jos. ToTátov; Vulg. topazius. The word topaz appears to have been formed by metathesis from pitdah (Gesenius, Knobel, Fürst). The pitdah is mentioned by Ezekiel (xxviii. 13); and it is spoken of in Job (xxviii. `19) as a product of Ethiopia, which tends to confirm its identity with the topaz which is said by Strabo (xvi. p. 770), Diodorus (III. 39), and Pliny (xxxvII. 32), to have been obtained from Ethiopia. It was not however the stone now called the topaz: it may have been the peridot, or chrysolite, a stone of a greenish hue.

a carbuncle] Heb. bāreketh; LXX. and Jos. σuápaydos, Vulg. smaragdus. It was certainly not the carbuncle; it is not improbable that it was the beryl, which is a kind of emerald (Plin. XXXVII. 16, Solinus XV. 23). The Greek name sometimes appears as pápaydos, supposed to be identical with the Sanskrit name of the beryl, marakata (Fürst), which plainly appears to be allied to the Heb. bāreketh,

19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

Gesenius

and probably to our own emerald. and Liddell and Scott severally ascribe the Hebrew name and the Greek to roots signifying to glitter, or sparkle: but the characteristic quality thus suggested is not one that particularly distinguishes the beryl amongst precious stones. The bāreketh is mentioned Ezek. xxviii. 13.

18. an emerald] Heb.nophek, i.e. the glowing stone (Knobel, Fürst); LXX. and Jos. avopaέ; Vulg. carbunculus. There seems no reason to doubt that the garnet, which when cut with a convex face is termed the carbuncle, is meant. (See Theoph. de Lapid.' 18). The same stone is mentioned Ezek. xxvii. 16, xxviii. 13.

Mi

a sapphire] Heb. sappir; LXX. σámpei-· pos; Vulg. sapphirus. Josephus appears to have transposed this name and the next, and may fairly be regarded as agreeing with the LXX. as to its meaning. It is conceived to have been the sapphire of the Greeks, not only from the identity of the name, but from the evident references to the colour in Exod. xxiv. 10; Ezek. i. 26, x. 1. The name also occurs Job xxviii. 6, 16; Cant. v. 14; Isa. liv. 11; Lam. iv. 7; Ezek. xxviii. 13. chaelis and others objected to what is now called the sapphire on account of its hardness, and supposed that the lapis-lazuli is most probably meant. The best recent authorities justify this conjecture, in reference not only to the sappir of the Old Testament, but to the sapphire of the Greeks and Romans (see the first note on this verse). According to a Jewish fancy in the Talmud, the Tables of the Law were formed of sappir.

a diamond] Heb. yahalom. The etymology of the word is supposed to be similar to that ascribed to the Greek ádáμas, so as to give it the meaning of the unconquerable. Hence some of the ancient versions, with Aben-Ezra, Abarbanel, and Luther (whom our translators followed), have taken the diamond as the stone denoted. But there is no trace of evidence that the ancients ever acquired the skill to engrave on the diamond, or even that they were acquainted with the stone. The LXX. render yahalom by taomis, and the Vulg. by jaspis; but these words answer more satisfactorily to the jasper (see on v. 20). Some imagine it to be the onyx, which is more likely the shoham (v. 9): but it may possibly be some other variety of chalcedony, or (perhaps) rock crystal. In the uncertainty which exists, the original name yahalom might be retained in the version. The word is found in Ezek. xxviii. 13: but it is another word (shamir) which is rendered diamond or adamant in Jer. xvii. 1; Ezek. iii. 9; Zech. vii.12.

Heb. Fillings.

20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.

21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.

22¶ And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.

23 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

24 And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two

19. a ligure] Heb. leshem, LXX. and Jos. Ayupiov, Vulg. ligurius. According to Theophrastus (de Lapid.' 29) and Pliny ('H. N.' XXXVII. II), amber came from Liguria, and this would exactly account for the names used by the LXX. and Vulg., if, as is not in any respect improbable, amber is here meant. On the name λvykoúptov, see Liddell and Scott. The leshem is not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament except in xxxix. 12.

an agate] Heb. shevoo, LXX. ȧɣáτns, Vulg. achates. Josephus appears to have transposed axárns with the next name: he makes several other changes in the order of the stones in the list given, 'Bel. Jud.' v. 5. § 7. No question has been raised that the agate is here meant. The word shevoc occurs only here and xxxix. 12; but another word (kadkod) is rendered agate in our version, Isa. liv. 12; Ezek. xxvii. 16.

an amethyst] Heb. achlāmāh, LXX. and Josephus auéovoros, Vulg. amethystus. Mentioned only here and xxxix. 12.

20. a beryl Heb. tarshish, LXX. and Jos. xpvooridos, Vulg. chrysolithus. This could hardly have been the beryl (see on v. 17) or the turkois, as Luther and Cranmer imagined. The Hebrew name is reasonably supposed to have been given to the stone because it came from Tarshish. A kind of carbuncle, or garnet, is spoken of by Pliny, called carchedonius, in connection with Carthage (H. N.' XXXVII. 25), and this is supposed by some to be the tarshish (Knobel, Fürst). Others suppose that it was what Pliny calls the chrysolite, a brilliant yellow stone (see Plin. XXXVII. 42), which they identify with what is now known as the Spanish topaz (Gesenius, &c.). It would seem to be best, in such uncertainty, to retain the name tarshish

rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.

25 And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.

26 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.

27 And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.

in translating. The stone is mentioned Cant. V. 14; Ezek. i. 16, x. 9, xxviii. 13; Dan. x. 6.

an onyx] Heb. shoham. Josephus and the Vulgate take it for the onyx (see on v. 9); but the LXX., apparently by a copyist's transposition, have ẞnpúλtov here, and ovxov for the next stone. The shobam is mentioned Gen. ii. 12; Ex. xxv. 7; 1 Chro. xxix. 2; Job xxviii. 16; Ezek. xxviii. 13.

a jasper] Heb. yashpeh. The similarity of the Hebrew name to our word jasper, to the Greek taomis, the Latin jaspis, and the Arabic jasb, is obvious. Josephus and the Vulgate render it as beryl, and the LXX. as onyx (but see preceding note). The best authorities take it for jasper (Gesen., Bähr, Knobel, Fürst): it was probably the green jasper. It is mentioned nowhere else except Ex. xxxix. 13; Ezek. xxviii. 13.

their inclosings] their settings (see on v. 17).

22. chains at the ends of wreathen work] chains of wreathen work, twisted like cords (see on v. 14).

23. on the two ends of the breastplate] The extremities spoken of here, and in the next verse, must have been the upper corners (v. 25) suspended the Breastplate from the of the square. The chains attached to them ouches of the shoulder-pieces (vv. 9, 11, 12).

26. two rings] These two rings appear to have been fastened to the Breastplate, near its lower corners upon the inner side, so as to have been out of sight. See on the following two verses.

27. "And two rings of gold shalt thou make and put them on the two shoulderpieces of the Ephod, low down in the