36 You are to make a plate of the best gold, cutting on it, as on a stamp, these words: HOLY TO THE LORD.
On that day all the bells of the horses will be holy to the Lord, and the pots in the Lord's house will be like the basins before the altar.
And on his head he put the head-dress, and in front of the head-dress the plate of gold, the holy crown, as the Lord gave orders to Moses.
You are to take two beryl stones, on which the names of the children of Israel are to be cut:
With the work of a jeweller, like the cutting of a stamp, the names of the children of Israel are to be cut on them, and they are to be fixed in twisted frames of gold.
Say to all the people of Israel, You are to be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.
Your witness is most certain; it is right for your house to be holy, O Lord, for ever.
It was right for us to have such a high priest, one who is holy and without evil, doing no wrong, having no part with sinners, and made higher than the heavens:
Let your desire be for peace with all men, and to be made holy, without which no man may see the Lord;
But you are a special people, a holy nation, priests and kings, a people given up completely to God, so that you may make clear the virtues of him who took you out of the dark into the light of heaven.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Exodus 28
Commentary on Exodus 28 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 28
Orders being given for the fitting up of the place of worship, in this and the following chapter care is taken about the priests that were to minister in this holy place, as the menial servants of the God of Israel. He hired servants, as a token of his purpose to reside among them. In this chapter,
Exd 28:1-5
We have here,
Exd 28:6-14
Directions are here given concerning the ephod, which was the outmost garment of the high priest. Linen ephods were worn by the inferior priests, 1 Sa. 22:18. Samuel wore one when he was a child (1 Sa. 2:18), and David when he danced before the ark (2 Sa. 6:14); but this which the high priest only wore was called a golden ephod, because there was a great deal of gold woven into it. It was a short coat without sleeves, buttoned closely to him, with a curious girdle of the same stuff (v. 6-8); the shoulder-pieces were buttoned together with two precious stones set in gold, one on each shoulder, on which were engraven the names of the children of Israel, v. 9-12. In allusion to this,
Exd 28:15-30
The most considerable of the ornaments of the high priest was this breast-plate, a rich piece of cloth, curiously wrought with gold and purple, etc., two spans long and a span broad, so that, being doubled, it was a span square, v. 16. This was fastened to the ephod with wreathen chains of gold (v. 13, 14, 22, etc.) both at top and bottom, so that the breast-plate might not be loosed from the ephod, v. 28. The ephod was the garment of service; the breast-plate of judgment was an emblem of honour: these two must by no means be separated. If any man will minister unto the Lord, and do his will, he shall know his doctrine. In this breast-plate,
Exd 28:31-39
Here is,
Exd 28:40-43
We have here,