(Exodus 39:1) And of the blue, purple, and scarlet, they made clothes of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD commanded Moses.
The past few chapters described the building of the tabernacle and its furnishings, and now scripture turns to the making of the priestly garments. There is some discrepancy among the old commentators about whether the "clothes of service" (actually translated as "cloths of service in KJV) were the actual priestly clothing or rather cloths used to cover the vessels of the sanctuary. The original word used was "beged" and it is most often used as "clothing" or "garments", but it also means "covering", not necessarily a covering of clothing. It does appear that verse 1 was describing two different things that they made.
(2) And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine woven linen.
Regardless of what was meant in verse 1, verse 2 definitely began describing the making of the priestly garments. "He" made the ephod, which was a sort of vest like apron over the top of the priestly garments, with gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads, and fine woven linen. The description of whom is doing the making goes back and forth from "they" to "he". The "he" last mentioned in the previous chapter was Bezaleel, along with Aholiab, both of whom very talented craftsmen God had called by name to do the work of the tabernacle and to teach other skilled workmen to also do the work. Exodus 36:1-2 spoke of "Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man" being called and beginning the work. I believe "he" still referred to Bezaleel, whether he actually did the work himself, or whether he was overseer to other craftsmen doing the work; and "they" referred to the craftsmen. They all did the work as instructed by Moses from commandment by the Lord.
(3) And they beat the gold into thin plates and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, purple, and scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
They beat the gold into thin sheets and then cut it into thin wires or threads and wove that in with the royal colored threads in the fine woven linen. They did this with "cunning work", the original word being "chashab", meaning more completely "invent, imagine, devise, fabricate, weave". They were imaginative and creative skilled artisans.
(4) They made shoulder pieces for it to couple it together; it was coupled together at its two edges.
The ephod was made of two pieces of linen embroidered or woven with gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, on the front and the back, with shoulder straps joining the two pieces.
(5) And the curious girdle of his ephod that was on it, was of the same, according to the work of the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine woven linen, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
The girdle or belt of the ephod was most probably a band made one with the ephod, of the same skilled and artistic work as the rest of the ephod. As discussed in chapter 28, when God told Moses how to make the ephod, the original word translated as "curious girdle" was "chesheb", a form of the word "chashab" above. This was not just any old belt or girdle, but an ingeniously interwoven belt.
(6) And they made onyx stones enclosed in ouches of gold, engraved, as signets are engraved, with the names of the sons of Israel. (7) And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones to the children of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses.
This was described a little more completely in chapter 28, when the Lord first told Moses how to make the ephod. They took two onyx stones and engraved the names of the sons of Israel on them, six on one stone, and six on the other. They were to be engraved with the same art and precision as signet rings were engraved. They were enclosed in "ouches" or settings of gold. Again, as previously discussed in chapter 28, they were more than plain settings of solid pieces of metal, but the original word "mishbetsah" translated as "ouches" in the KJV meant more of a wrought, plaited, or filigreed setting. It was said that Shakespeare used the word "ouches" in the general sense of "jewels". Even the dictionary meaning of ouch is "a brooch or clasp set with gems". These onyx stones were placed on the shoulder straps of the ephod, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, as a memorial for and to the children of Israel. Aaron, as high priest, was to represent all the tribes of the children of Israel before the Lord. The engraved stones were symbolic of that, as well as a memorial to the children of Israel who saw the stones.
(8) And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and of fine woven linen. (9) It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double, a span was its length and a span its width being doubled.
The "breastplate of judgment" was made of the same skilled and artistic work as with the ephod, of gold and blue, purple, and scarlet threads, and fine woven linen. The fabric that made the breastplate was to be doubled, perhaps to give it more stability, but also to form a fold in which to hold something, like the Urim and Thummim perhaps, which could have been used for giving judgment when the priest asked counsel of the Lord. When doubled, the breastplate was one span on each side. A span was said to be the span of an outstretched hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger, about nine inches.
(10) And they set in it four rows of stones, the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this was the first row. (11) And the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; (12) And the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; (13) And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper; they were enclosed in ouches of gold in their enclosings. (14) And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with its name, according to the twelve tribes.
The breastplate was set with four rows of stones, twelve stones in all, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. I am not going to revisit studying the translations of each of the stones mentioned, but will refer to my notes from chapter 28:
There was a different stone representing each of the sons of Israel. What each of the stones was may not be known exactly. It was interesting that what the KJV called an emerald in the first row was called a carbuncle or beryl by other translations, and what was called an emerald was translated as turquoise. There is so much discrepancy among experts and the theologians that I am not even going to try to determine exactly what each stone was. At this point, I don't think that is what was most important. I believe the point is that each one of the stones was a distinct separate stone representing each one of the sons of Israel.
(15) And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of braided work of pure gold. (16) And they made two ouches of gold and two gold rings, and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate. (17) And they put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate. (18) And the two ends of the two braided chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod in the front.
The breastplate was made with two gold rings at the two ends of it. They made pure gold braided chains and put them in the rings on the ends of the breastplate. It sounds as if the ouches or gold settings were placed on the shoulder straps of the ephod, and the chains of the breastplate were attached on either side to the shoulder straps in the front.
(19) And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the inward side of the ephod. (20) And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, at the seam above the curious girdle of the ephod. (21) And they bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Two additional rings were made on the bottom border of the breastplate and attached to the ephod underneath with even two more rings by means of a blue cord. It was secured right above the curious girdle, or intricately woven band, of the ephod.
(22) And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. (23) And there was an hole in the middle of the robe, like the opening in a habergeon, with a band all around the hole so that it would not tear.
The robe of the ephod was a simple loose fitting tunic style of garment with no sleeves and only a head hole (like that of a corslet or sleeveless coat of mail) in the top, worn under the ephod. It was made of blue cloth and the head hole was to be reinforced with a woven binding so that it would not tear.
(24) And they made upon the hem of the robe pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, and of fine woven linen. (25) And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, all around between the pomegranates; (26) A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe to minister in, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Along the hem of the robe they made blue, purple, and scarlet pom-pom style decorations, or pomegranates. They also made pure gold bells that alternated with the pomegranates all around the hem of the blue robe. This was Aaron's robe to wear when he ministered.
(27) And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, (28) And a turban of fine linen, exquisite hats of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine woven linen, (29) And a girdle of fine woven linen with blue, purple, and scarlet needlework, as the LORD commanded Moses.
They made coats of fine linen, distinct garments separate from the ephod and the robe of the ephod, for Aaron and his sons. Turban is singular, so they may have made just one turban for Aaron of fine linen, and exquisite hats and breeches of fine linen for all of them, Aaron and his sons. The girdle was called a sash in Exodus 28:39 when God first told Moses how these garments were to be made. I believe the coat was bound to the body with a needlework sash.
(30) And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it an inscription like the engraving of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. (31) And they tied to it a lace of blue, to fasten it above on the turban, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
They made a plate of pure gold on a crown engraved with the words "HOLINESS TO THE LORD", and it was tied with a blue lace or band and fastened on the turban.
(32) Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished; and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they did.
All the work of the tabernacle was now finished, the children of Israel doing all the work as the Lord had commanded Moses they do.
(33) And they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; (34) And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the veil of the covering; (35) The ark of the testimony, and its poles, and the mercy seat; (36) The table, all its utensils, and the showbread; (37) The pure gold candlestick with its lamps (the lamps set in order), all its utensils, and the oil for light; (38) And the golden altar, the anointing oil, and the sweet incense; and the hanging for the tabernacle door; (39) The bronze altar, its grate of brass, its poles, and all its utensils; the laver and its base; (40) The hangings of the court, its pillars and its sockets, the hanging for the court gate, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation; (41) The cloths of service to do service in the holy place; the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons’ garments, to minister in the priest's office.
They brought their work to Moses for inspection. I don't believe they brought the entire tabernacle to him, at least not as a whole, but they brought him all the parts they had made before they put it together. Then began a long list of the items they brought him that continued for nine verses, a repeat of which is unnecessary.
(42) According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. (43) And Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it as the LORD had commanded, just so they had done it; and Moses blessed them.
I believe these words from Adam Clarke in his Commentary on the Bible, are a beautiful summary of this and the previous chapters of the work done on the tabernacle:
"The promptitude, cordiality, and dispatch used in this business cannot be too highly commended, and are worthy of the imitation of all who are employed in any way in the service of God. The prospect of having God to dwell among them inflamed every heart, because they well knew that on this depended their prosperity and salvation. They therefore hastened to build him a house, and they spared no expense or skill to make it, as far as a house made with hands could be, worthy of that Divine Majesty who had promised to take up his residence in it. This tabernacle, like the temple, was a type of the human nature of the Lord Jesus; that was a shrine not made with hands, formed by God himself, and worthy of that fullness of the Deity that dwelt in it."
