The Second Book of Moses, called Exodus
Exodus 39
Chapter XXXIX · Vol. I, pp. 359–361
1 The cloths of service, and holy garments. 2 The ephod. 8 The breastplate. 22 The robe of the ephod. 27 The coats, mitre, and girdle of fine linen. 30 The plate of the holy crown. 32 All is viewed and approved by Moses.
1 AND of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made a clothes of service, to do service in the b holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses.
2 And he made the c ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
c ch. 28.6-12. These fine robes represented the manhood, mediatorial office, and finished righteousness of Christ.
3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.2
2 This kind of gold-wrought tissue is still very common in the East. It is manufactured in great perfection and beauty in Damascus and Aleppo, and is worn in robes, mantles, and turbans by all persons of rank both men and women.—P.
4 They made shoulder-pieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together.
5 And the curious girdle of his ephod that was upon it was of the same, according to the work thereof, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses.
6 Andd they wrought onyx-stones enclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel.
d ch. 28.9. Thus Christ supports and governs his people, and presents them before God.
7 And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a e memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.
e ch. 28.12.
8 And he made the f breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
9 It was four-square; they made the breastplate double:3 a span[≈ 23 cm · 9 in] was the length thereof, and a span[≈ 23 cm · 9 in] the breadth thereof, being doubled.
3 Every object endangered merits, and should receive, protection proportioned to its value, consequently the heart, as a chief organ of life, is naturally defended as by a fortress of many bones and muscles, in addition to which the eye and the arms are appointed as auxiliaries. But besides these natural defences, artificial aid is called in, and the soldier is covered with the cuirass or the breast-plate. So, 'the hidden man of the heart,' 1 Pe. 3.4, requires to be 'kept with all diligence,' Pr. 4.23, and that of every representative, as was the high-priest, who required to keep it, first, on his own account, and secondly, on account of the people. Hence his typical breast-plate was double, because the seal of the covenant was double, 'that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to the hope set before us,' He. 6.18.—Note, The assurance of believers reposes under the double protection of Christ's brotherhood with them, He. 2.17, 18, and his equality with the Father, Phi. 2.6. Jn. 16.15.—C.
10 And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius,4 a topaz, and a carbuncle; this was the first row.
4 Or, ruby. These precious stones represented believers in their various circumstances placed in comely order in the church and kingdom of grace.
11 And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
12 And the third row, a ligure, 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 his name, according to the twelve tribes.5
5 The art of engraving on stone and metal is of remote antiquity. We read in Ge. 38.18 of Judah's 'signet,' and the engraving on the gems of the high-priest's dress are always said to have been executed 'like the engravings of a signet.' It is remarkable that beautiful engraved signets have been found in some of the most ancient monuments of Chaldea, Assyria, and Egypt. Some of these are probably as old as the time of Abraham.—P.
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 wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate.
18 And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod before it.
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 side of the ephod inward.
20 And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the fore-part of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
21 And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto 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.
22 And he made the h robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.
A.M. 2513. B.C. 1491.
h ch. 28.31-35. As the ephod was a kind of short coat without sleeves, so this robe was somewhat in the form of a long shirt under the ephod.
23 And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon,6 with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend.
6 The habergeon or hauberk was a small coat of mail, something in form of a half shirt, made of small iron rings curiously united together. It covered the neck and breast, was very light, and resisted the stroke of a sword. Sometimes it went over the whole head as well as over the breast. This kind of defensive armour was used among the Asiatics, particularly the ancient Persians, among whom it is still worn. It seems to have been borrowed from the Asiatics by the Norman crusaders.—Clarke.
24 And they made upon the hems of the robe i pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.
i Ga. 5.22.
25 And they made k bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates;
k ch. 23.33, 34. Ps. 89.15. The bells signified Christ's intercession and the preaching of the gospel, and the pomegranates signified their good fruits and effects.
26 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.
27 And they made l coats of fine linen, of woven work, for Aaron, and for his sons;
l ch. 28.39-42. Phi. 2.6-8. These coarser robes signified what is common to Christ and his people. The mitre prefigured Christ's dignity as an high-priest.
28 And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen;
29 And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needle-work; as the LORD commanded Moses.
30 And they made the m plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
m ch. 28.36-38. He. 7.26; 1.3. 2 Co. 5.21. 1 Co. 1.30.
31 And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.
32 Thus was n all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation 7 finished: and the children of Israel did o according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.
n ver. 33-42; ch. 31.6, 11; 35.10-19; 40.2-30. Nu. 3.25,26,31,36,37; 4.4-32. ch. xxv.-xxxi. xxxv.-xl. Le. viii. ix.
7 The minute and lengthened specification delivered to Moses was at last finished. So our Lord says to the Father, 'I have finished the works which thou gavest me to do,' Jn. 17.4. Not meaning that the work of saving sinners was yet finished (for that was not till he died and rose again, Ro. 4.24), but the work of glorifying the Father on earth as the angels do in heaven. Again he said, 'It is finished,' Jn. 19.30; yet still not the work of saving sinners, nor of casting out Satan (for that was effected by death, He. 2.14, which had not yet passed upon him), but the last voluntary act foretold by the spirit of prophecy was finished, when having completed the will of him that sent him, he bowed the head and gave up the ghost.—Note, What a rebuke to indolence! what a stimulus to diligence! It is finished! Lord, give us grace to carry on and finish all our work, and pardon thou the idleness of our utmost diligence, and specially the sins of our most holy things.—C.
o De. 12.32. Mat. 28.20. 1 Sa. 15.22. The phrase, as the Lord commanded Moses, is so often repeated in this and the following chapter to put honour on their obedience, and to teach us that everything done in the church should be exactly correspondent with the law of God.
33 And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the p tent and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets;
A.M. 2513. B.C. 1491.
p ch. 31.7-11; 35.11-19; xxv.-xxx. xxxvi.-xxxix. xl.
34 And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the vail of the covering;
35 The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy-seat;
36 The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the show-bread;
37 The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light;
38 And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense,7 and the hanging for the tabernacle-door;
7 Heb. the incense of sweet spices.
39 The brazen altar and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels; the laver and his foot;
40 The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court-gate, his cords and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation;
41 The clothes of service, to do service in the holy place; and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons' garments, to minister in the priest's office.
42 Accordingq to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.
q ch. xxv.-xxxi.; 23.21,22. De. 12.32. Mat. 28.20. 2 Ti. 2.15; 4.7.
43 And Moses did r look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded even so had they done it: and Moses s blessed them.8
r Ge. 1.31. Ps. 104.31.
s Ge. 14.19. 2 Ti. 4.7,8. 1 Ti. 4.7,8. 1 Ch. 16.2. 2 Ch. 6.3. Ps. 19.11. 1 Co. 15.58.
8 Moses examines all the work, so we must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ. On, on, ye workers of the tabernacle! 'The fire will try every man's work of what sort it is,' 1 Co. 3.13. And as Moses blessed the workmen whom he approved, so will the Lord say 'to them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you,' Mat. 25.34.—C.
Notes
Reflections.—How honourable is the livery of ministers and believers! but how much more the glory of Immanuel, our great High-priest!—Great things may quickly be done in the church when ALL hearts and hands are active. And it is pleasant and profitable when everything answers to the commandments of God: it is necessary therefore to try our whole work after it is finished, as well as while it is carrying forward; so shall our labour not be in vain in the Lord.
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.