The Making of Preistly Garments

(Exodus 39:1 - 39:41)

From the blue, purple, and scarlet fabric, the craftsmen set about to make priestly garments for ministering in the Sanctum, the sacred raiment of Aaron, as instructed by Jehovah. 

The priest's vest was made of fine linen of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn.  Threads of gold cut from plates beaten thin were worked expertly woven into the fabric.  The two pieces, front and back, were joined at the edges and fastened with shoulder straps.  The sash securing the vest was of the same material and colors, as Jehovah had instructed.  

Two onyx stones were selected, mounted in gold settings, and engraved, as would a jeweler, with the names of the tribes of Israel.  They were attached to the shoulders of the vest, as Jehovah had instructed, that they should be a remembrance of the sons of Israel.

With the same skill they made a chestpiece of finely loomed linen of yarn dyed blue, purple, and scarlet, to match the vest.  It was folded in two so that it would be of double thickness and 9 inches square.  They set upon it four rows of gems.  In the first row there was a carnelian, a topaz, and an emerald;  in the second, a turquoise, a lapis lazuli, and a beryl; in the third, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; in the fourth, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper, all with gold settings.  They were mounted in gold settings.  The stones, representing the sons of Israel, were engraved like a signet with the names of each of the 12 tribes of Israel. 

For the chestpiece they made a cord of twisted strands of purest gold.  They mounted two gold rings on the top corners of the chestpiece and attached the gold cords to them, then attached the other ends of the cords to the gold rings at the shoulders of the vest.  They attached two more gold rings on the bottom corners of the chestpiece, on the inside surface next to the vest.  And they made two more rings for the vest and attached them at the edges of the vest just above the sash.  With blue cords they bound the vest to the chestpiece by running the cords through both sets of rings and fastening them.  In this way the chestpiece piece was securely attached to the vest and be positioned just above the sash -- as Jehovah had instructed Moses.

A robe of woven cloth, blue in color, was made to wear over the vest.  In the middle of upper part of the robe was a hole for the head; the hole was bound with an edging so that it would not tear.  On the hem of the robe was a design of pomegranates made of finely loomed blue, purple, and scarlet linen and between them were attached bells of pure gold, that is, pomegranates and bells forming an alternating design around the entire hem of the ministering robe -- as Jehovah had instructed Moses.

For Aaron and his sons they made tunics of finely woven linen, turbans and head coverings, and underdrawers of fine linen.  They also created a decorated sash of finely loomed linen of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, as Jehovah had instructed Moses.

And they crafted a medallion of pure gold, an emblem of the priesthood,  and engraved upon it, as if it were a signet, "Holiness to Jehovah.”  They strung it on a cord of blue so that it would hang down from the turban, as Jehovah had instructed Moses.

Notes
1.  The reiteration of the specifications of the building of the Tabernacle and the items associated with it is partly a duplication of what was laid out earlier by Jehovah in his instructions to Moses.  However, many details are left out while a few others are added.  One wonders if the two laundry lists are derived from different original sources.

2.  There is a continuing emphasis that all that was done was in exact conformance to the instructions of Jehovah.  This is important to legitimize, if not sanctify what were probably already established religious customs and ceremonies in order to discourage challenges to the priesthood or disputes over ritual.  This was important to ensure continuity and orthodoxy, vital to any religion.  In Catholicism the Pope and church hierarchy were able to establish fairly consistent and uniform liturgical practices for many hundreds of years, but when Protestantism rejected that authority there would no longer be agreement upon either creed or ritual, and, as a consequence, the Protestant church splintered into a myriad of denominations.