Exodus 39: This chapter discusses the making of the cloths of service.
(Exo 39:1 NASB) Moreover, from the blue and purple and scarlet material, they made finely woven garments for ministering in the holy place, as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exo 39:1: These are the garments that were worn for priestly service. They are for Aaron as High Priest and for the other priests.
(Exo 39:2 NASB) And he made the ephod of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen.
(Exo 39:3 NASB) Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the blue and the purple and the scarlet material, and the fine linen, the work of a skillful workman.
Exo 39:3: I found the use of gold here to be very interesting. It was hammered so thin that it was used for thread. Researching the malleability of gold tells us that this not extremely difficult to do:
“Gold is very malleable which means it can be hammered into shapes. Gold is so malleable that it can be hammered into a sheet so thin that light can pass through it. It is also ductile, which means it can be drawn into long, thin wires: a wire thread approximately 50 miles long can be drawn from a single troy ounce of gold (31.1 grams). It is also one of the densest metals: a cubic foot of gold weighs over 1,200 pounds.” http://www.eoearth.org/article/Gold
(Exo 39:4 NASB) They made attaching shoulder pieces for the ephod; it was attached at its two upper ends.
(Exo 39:5 NASB) And the skillfully woven band which was on it was like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exo 39:5: The ephod is similar to an apron that is worn by the High Priest. It was made of that twisted blue, purple, and scarlet linen and the gold thread.
(Exo 39:6 NASB) And they made the onyx stones, set in gold filigree settings; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.
(Exo 39:7 NASB) And he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exo 39:7: The onyx stones were set in gold mountings. On the onyx stones were engraved the names of the tribes of Israel (Ex. 28:9-12). This symbolizes that Elohim carried the people of Israel on His shoulders.
(Exo 39:8 NASB) And he made the breastpiece, the work of a skillful workman, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold and of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen.
(Exo 39:9 NASB) It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double.
Exo 39:9: The breastpiece was made of the same twisted linen and gold. It was a span in length and height (about 7-9 inches?).
(Exo 39:10 NASB) And they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald;
(Exo 39:11 NASB) and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond;
(Exo 39:12 NASB) and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
(Exo 39:13 NASB) and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in gold filigree settings when they were mounted.
(Exo 39:14 NASB) And the stones were corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes.
Exo 39:14: The breastpiece had twelve stones mounted in four rows. The stones corresponded to the names of the tribes of Israel and were set in gold.
(Exo 39:15 NASB) And they made on the breastpiece chains like cords, of twisted cordage work in pure gold.
(Exo 39:16 NASB) And they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.
(Exo 39:17 NASB) Then they put the two gold cords in the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece.
(Exo 39:18 NASB) And they put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it.
Exo 39:18: The breastpiece was hung on a chain of solid gold twisted chord.
(Exo 39:19 NASB) And they made two gold rings and placed them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inner edge which was next to the ephod.
(Exo 39:20 NASB) Furthermore, they made two gold rings and placed them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it, close to the place where it joined, above the woven band of the ephod.
(Exo 39:21 NASB) And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, that it might be on the woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece might not come loose from the ephod, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exo 39:21: The breastpiece was attached to the ephod at the top and the bottom.
(Exo 39:22 NASB) Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue;
(Exo 39:23 NASB) and the opening of the robe was at the top in the center, as the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding all around its opening, that it might not be torn.
(Exo 39:24 NASB) And they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material and twisted linen on the hem of the robe.
(Exo 39:25 NASB) They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the robe,
(Exo 39:26 NASB) alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe, for the service, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exo 39:26: The robe of the priest was blue. It had alternating pomegranates and bells all around the hem.
(Exo 39:27 NASB) And they made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons,
(Exo 39:28 NASB) and the turban of fine linen, and the decorated caps of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twisted linen,
(Exo 39:29 NASB) and the sash of fine twisted linen, and blue and purple and scarlet material, the work of the weaver, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exo 39:29: The priests were to wear a tunic (a gown-like outer garment) made of fine linen as well as turbans and breeches made of the same material.
(Exo 39:30 NASB) And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and inscribed it like the engravings of a signet, “Holy to the LORD.”
(Exo 39:31 NASB) And they fastened a blue cord to it, to fasten it on the turban above, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exo 39:31: The crown of the high priest is attached to his turban. It is inscribed “Holy to Yahweh.”
(Exo 39:32 NASB) Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was completed; and the sons of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; so they did.
Exo 39:32: Everything was completed according to the instructions given.
(Exo 39:33 NASB) And they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings: its clasps, its boards, its bars, and its pillars and its sockets;
(Exo 39:34 NASB) and the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of porpoise skins, and the screening veil;
(Exo 39:35 NASB) the ark of the testimony and its poles and the mercy seat;
(Exo 39:36 NASB) the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;
(Exo 39:37 NASB) the pure gold lampstand, with its arrangement of lamps and all its utensils, and the oil for the light;
(Exo 39:38 NASB) and the gold altar, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the veil for the doorway of the tent;
(Exo 39:39 NASB) the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils, the laver and its stand;
(Exo 39:40 NASB) the hangings for the court, its pillars and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords and its pegs and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;
(Exo 39:41 NASB) the woven garments for ministering in the holy place and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.
Exo 39:41: Each and every piece was brought to Moses for inspection and approval.
(Exo 39:42 NASB) So the sons of Israel did all the work according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses.
(Exo 39:43 NASB) And Moses examined all the work and behold, they had done it; just as the LORD had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them.
Exo 39:43: Moses examined all the articles and approved them and blessed the people for the work they had done.
Patrick McGuire
Copyright 2014 Patrick McGuire and Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly All rights reserved, no portion of this Lesson may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews. Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly Fort Smith, Arkansas