Commentary - Exodus 39:8-21

Bird's-eye view

This section of Exodus provides us with a meticulously detailed account of the construction of the high priest's breastpiece, often called the breastpiece of judgment. After the grand designs for the tabernacle were given by God on the mountain, and after the disaster of the golden calf, we now see the obedient and skillful execution of those designs by the people. This is not merely a dry inventory of materials and measurements. What we are reading is the careful preparation of the central interface between God and His people, Israel. The high priest did not go before God as a private individual; he went as a representative, literally carrying the names of the people on his shoulders and over his heart. This garment, with its twelve precious stones, was a visible, tangible sermon on God's covenant faithfulness to His chosen tribes, and a stunning picture of how God's people are both upheld by His strength and cherished in His affections. It is a beautiful, glorious, and weighty piece of fabric, a shadow of the far greater reality we have in our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The key takeaway is that God cares immensely about the details of worship and representation. The specific colors, fabrics, stones, and construction methods were all commanded by God, and the glory of the final product lies in its faithful execution. This is a picture of mediated representation. The people of Israel could not rush into God's presence, but they were not forgotten before Him. They were brought near through their appointed head, the high priest. Every flash of light from the gems on Aaron's chest was a reminder that God had bound Himself to this particular people, and that their names were precious to Him.

Outline

Context In Exodus

Exodus 39 is the culmination of the tabernacle's construction, which was commanded by God in chapters 25-31. This chapter serves as the inspection and approval report. Over and over, the refrain "just as Yahweh had commanded Moses" punctuates the narrative, highlighting the people's faithful obedience in contrast to their earlier rebellion with the golden calf (Exodus 32). This section specifically details the making of the priestly garments, which were essential for the tabernacle's function. Without a rightly consecrated priest, the tabernacle would just be a beautiful but unusable tent. The garments set the priest apart, marking him as the one authorized to minister in the holy place. The breastpiece, described here, is arguably the most intricate and significant part of his attire, directly connected to his role in seeking judgment from God and representing the twelve tribes. This chapter, therefore, is a crucial bridge between the construction of God's dwelling place and the inauguration of the worship that will take place within it.

Key Issues

Bearing the People Before God

The central function of a priest is representation. He stands before God on behalf of the people, and he stands before the people on behalf of God. This is a two-way street, and the high priest's garments were a visual representation of this profound reality. He was not dressed for his own comfort or to express his personal style. His clothing was rhetoric; it was a uniform that declared his office. And the breastpiece was the centerpiece of this declaration. When Aaron entered the holy place, he did not go alone. He carried Israel with him. The names of the twelve tribes were engraved on the stones, set in gold, and placed directly over his heart. This was not a sentimental gesture. It was a formal, covenantal act. It meant that when God looked at the high priest, He saw the people whom He had redeemed. Their cause, their needs, their sins, and their hopes were all brought into the presence of the Holy One, bound to the heart of their mediator. This is a foundational concept for understanding all of redemptive history. God deals with us through representatives, first through Adam, then through the high priests of Israel, and ultimately, perfectly, and finally through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Verse by Verse Commentary

8 He made the breastpiece, the work of a skillful designer, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen.

The description begins by emphasizing the continuity of craftsmanship. The breastpiece was made with the same divine skill and artistry as the ephod, the garment to which it was attached. This was not shoddy work. The materials are the same ones used throughout the most holy parts of the tabernacle: gold for glory and divinity, blue for the heavens, purple for royalty, and scarlet for blood and sacrifice, all woven into fine linen, representing righteousness. This was a holy garment, made from holy materials, by Spirit-filled men for a holy purpose. God does not just care about what we do in worship; He cares about how we do it.

9 It was square; they made the breastpiece, having been folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double.

The geometry is significant. It was square, a shape often associated with the earth, or with divine order and perfection. It was folded double, creating a pouch. This pouch is where the Urim and Thummim, the instruments of judgment, were to be kept (Ex. 28:30). So the breastpiece not only carried the names of the people but also the means by which God would reveal His will and render His judgments for them. It was a pocket for revelation, worn over the heart of the mediator.

10-13 And they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald; and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in their filigree settings with gold filigree.

Here is the glory of the breastpiece. Twelve precious stones, arranged in four perfect rows. While there is much debate over the precise identification of these ancient stones, the point is their value, beauty, and diversity. Each stone was distinct, yet they were all part of one unified piece. They were not glued on; they were set in intricate gold filigree, held securely. This is a picture of the church. Twelve tribes, each with its own identity and history, yet all are precious to God, all are held securely in the plan of redemption, and all contribute to the corporate glory of God's people.

14 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.

This verse makes the representative function explicit. Each stone stood for a tribe. And the names were not written on with ink that could fade; they were engraved like a signet ring. A signet was used to impress an owner's seal, a mark of authority and possession. These names were permanently etched into these precious stones. This signifies God's permanent, unchanging, and authoritative claim on His people. He knows them by name, and His claim on them is as permanent as an engraving on a diamond.

15-18 They made on the breastpiece chains of a twisted work of cords in pure gold. They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. Then they put the two gold cords in the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. 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.

Now we see the engineering. The breastpiece was not a loose medallion. It was securely fastened to the ephod at the shoulders. Remember, the ephod also had two onyx stones on its shoulder pieces, with the names of the tribes engraved on them (Ex. 39:6-7). So Israel is represented on the priest's shoulders, the place of strength and burden-bearing, and over his heart, the place of affection and love. These golden chains and rings show that the two are inseparably linked. The one who bears the people on his heart must also bear them up with his strength.

19-20 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. 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 skillfully woven band of the ephod.

More details on the fastenings. There were rings on the bottom of the breastpiece and corresponding rings on the ephod itself, near the waistband. This provided a second point of connection, ensuring the breastpiece would not flap around or come loose during the priest's ministrations.

21 They bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it would be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece would not come loose from the ephod, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

The final verse of this section ties it all together, literally and theologically. A blue cord, the color of heaven, was used to bind the breastpiece to the ephod. This heavenly cord ensured that the representation of the people (the breastpiece) would not be separated from the foundation of the priestly office (the ephod). And why was all this done with such painstaking precision? The reason is given at the end: "just as Yahweh had commanded Moses." This is the foundation of all true worship. It is not about our good ideas, our creativity, or what we think might be impressive. It is about faithful obedience to the Word of God. The beauty of these garments was not in the gold and gems themselves, but in the perfect obedience they represented.

Application

It is easy to read a passage like this and see it as little more than ancient history, a description of a religious uniform that is no longer in use. But to do so would be to miss the point entirely. These garments, and the office of the high priest, were shadows pointing to a greater substance. We now have a Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, who has entered the true holy place, heaven itself, on our behalf (Heb. 9:24).

Like the breastpiece, our High Priest bears His people over His heart. We are His jewels, precious to Him, and our names are engraved not on stone, but on the palms of His hands (Isa. 49:16). He did not just carry our names; He carried our sin to the cross. He is the perfect representative, and when God the Father looks at Him, He sees us, clothed in His perfect righteousness. The security of the breastpiece, bound with golden chains and blue cords, is a picture of our eternal security in Christ. We are bound to Him, and nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:39). The breastpiece would not come loose from the ephod, and the believer will not come loose from Christ.

Finally, the meticulous obedience of the craftsmen should challenge us. Do we approach our worship, our service, and our lives with the same care? Do we believe that God's commands matter, down to the details? We are not called to build a physical tabernacle, but we are called to build up the church, the body of Christ. We are to do this according to the blueprint He has given us in His Word, not according to our own whims. Every act of faithful obedience, no matter how small, is like another thread of gold woven into the fabric of God's glorious redemptive plan.