Commentary - Exodus 39:22-26

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Exodus, we are not reading a mere inventory or a dressmaker's pattern. We are observing the careful, obedient construction of the holy garments, which are themselves a kind of theology in fabric and gold. This is the uniform for the man who stands between a holy God and a sinful people. Every detail is freighted with meaning, from the color of the thread to the sound the priest makes when he walks. This chapter is the fulfillment of the commands given earlier in Exodus 28, and the repeated refrain, "just as Yahweh had commanded Moses," underscores the central theme: God is not to be worshiped according to our whim, but according to His explicit Word. The garments are designed to clothe the priest in glory and beauty, not for his own sake, but to typify the far greater glory and beauty of the Great High Priest to come, the Lord Jesus Christ. This section, focusing on the robe of the ephod, reveals the heavenly nature of Christ's authority, the integrity of His office, and the dual nature of His ministry: fruitful life and clear proclamation.

The robe is a picture of the priest's office and function. Its solid blue color speaks of heaven. Its reinforced opening speaks of the inviolable nature of the priestly office. And the ornamentation on the hem, the pomegranates and bells, speak of the character and consequence of his ministry. As he moves, he is to be a walking illustration of the gospel, fruitfulness and testimony, life and sound, substance and proclamation. This is not ecclesiastical bling; it is rhetoric in motion, a sermon preached with every step.

Outline

Context In Exodus

Exodus 39 is the capstone of the entire Tabernacle construction narrative that began back in chapter 25. After the great sin of the golden calf in chapter 32 and the subsequent covenant renewal, the people of Israel respond with lavish generosity and skillful obedience. Chapters 35-38 detail the building of the Tabernacle structure and its furniture. Now, in chapter 39, the focus shifts to the final and most personal element: the garments for the priests who will serve in this holy place. This is not an afterthought. The dwelling place for God is incomplete without the ordained mediator who can approach Him on behalf of the people. These verses are a direct and faithful execution of the divine instructions from chapter 28. The placement of this section right before the final chapter on the erection of the Tabernacle (Exodus 40) is significant. Before the Tabernacle is set up and the glory of the Lord fills it, the mediator must be properly clothed for his office. The office precedes the function. The man must be set apart and properly attired before he can begin his ministry. This sets the stage for the entire Levitical system of sacrifice and worship, which in turn sets the stage for Christ.

Key Issues

Theology in Motion

We live in an age that is allergic to uniforms, prescribed dress, and anything that smacks of formal office. We want our leaders to be relatable, casual, just one of the guys. But God has a different view. Clothing is rhetoric. What a man wears says something, and in the economy of worship, it says something crucial. The High Priest's garments were not designed to be fashionable or to allow for personal expression. They were a theological statement, a uniform that declared the nature of his office and the God he served.

The robe of the ephod, in particular, was the foundational garment upon which the more intricate pieces, the ephod and the breastplate, would rest. It represents the fundamental character of the priest's ministry. It is a seamless whole, speaking of integrity. It is blue, speaking of its heavenly authority. And its hem is alive with sound and symbols of fruit, showing that the priest's walk before God and man is to be one of productive life and clear-voiced testimony. When Aaron walked, the bells and pomegranates were not just decoration; they were the very substance of his ministry made visible and audible. This is theology in motion, a declaration that true ministry is never silent and never barren.

Verse by Verse Commentary

22 Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work entirely of blue;

The construction begins with the robe, the garment worn under the ephod. The first thing we are told is its color: it was entirely of blue. This is not an arbitrary choice. Throughout the Tabernacle instructions, blue speaks of heaven. It is the color of the sky. This robe, covering the priest from shoulders to feet, declared that his authority, his message, and his entire ministry were from above. He was not representing the people to God based on some earthly wisdom or democratic mandate. He was God's man, draped in the authority of heaven, bringing a word from God. This stands in stark contrast to all man-made religions, which are earthy, brown, and crawl on their bellies. The Christian faith is a revealed faith, a blue faith, descended from heaven in the person of Jesus Christ, who came down from the Father.

23 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, so that it would not be torn.

The details of construction are not merely practical; they are theological. The opening for the head was reinforced, like a coat of mail, specifically so that it could not be torn. This speaks to the integrity and permanence of the priestly office. This was not a flimsy garment for a temporary role. The office of mediator is a robust and durable thing. When the High Priest Caiaphas tore his robes at the trial of Jesus (Matt. 26:65), it was a profoundly ironic and sinful act. He was rending the very symbol of the inviolable office he held, and in doing so, demonstrating its transfer to the one standing before him. Christ is our High Priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. His office cannot be torn, it cannot be compromised, and it will never fail. The reinforced collar on this blue robe was a small picture of that great reality.

24 They made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material and twisted linen on the hem of the robe.

Around the very bottom edge of this heavenly blue robe, they were to attach pomegranates. A pomegranate is a remarkable fruit, known for being filled with an abundance of seeds and blood-red juice. Biblically, it is a symbol of fruitfulness, life, and abundance. By placing these on the hem of the robe, the message was clear: the result of a heavenly ministry is earthly fruitfulness. The priest's walk, his interaction with the world at the "hem" of his ministry, was to be characterized by the production of life. This is a direct foreshadowing of the gospel. The ministry of Christ and His Church is not a sterile, abstract affair. It is meant to bring forth abundant fruit in the lives of God's people (John 15:8). The combination of royal purple, sacrificial scarlet, and pure linen points to the multifaceted character of this fruit, all rooted in the work of Christ.

25 They also made bells of pure gold and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the robe,

Between the symbols of fruitfulness, they were to place bells of pure gold. Gold, in Scripture, consistently represents that which is divine, pure, and precious. These were not just any bells; they were holy bells. Their purpose was to make a sound. As the priest moved, the bells would ring out, a clear and unmistakable testimony. This was a proclamation. It was a warning to the people that the holy mediator was present and at work. It was a declaration that God's work is not done in secret or in silence. The gospel must be proclaimed. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. A silent priest is a disobedient priest. The sound of the bells is the sound of the gospel being preached, the pure and precious truth of God ringing out in the world.

26 alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe for the ministry, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

And here, the two elements are brought together in a divine pattern: a bell, then a pomegranate, a bell, then a pomegranate. Sound and fruit. Proclamation and life. Word and substance. This is the rhythm of true ministry. The two are inseparable. Proclamation of the truth (the bell) is what brings forth new life (the pomegranate). And the new life that is brought forth then becomes a testimony itself, which rings out in the world. We are not to have one without the other. A ministry that makes a lot of noise but bears no fruit is just a clanging cymbal. A ministry that claims to have life but has no clear, audible proclamation of the truth is a fraud. The two must alternate, feeding one another, all around the hem of the priest's life. And all of this was done, as the text concludes, exactly as God commanded. True ministry is never an ad-lib performance; it is faithful obedience to the revealed Word of God.

Application

The immediate application of these truths is to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the true High Priest whose ministry was perfectly heavenly (the blue robe), whose office is eternal and inviolable (the reinforced collar), and whose life and death brought forth both the clear proclamation of salvation (the bells) and the abundant fruit of it in our lives (the pomegranates). He is the fulfillment of this rich typology.

But by extension, this applies to the Church and particularly to her ministers. The Church is a royal priesthood, and we are to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Our lives are to be governed by a heavenly reality, not an earthly one. We are to walk in such a way that our lives bear the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, and so on. But this fruit must be accompanied by the clear, golden sound of the gospel. We must be able to give a reason for the hope that is in us. We must speak the truth. We cannot retreat into a quiet, private piety that bears pomegranates only for ourselves. Nor can we be all bell, making a great noise about doctrine with no corresponding fruit of love and holiness. The world needs to see the fruit and hear the sound. It needs to see our good works, the pomegranates, and hear our good news, the bells, so that they might glorify our Father who is in heaven.