The Law · Chapter 39 of 40

Exodus 39

The craftsmen make the priestly garments as the LORD commanded: the golden ephod, the jeweled breastplate bearing the twelve tribes' names, the blue robe with bells and pomegranates, the linen coats, and the golden plate engraved HOLINESS TO THE LORD. When all the work is finished, they bring it to Moses, who inspects it, sees it done exactly as commanded, and blesses the people.

What happens in Exodus 39

This chapter records the making of the holy garments for Aaron and his sons. The workers fashion the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen, its shoulderpieces set with onyx stones engraved with Israel's names. They make the breastplate, foursquare and doubled, holding twelve precious stones in four rows, each engraved with a tribe's name, bound to the ephod with golden chains and lace of blue.

They weave the blue robe fringed with pomegranates and golden bells, coats and a mitre of fine linen, and the pure gold plate inscribed HOLINESS TO THE LORD, fastened on the mitre. The refrain as the LORD commanded Moses repeats throughout. When the entire work of the tabernacle is finished, the people bring every part to Moses. He examines it, finds it made exactly as the LORD directed, and blesses them.

Exodus 39 in context

Exodus 39 completes the priestly vestments described in chapter 28 and then narrates the finishing of the whole tabernacle project. The high priest's garments equipped Aaron to represent Israel before God, carrying the tribes on his shoulders and heart and wearing the mark of holiness.

The chapter's closing scene, with Moses inspecting the finished work and blessing the workers, deliberately echoes God's own review and blessing at the end of creation, framing the tabernacle as a new ordered place where God will dwell.

Main themes of Exodus 39

Exodus 39 (KJV)

1And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses. 2And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 3And 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. 4They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together. 5And 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. 6And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel. 7And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses. 8And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 9It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled. 10And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row. 11And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 12And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 13And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings. 14And 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. 15And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold. 16And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate. 17And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate. 18And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it. 19And 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. 20And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. 21And 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. 22And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. 23And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend. 24And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen. 25And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates; 26A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses. 27And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, 28And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen, 29And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses. 30And they made the 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. 31And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses. 32Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they. 33And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets, 34And the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers’ skins, and the vail of the covering, 35The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat, 36The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread, 37The 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, 38And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door, 39The brasen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, 40The 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, 41The cloths 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. 42According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. 43And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.

Verses to carry from Exodus 39

“And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.”Exodus 39:7

“And they made the 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.”Exodus 39:30

“And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.”Exodus 39:43

Reflection

The priest carried Israel's names on his shoulders and heart before God. Rest in the truth that One now bears your name in His presence. And consider your own work: does it, like theirs, aim to be done exactly as God commanded, so that His blessing may rest upon it?

A prayer from Exodus 39