Commentaria in Exodum
Chapter the Thirty-ninth
The priestly vestments are made, and the whole making of the tabernacle with its furniture is completed.
1. And of the violet, and purple, scarlet, and fine linen he made the vestments, for Aaron to wear when he ministered in the holy places, as the Lord commanded Moses. 2. So he made the ephod of gold, violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen, 3. With embroidery: and he cut thin plates of gold, and drew them small into threads, that they might be twisted with the woof of the aforesaid colours, 4. And two edges coupled together on both sides of the tops of it, 5. And a girdle of the same colours, as the Lord commanded Moses. 6. He prepared also two onyx stones, closed and set in gold, and graven by the art of a lapidary, with the names of the children of Israel: 7. And he put them in the sides of the ephod for a memorial of the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses. 8. He made also the rational with embroidery, according to the work of the ephod, of gold, violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen: 9. Four square, double: of the measure of a span.
10. And he set in it four rows of stones. In the first row was a sardius, a topaz, an emerald. 11. In the second, a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a jasper. 12. In the third, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 13. In the fourth, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a beryl, set and inclosed in gold by their rows. 14. And the twelve stones were engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, every one with its name. 15. They made also in the rational little chains linked one to another, of the purest gold, 16. And two hooks, and as many rings of gold. And they put the rings on both sides of the rational, 17. From which hung two golden chains, which they put into the hooks that stood out in the corners of the ephod. 18. These things fitted each other so before and behind, that the ephod and the rational were joined together on both sides, 19. Being fastened to the girdle, and coupled with rings, which a lace of violet joined, lest they should be loose and move one from another, as the Lord commanded Moses.
20. They made also the tunic of the ephod all of violet, 21. And the opening for the head in the upper part towards the middle, and a woven hem round about the opening: 22. And beneath at the feet of the same tunic, pomegranates of violet, purple, scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen: 23. And bells of the purest gold, which they put between the pomegranates at the bottom of the tunic round about: 24. A bell of gold, and a pomegranate, wherewith the high priest went adorned when he discharged his ministry, as the Lord commanded Moses. 25. They made also fine linen tunics of woven work for Aaron and his sons, 26. And mitres with their little crowns of fine linen: 27. And linen breeches of fine linen: 28. And a girdle of fine twisted linen, violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, by embroiderer’s work, as the Lord commanded Moses. 29. They made also a plate of sacred veneration of the purest gold, and wrote on it with the engraver’s work: Holiness to the Lord. 30. And they fastened it to the mitre with a lace of violet, as the Lord commanded Moses.
31. So all the work of the tabernacle and of the tent of the testimony was finished: and the children of Israel did all things which the Lord had commanded Moses. 32. And they offered the tabernacle and the tent and all the furniture, the rings, the boards, the bars, the pillars and the sockets, 33. The covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and another covering of violet-coloured skins, 34. The veil, the ark, the bars, the propitiatory, 35. The table with its vessels and the loaves of proposition: 36. The candlestick, the lamps and the utensils thereof with oil, 37. The golden altar, and the ointment, and the incense of spices, 38. And the hanging in the entry of the tabernacle: 39. The altar of brass, the grate, the bars, and all the vessels thereof, the laver with its foot, the hangings of the court, and the pillars with their sockets, 40. The hanging in the entry of the court and the cords thereof, and the pins. Nothing was wanting of the vessels that were commanded to be made for the ministry of the tabernacle, and for the tent of the covenant. 41. The vestments also which the priests use in the sanctuary, namely, for Aaron and his sons, 42. The children of Israel offered, as the Lord had commanded. 43. And when Moses saw all things finished, he blessed them.
4. AND TWO EDGES,—supply he made.
29. AND WROTE ON IT WITH THE ENGRAVER’S WORK (that is, they engraved on the plate, as engravers are wont to engrave on seals), HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
33. THE TENT,—the covering of hair-cloths, which is called ohel, of which chap. 26, verse 7.
43. HE BLESSED THEM,—namely Moses blessed the children of Israel, who had so liberally offered their goods to the Lord, and who had so zealously laboured at the work of the tabernacle, obeying most readily the voice of the Lord. It is plain from the Hebrew. Abulensis therefore does not rightly explain thus: “He blessed them,” namely the instruments of the tabernacle, as if this blessing were their consecration; for these were consecrated not here, but afterwards in chap. 40, verse 9, in the erection of the tabernacle, by anointing.
Tropologically, those who in their own soul build the tabernacle of God, by humility, charity, prayer and other virtues, when it is completed will be blessed by the Lord, because they will be heaped with grace and glory. “The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the just: but iniquity covereth the mouth of the wicked,” says the Wise Man, Prov. chap. 10. So was Abraham blessed: “By my own self have I sworn, saith the Lord: because thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thy only begotten son: I will bless thee, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,” Gen. chap. 22, verse 16. Hence Ecclus. chap. 11, verse 24: “The blessing of God hasteth to reward the just.” And chap. 39, verse 27: “His blessing hath overflowed like a river,” especially on the day of judgment, when he shall say to his elect: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,”
Verses 17–21. In the Hebrew: And they put the two chains of gold upon the two rings at the ends of the rational. 18. And the two ends of the two chains they put upon the two sockets, and they put them upon the shoulder-parts of the ephod, from the front. 19. And they made two rings of gold, and put them upon the two ends of the rational, near its edge, which is toward the passage of the ephod, inwardly. 20. And they made two rings of gold, and put them upon the two shoulder-parts of the ephod below, from the front, at its junction, above (near) the band of the ephod. 21. And they bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod, with a lace of violet, that it might remain above the band of the ephod, and the breastplate be not torn from above the ephod, as Jehovah commanded Moses.