Exodus39

Exodus 39 details the meticulous construction of the holy garments for Aaron and his sons, including the ephod, breastplate, robe, and other priestly attire, all made according to the Lord's specific instructions. The chapter then concludes with the completion of all the work for the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Finally, Moses inspects the finished work, confirms its adherence to divine command, and blesses the children of Israel for their obedience.
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The Priestly Garments Constructed

1
And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made finely wrought garments, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ​
2
And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
3
And 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, the work of the skilful workman. ​
4
They made shoulder-pieces for it, joined together; at the two ends was it joined together.
5
And the skilfully woven band, that was upon it, wherewith to gird it on, was of the same piece and like the work thereof; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as Jehovah commanded Moses.
6
And they wrought the onyx stones, inclosed in settings of gold, graven with the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the children of Israel. ​
7
And he put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ​
8
And he made the breastplate, the work of the skilful workman, like the work of the ephod; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. ​
9
It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being double.
10
And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row;
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and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;
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and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
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and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in inclosings of gold in their settings.
14
And 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 according to his name, for the twelve tribes. ​
15
And they made upon the breastplate chains like cords, of wreathen work of pure gold.
16
And they made two settings of gold, and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
17
And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.
18
And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains they put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, in the forepart thereof.
19
And they made two rings of gold, and put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, upon the edge thereof, which was toward the side of the ephod inward.
20
And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, in the forepart thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully woven band of the ephod.
21
And they did bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be upon the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ​

The Robe of the Ephod

22
And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue; ​
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and the hole of the robe in the midst thereof, as the hole of a coat of mail, with a binding round about the hole of it, that it should not be rent.
24
And they made upon the skirts of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.
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And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the skirts of the robe round about, between the pomegranates;
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a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, upon the skirts of the robe round about, to minister in; as Jehovah commanded Moses. ​

Tunics and Accessories

27
And they made the coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, ​
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and the mitre of fine linen, and the goodly head-tires of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twined linen,
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and the girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, the work of the embroiderer; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

The Golden Plate of the Crown

30
And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO JEHOVAH. ​
31
And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it upon the mitre above; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

Completion of the Tabernacle Work

32
Thus was finished all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting: and the children of Israel did according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses; so did they. ​
33
And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the Tent, and all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets; ​
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and the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of sealskins, and the veil of the screen;
35
the ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy-seat;
36
the table, all the vessels thereof, and the showbread;
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the pure candlestick, the lamps thereof, even the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for the light;
38
and the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the screen for the door of the Tent;
39
the brazen altar, and its grating of brass, its staves, and all its vessels, the laver and its base;
40
the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court, the cords thereof, and the pins thereof, and all the instruments of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;
41
the finely wrought garments for ministering in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.
42
According to all that Jehovah commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. ​

Moses Inspects and Blesses the People

43
And Moses saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it; as Jehovah had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them. ​

Study Notes for Exodus 39

Verse 1

This chapter documents the faithful completion of the holy garments previously described in detail in Exodus 28. The use of blue, purple, and scarlet signified royalty, deity, and life, appropriate for those ministering in God’s presence.

Verse 3

The process of beating gold into thin plates and cutting it into fine wires (or threads) demonstrates the highly specialized and 'cunning work' required for the Tabernacle textiles, reflecting the quality demanded in divine service.

Verse 6

The onyx stones, set in gold, bore the names of the tribes of Israel, symbolizing the high priest carrying the burden and identity of all God’s people on his shoulders (a place of strength) when he appeared before the Lord.

Verse 7

The stones served as a 'memorial' (Hebrew: *zikkaron*), a constant reminder before God of His covenant relationship with Israel, which the priest represented.

Verse 8

The breastplate was the most elaborate piece of clothing, designed to hold the Urim and Thummim (means of divine decision) and the twelve stones, linking the priest’s ministry directly to the tribes of Israel.

Verse 14

Each stone was engraved with the name of one of the twelve tribes, emphasizing that the high priest was not ministering for himself, but acting as the representative intercessor for the entire nation.

Verse 21

The careful instructions for securing the breastplate ensured that it remained firmly attached to the ephod, signifying the inseparable connection between the priest's office and the representation of Israel.

Verse 22

The robe was entirely blue, symbolizing the heavens and the purity of God’s dwelling. It was worn underneath the ephod and breastplate.

Verse 26

The sound of the bells alerted those outside the Holy Place that the high priest was moving within, signifying that he was alive and properly clothed; silence suggested he had died due to improper approach (Ex. 28:35).

Verse 27

These garments—the woven linen tunics, bonnets, and breeches—were the standard attire for both Aaron and his sons, necessary for maintaining ritual purity during their service.

Verse 30

The inscription 'HOLINESS TO THE LORD' (or 'Holy to Yahweh') declared that Aaron, and by extension, all Israel, was consecrated and set apart for God’s exclusive use. This plate was the culmination of the priestly attire.

Verse 32

This verse marks the pivot point, signifying the completion of the construction phase, including both the Tabernacle structure and all its associated furnishings and garments.

Verse 33

Verses 33–41 provide a comprehensive inventory list, confirming that every single item commanded by God in previous chapters was constructed, assembled, and presented to Moses.

Verse 42

The repetitive emphasis on obedience ('According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work') is the theological climax of the building narrative, stressing the faithfulness of the people to the divine blueprint.

Verse 43

Moses' inspection served as the official ratification of the work. His blessing confirmed divine approval upon the laborers and consecrated the completed structure before its dedication.

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