Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Exodus 28

Exo 28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

Aaron

Type of Christ, our High Priest. Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, but He executes his priestly office after the pattern of Aaron. Heb 7 gives the order; Heb 9, the pattern. See Scofield Genesis 14:18-20, note.

among the children of Israel

Sanctify, holy (O.T.) vs. 1-3; Exo 29:37, 44. (Gen 2:3; Zec 8:3.)

Exo 28:2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

holy garments

Hebrew qodesh = "set apart" for God. Translated "holy," Exo 28:2; "consecrate," Exo 28:3. Often translated "sanctify." See summary, Scofield Zechariah 8:3, note. This is always the fundamental idea of a holy, consecrated, separated, or sanctified person or thing—something set apart for God. Infinite confusion would have been spared the reader if qodesh had been uniformly translated "set apart."

Exo 28:3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

spirit of wisdom

Holy Spirit. Exo 31:3. (Gen 1:2; Mal 2:15.)

Aaron's garments to consecrate him

Hebrew qodesh = "set apart" for God. Translated "holy," Exo 28:2; "consecrate," Exo 28:3. Often translated "sanctify." See summary, Scofield Zechariah 8:3, note. This is always the fundamental idea of a holy, consecrated, separated, or sanctified person or thing—something set apart for God. Infinite confusion would have been spared the reader if qodesh had been uniformly translated "set apart."

Exo 28:4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

garments

See Scofield Exodus 29:5, note.

Exo 28:5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

take gold

Gold, Deity in manifestation; blue, heavenly; purple, royalty; scarlet, sacrifice; fine linen, personal righteousness (Scofield Exodus 26:1, reference).

Exo 28:6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.

ephod of gold

Gold, Deity in manifestation; blue, heavenly; purple, royalty; scarlet, sacrifice; fine linen, personal righteousness (Scofield Exodus 26:1, reference).

Exo 28:12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

upon his two shoulders

The place of strenghth. Isaiah 9:6; Luke 15:4, 5.

Exo 28:15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

gold

Gold, Deity in manifestation; blue, heavenly; purple, royalty; scarlet, sacrifice; fine linen, personal righteousness (Scofield Exodus 26:1, reference).

Exo 28:16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

a span

One span = 8.737 inches.

Exo 28:29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.

his heart

The place of affection. Cf. Exodus 28:12, reference [above].

Exo 28:30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

the Urim and the Thummim

Urim and Thummim, meaning "lights and perfections." Some make these to be simply a collective name for the stones of the breastplate, so that the total effect of the twelve stones is to manifest the "lights and perfections" of Him who is the antitype of the Aaronic high priest. Per contra, Leviticus 8:8. This would seem to be conclusive that "the Urim and Thummim" are additional to the stones of the breastplate. In use the U and T were connected, in some way not clearly expressed, with the ascertainment of the divine will in particular cases (Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8; 1 Samuel 28:6; Ezra 2:63).

Exo 28:31 And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

robe

See Scofield Exodus 29:5, note.

Exo 28:38 And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

bear the iniquity of the holy things

i.e. be responsible for every neglect or offence respecting "the holy things," etc.