5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. It shall have the two shoulder 1 ch. 39. 2. last are frequently termed by the Rabbinical writers, by way of distinction, the bigdë zahab, garments of gold while the others, made of linen, are called bigdë laban, garments of white. We shall consider each of them in order. We may here remark, however, that on one day in the year, viz., the great day of atonement, or fast of annual expiation, the High Priest wore none of the golden garments, but appeared, like the rest of the priests, simply in habiliments of white linen. Even his mitre was then made of linen. The reason of this was, that the day of atonement was a day of humiliation; and as the High Priest was then to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as those of the people, he was to be so clad as to indicate that he could lay claim to no exemption on the score of frailty and guilt; that he recognised the fact that in the need of expiation, the highest and the lowest, the priest and the Levite, stood on a level before God, with whom there is no distinction of persons. THE EPHOD. 6. They shall make the ephod, &c, Heb. 7 ephod. Gr. crwpida, shoulderpiece. The original comes from 7 aphad, to bind or gird on, and therefore signifies in general something to be girded on; but as to the precise form of the vestment itself it is difficult to gather from the words of the narrative a very distinct notion; and even if we succeed in this, we must still depend mainly upon a pictured representation to convey an adequate idea of it to the pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. 8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. reader. From an attentive comparison of all that is said of the Ephod in the sacred text, commentators are for the most part agreed in considering it as approaching to the form of a short double apron, having the two parts connected by two wide straps united on the shoulders. These are called, v. 7, the two shoulder-pieces, which were to be joined at the two edges thereof; i. e. on the very apex of the shoulders. This junction was effected in some way under the two onyx-stones and at the precise point where they rested upon the shoulders. These stones are said by Josephus (who calls them 'sardonyxstones') to have been very splendid, and Bähr thinks that the symbolical significancy of the Ephod was mainly concentrated in these 'shoulder-pieces,' which, like our modern epaulettes, were a badge of dignity, authority, command-an idea to which we shall advert in the sequel. The two main pieces or lappets of the Ephed hung down, the one in front, the other behind, but to what depth is not stated, although Josephus says it was a cubit, which would bring their lower extremity about to the loins. It seems to us probable on the whole that the posterior portion hung down from the shoulders considerably lower than the anterior. But without some other appendage these dorsal and pectoral coverings would hang loose upon the person, to prevent which a 'curious girdle,' forming an integral part of the Ephod itself, and composed probably of two distinct bands issuing from the sides of either the frontal or hinder portion, passed | in the front piece is designed for the round the body just under the arms so insertion of the Breast-plate. The apas to encircle it over the region of the pendant straps when brought around heart. The annexed cut will aid the the body formed the 'curious girdle of reader's conception. The open space the Ephod.' In this representation we have main- | Lexicographers, contends for a form ly followed Braunius in his celebrated approaching nearer to that of a belt or work on the Dresses of the Jewish girdle for the whole Ephod, and there Priests, as that which we regard as on is so much that is plausible in his view, the whole the most probable; but Gus- that we are induced to give a copy of setius, one of the ablest of the Hebrew his engraving. Such appears to have been the general which it was made to be fitted close to form of the Ephod, and the manner in the body. As to the material of which 9 And thou shalt take two onyx-in stone, like the engravings of a stones, and grave on them the 11 With the work of an engraver it was made, this was evidently the same with that of the interior curtains and the separating vail of the Tabernacle, and wrought like it, except that in this ephod-tapestry the figures of cherubim were wanting, and instead of them there was a rich interweaving of threads of gold, which together with the beautiful colors embroidered, must have given it an air of inexpressible richness. On this point the Jewish writers say, "The gold that was in the weaving of the ephod and breast-plate was thus wrought: He (the cunning workman) took one thread of pure gold and put it with six threads of blue and twisted these seven threads as one. And so he did one thread of gold with six of purple, and one with six of scarlet, and one with six of linen. Thus these four threads of gold and twenty-eight threads in all.' Maimonides in Ainsworth. This is a very probable account of the mode of texture, though the proportion of gold strikes us as very small. From the allusion in the description of our Savior's dress, Rev. 1. 13, 'Clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle,' it is reasonably to be inferred that it contained a pretty copious insertion of gold in its texture, from which fact the curious girdle of the Ephod was usually distinguished by this epithet. Though properly and primarily a vestment of the High Priest, yet it appears that garments of the same name were worn by the inferior priests, but they were plain ones of linen. It does not appear that even these were worn at first by the common priests. But we after signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. 12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto wards read of common priests wearing Ephods; and indeed Samuel, who was only a Levite, wore one; and David, who was not even a Levite, did the same when he danced before the ark. On one occasion Saul consulted the Lord by Urim, and consequently used the Ephod of the high priest, 1 Sam. 28. 6; and on another occasion David did the same, 1 Sam. 30. 7. It is thought by some, however that Saul and David did not themselves use the Ephod, but directed the priest to use it. 9-12. Thou shalt take two onyx| stones, &c. On each of the connecting pieces that went across the shoulders was set an arch or socket of gold, containing an onyx-stone (Chal. 'Berylstone') on which the names of the tribes of Israel were engraved, as in a seal, six on each shoulder. Thus Maimonides; 'He set on each shoulder a beryl-stone four-square, embossed in gold; and he graved on the two stones the names of the tribes, six on one stone and six on the other, according to their births. And the stone whereon Reuben was written, was on the right shoulder, and the stone whereon Simeon. was written, was on the left.' Rabbins say, moreover, that the letters were so equally divided in these two inscriptions that Joseph's name was written 'Jehoseph' in order to make just twenty-five letters in each stone.¶ According to their birth. Heb. on ketholedotham, their births or generations. That is, according to the order of their respective births or ages The arrangement is diversely under. stood by Josephus and most of the The the children of Israel: and Aaron | shalt thou make them, and fasten shall bear their names before the the wreathen chains to the ouches. LORD upon his two shoulders m for a memorial. 13 ¶ And thou shalt make ouches of gold; 14 And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work 15 And thou shalt make the breast-plate 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. n ch. 39. 8. ment, as breast-plate conveys the idea of a military accoutrement, which is not implied in the original. Greek λογείον των κρίσεων, the rationale of judgments, as it is also rendered in the Lat. Vulg. The etymology of the original term hoshen, is entirely unknown. Gesenius indeed refers to the Arabic hashna, to be fair, beautiful, splendid, as perhaps having affinity with its root, with which he compares the Germ. scheinen, to appear, schön, fair, and Eng. shine. But though it is equally a matter of conjecture, we for ourselves prefer the suggestion of Avenarius (Lex. ad rad. ) that it comes by transposition of letters from 2 nahash, to augur, to divine, a sense very nearly akin to that of seeking information by consulting an oracle. Yet we are still unable to establish this or any other as the legitimate formation of the word, and are compelled therefore to content ourselves with such a view of the material, form, and uses of the hoshen as can be deduced from the text independent of philological or collateral aid. It was called 'breastplate of judgment' from its being worn by the High Priest when he went into the Most Holy Place to consult God respecting those matters of judgment which were too hard for the inferior judges, and which had reference to the more important civil or religious concerns of the nation. Comp. Deut. 17. 18, 19. The cloth which formed the ground of the Breast-plate was of the same rich embroidered stuff or 16 Four-square it shall be, being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. dius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. 18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones; the first row shall be a sar-agate, and an amethyst. 19 And the third row a ligure, an • ch. 39. 10, &c. brocade as the Ephod, of two spans in length and one in breadth. Consequently when doubled it was just a span or eighteen inches square. For what reason it was doubled is not apparent. Some suppose it was to give it more strength in bearing the precious stones appended to it. But for our selves we are unable to see how the back fold could have aided in supporting the weight of the stones in front. Far preferable therefore to us seems the opinion, that it was doubled thus in order that being sewed together on three sides and left open on one it might form a kind of sack, pocket, or bag, as a receptacle of something which was to be put in it. But of this more in the sequel. At each corner of the Breastplate thus made into a square form was a golden ring. To the two upper ones were attached two golden chains of wreathen work, i. e. chains made of golden threads or wires braided together, which passed up to the shoulders and were there somehow fastened to the shoulder-pieces or to the onyxstones. By means of these chains it was suspended on the breast. But to render it still more firm in its position, two laces or ribbons of blue were passed through the two rings at the two lower corners of the Breast-plate, and also through two corresponding rings in the Ephod, and then tied together a little above the girdle of the Ephod. This rendered the Breast-plate and Ephod inseparable, so that the latter could not be put on without being accompanied by the former, and the punishment of stripes was decreed against him who 20 And the fourth row a beryl, should attempt to divide the one from the other. מלאת בו מלאת אבן .Heb 17. Thou shalt set in it settings of stones. milletha bo milluath eben, thou shalt fill in it fillings of stones. The import undoubtedly is that these stones were to be set or enchased in sockets of gold or some other metal, and they are called fillings because the stones when inserted filled up the cavities prepared for their reception. The precise manner in which these twelve precious stones, which had the names of the twelve tribes engraved upon them, were attached to the Breast-plate is not expressed in the text, though it is usually understood by commentators to have been upon the outside, and that they were fully exposed to view when worn upon the High Priest's bosom. This, however, is not asserted in the text, and we shall soon suggest several reasons for doubting whether it were the fact. It is certain that the stones were in some way appended to the Breastplate, and that they were arranged in four rows, three in each, but as to the peculiar manner in which they were adjusted to the supporting ground of the tapestry, this is a point which is to be inferred from an attentive consideration of all the circumstances relating to the fabric itself, and upon this we shall be more full in a subsequent note. At present we shall devote a page or two to the consideration of the stones themselves, in relation to which we are constrained to remark that after all the research expended by antiquarians upon the subject much uncertainty still rests |