head, that they may be w accepted before the LORD. 39 And thou shalt embroider w Lev. 1. 4. & 22. 27. & 23. 11. Isai. 56.7. the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needle-work. and let thy saints shout for joy. For thy servant David's sake, turn not away the face of thine anointed.' i. e. be propitious by looking upon the face; regard the significance of the golden plate. The prayers embracing this expression appear to have a special allusion to the imperfections of the holy things of the people of God. THE COAT OR TUNIC. ence to the typical character which the 39. Thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, &c. Heb. n kethoneth. This was the innermost of the sacerdotal vestments, being a long robe with sleeves to the wrists, which sat close to the body, and extended down to the feet. This garment was not peculiar to the High Priest, but was similar to that worn by the other priests while officiating. What became of the tunic of the High Priests we do not know; but that of the common priests was unravelled when old, and made into wicks for the lamps burnt in the des says the Girdle was three fingers broad, and thirty-two cubits long; being, as its length necessarily implies, wound many times round the body. As this Girdle was so narrow, its length, if this statement be correct, will not seem extraordinary to those who are acquainted with the ordinary length of Oriental girdles, and the number of times they are carried around the body. The Girdle was worn over the embroidered coat by the common priests, to whom this coat, unlike the attire of the ¶ Girdle of needle-work. Heb. abnet. This was a piece of fine twined linen, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet, and which went round the body. Josephus says it was embroidered with flowers; and also states that it was four fingers broad, and that, after being wound twice around the body, it was fastened in front, and the ends allowed to hang down to the feet, on common occasions; but that, when officiating at the altar, the priest threw them over his left shoulder. Maimoni- | High Priest, formed the outer garment. THE BONNETS. THE GIRDLE. 40. Bonnets. Heb. mig. baoth. Gr. Kidapets, tiaras. Vulg. 'Tiaras.' As a different term is used to designate the article here mentioned from that which is applied to the Mitre of the High Priest, there was probably some difference in the form; but what it was precisely it is difficult to say. According to the Jewish writers the Bonnets came down lower upon the forehead than the Mitre, and rose up higher like an hillock, as the original is derived from geba, a hillock, a knoll. In other words they were of a more conical shape than the Mitre. 42 And thou shalt make them | gregation, or when they come near a linen breeches to cover their na- bunto the altar to minister in the kedness: from the loins even unto holy place; that they bear not inthe thighs they shall reach: iquity and die. It shall be a stat43 And they shall be upon Aaron, ute for ever unto him, and his seed and upon his sons, when they come after him. in unto the tabernacle of the con a ch. 39. 28. Lev. 6. 10. & 16.4. Ezek. 44. 18. b ch. 20. 26. Lev. 5. 1. 17. & 20. 19, 20. & 22. 9. Numb. 9. 13. & 18. 22. d ch. 27. 21. Lev. 17. 7. This, however, does not convey a very ical import. Here, and here only, in distinct idea, and we must refer the the glory of grace and the beauty of reader to the accompanying cut for a holiness, which they shadowed forth, view, which is at best conjectural, of do we behold the true glory and beauty the probable difference between them. of these sacred robes. It is only as the For glory and for beauty. No. light of the substance is reflected upon thing is more obvious than that the the symbol, that the symbol itself can priestly attire was to be so ordered as at all shine in our eyes. But when we to present an air of impressive splendor discern in these beauteous robes an and gorgeousness, that a becoming rev- image of the spiritual attire of the erence might be inspired towards the saints, the true royal hierarchy, who persons of those who wore them. But are made at once kings and priests unto to us, they present merely a gaudy God, we feel no restraint in letting our spectacle, a showy pageant, except so admiration go forth towards the exterfar as we fix our eye upon their typ-nal adornments. cept that they reach rather below the knee. They are very wide altogether, and when drawn on are fastened very tight around the body by means of a string or girdle, which runs through a hem in the upper border.' Pict. Bible. THE DRAWERS. priests always ministered barefoot. This is perhaps confirmed by the fact that Moses, before the symbol of Jehovah at the burning bush, was commanded to put off his shoes. In concluding this account of the | among the sacred vestments, it is suppriestly robes, it may be useful to re- posed the peat that the robes common to all were -the Drawers, the Embroidered Coat, the Girdle, and the Turban; but, besides this, the High Priest wore the Ephod, the Robe of the Ephod with its Bells and Pomegranates, the Breast-plate over the Ephod, the Shoulder-pieces of onyx-stone, and the engraved ornament of pure gold in front of his turban. The Rabbins seem to have the sanction of the Scripture for their opinion, that the | robes were so essential a part of the priestly character, that without them a priest had no more right than private persons, or even foreigners, to officiate at the altar. It seems that the old robes of the priests, as already mentioned in the Note on v. 39, were unravelled, to be burnt as wicks for the lamps at the feast of tabernacles. What was done with those of the High Priest is not known; but analogy would seem to render it probable that they were similarly used for the lamps in the tab. ernacle. We may remark also that as no shoes or sandals are mentioned 43. That they bear not iniquity and die. That is, that they do not expose themselves to be cut off by a sudden stroke of vengeance for the profanity of appearing before God without their holy garments. Gr. kaι ουκ επάξονται προς εαυτους ἁμαρτίαν, ίνα μη αποθάνωσι, and they shall not bring sin upon themselves that they die not. This caution, as the Hebrew writers have gathered, was intended to apply not to the linen drawers only, but to all the garments. Their language is as follows: High Priest that ministereth with less than these eight garments, or the inferior Priest that ministereth with less than these four garments, his service is unlawful, and he is guilty of death by the hand of God, even as a stranger that ministereth. When their garments are upon them, their priesthood is upon them; if their garments be not upon The CHAPTER XXIX. priest's office: a Take one young AND this is the thing that thou bullock, and two rams without shalt do unto them to hallow blemish, them, to minister unto me in the them, their priesthood is not upon them, but, lo, they are as strangers; and it is written, Num. 1. 51, 'The stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death." Maimonides in Ainsworth. CHAPTER XXIX. THE CONSECRATION OF THE PRIESTS. As God had said, v. 41, of the preceding chapter respecting Aaron and his sons, 'Thou shalt anoint them and consecrate them and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office,' he proceeds in the present chap. ter to prescribe, with great minuteness, the manner in which this solemn ceremony should be performed. As the office which they were to sustain was in itself one of the utmost importance to themselves and the people, it was proper that the mode of their induction into it should be in the highest degree august and impressive; and as nothing of the kind had been done before, and as a permanent form of inauguration was now to be fixed upon, we see abundant reason for the express appointment of the various ceremonies by which the procedure was to be marked. These were of such a nature as was calculated to affect the incumbents with the greatness and sacredness of the work to which they were called, and also to lead the people to magnify and reverence an office in which their interests were so deeply involved. The whole transaction was to be so conducted that there should be ample evidence that Aaron and his sons did not 'glorify themselves to be made priests,' but that they were called of God' to exercise the sacerdotal functions. The Most High did, as it were, in this ceremony put his hand upon them, distinguish a Lev. 8. 2. them from common men, set them apart from common services, and make them the fixed organ of communication between himself and the chosen race. 'The consecration of God was upon their heads.' But while they were thus made to feel that they were invested with an office of the highest sanctity, and one in which they were to expiate the sins of the people by typical sacrifices, they were not suffered to forget that they also were themselves sinners. and needed an expiation as much as any of those for whom they ministered. Accordingly the very first step in the ceremony of consecration was the providing of a bullock, rams, &c., as a sinoffering for themselves, to keep them perpetually reminded of the fact that the law made men priests that had infirmity, who needed first to offer up sacrifices for their own sins, and then for the people's,' Heb. 7. 27, 28. The typical reference of the office itself to the Savior Jesus Christ, the Messiah or Anointed One, the great High Priest of the Church, is very obvious, although those parts of the consecrating cere mony which implied sinful infirmity in its subjects could have no bearing in relation to him who was in himself 'holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sin ners, and made higher than the heavens.' He needed not to be sanctified by the blood of rams and bullocks, or made perfect by the death of others, inasmuch as he has by his one offering of himself upon the cross satisfied for ever all the demands of the law upon himself and his believing people. 1. And this is the thing that thou shalt do. Heb. haddabar, the word. Gr. και ταυτα εστιν, and these are the things. See Note on Gen. 15. 1. - To hallow them. Heb. 3 |