of judgment with cunning work An. Exod. Isr. 1. 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.. 16 Four-square it shall be, being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. of the breastplate. 19 And the third row a ligure, A. M. 2513. an agate, and an amethyst. B. C. 1491. An. Exod. Isr. 1. Sivan. 20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their enclosings. 21: And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be accord 17 » And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first rowing to the twelve tribes. shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbunele: this shall be the first row. 22 And thou shalt make upon the breast plate chains at the ends of wreathen work, 18 And the second row shall be an emerald, of pure gold. a sapphire, and a diamond. P Chap. xxxix. 10, &c.- - Hẹb. fill it in fillings of stone. ment in any particular case; as also when he sat as judge to teach the law, and to determine controversies. See Lev. x. 11; Deut, xvii. 8, 9, Verse 16. Four-square it shall be] Here we have the exact dimensions of this breastplate, or more properly breast-piece or stomacher. It was a span in length and breadth when doubled, and consequently two spans long one way before it was doubled. Be Upon a Sardius or Ruby Upon an Emerald a Sapphire Diamond 23 And thou shalt make upon the breast T Or, ruby.Heb. fillings. tween these doublings, it is supposed, the Urim and Thummim were placed. See on ver. 30. Verse 17. Four rows of stones] With a name on each stone, making in all the twelve names of the twelve tribes. And as these were disposed according to their birth, ver. 10, we may suppose they stood in this order, the stones being placed also in the order in which they are produced, ver. 17-20 :— In this order the Jews in general agree to place fine yellow; and hence it was called chrysolite by the them. See the Jerusalem Targum on this place, and ancients, from its gold colour. It is now considered the Targum upon Canticles v. 14; and see also Ains-by mineralogists as a variety of the sapphire. worth. The Targum of Jonathan says, “These four 3. CARBUNCLE, bareketh, from pry barák, to rows were placed opposite to the four quarters of the lighten, glitter, or glister; a very elegant gem of a world; but this could only be when laid down hori-deep red colour, with an admixture of scarlet. From zontally, for when it hung on the breast of the high priest it could have had no such position. As it is difficult to ascertain in every case what these precious stones were, it may be necessary to consider this subject more at large. 1. A SARDIUS, D ́odem, from the root adam, he was ruddy; the ruby, a beautiful gem of a fine deep red colour. The sardius, or sardie stone, is defined to be a precious stone of a blood-red colour, the best of which come from Babylon. 2. A TOPAZ, MD pitdah, a precious stone of a pale dead green, with a mixture of yellow, sometimes of a its bright lively colour it had the name carbunculus, which signifies a little coal; and among the Greeks avopas anthrax, a coal, because when held before the sun it appears like a piece of bright burning charcoal. It is found only in the East Indies, and there but rarely. 4. EMERALD, Inophech, the same with the ancient smaragdus; it is one of the most beautiful of all the gems, and is of a bright green colour, without any other mixture. The true oriental emerald is very scarce, and is only found at present in the kingdom of Cambay 5. SAPPHIRE, 72 sappir. See this described, chap. xxiv. 10. The chains and rings A. M. 2513. CHAP. XXVIII. plate two rings of gold, and An. Exod. Isr. 1. shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. Sivan. 24 And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings, which are on the ends of the breastplate. 25 And the other two ends of the two " wreathen chains, thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulder-pièces of the ephod before it.. 26 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward, of the breastplate. A. M. 2513. Sivan. make, and shalt put them on the 28 And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof, unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. 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 W 27 And two other rings of gold thou shalt LORD continually. Chap. xxviii. 7, 25; xxxix. 4.- - Ver. 12. among the topazes. Its name in Greek, thrysolite, xpvooibos, literally signifies the golden stone. 6. DIAMOND, yahalom, from n halam, to beat or smile upon. The diamond is supposed to have this name from its resistance to a blow, for the ancients 11. The ONYX, DЛ♡ shoham. Sée the notes on have assured us that if it be struck with a hammer, Gen. ii, 12; Exod. xxv. 7. There are a great numupon an anvil, it will not break, but either break them ber of different sentiments on the meaning of the origior sink into the surface of that which is softest. This nal; it has been translated beryl, cmerald, prasius, sapis a complete fable, as it is well known that the dia- phire, sardius, ruby, cornelian, onyx, and sardonyx. mond can be easily broken, and is capable of being It is likely that the name may signify both the onyx entirely volatilized or consumed by the action of fire.and sardonyx. This latter stone is a mixture of the It is, however, the hardest, as it is the most valuable, of all the precious stones hitherto discovered, and one of the most combustible substances in nature. 7. LIGURE, Dleshem, the same as the jacinth or hyacinth; a precious stone of a dead red or cinnamon colour, with a considerable mixture of yellow. chalcedony and cornelian, sometimes in strata, at other times blended together, and is found striped with white and red strata or layers. It is generally allowed that there is no real difference, except in the degree of hardness, between the onyx, cornelian, chalcedony, sardonyx, and agate. It is well known that the onyx 8. AGATE, 1 shebo. This is a stone that assumesis of a darkish horny colour, resembling the hoof or such a variety of hues and appearances, that Mr. Park-nail, from which circumstance it has its name. It has hurst thinks it derives its name from the root shab, to turn, to change," as from the circumstance of the agate changing its appearance without end, it might be called the varier." Agates are met with so variously figured in their substance, that they seem to represent the sky, the stars, clouds, earth, water, rocks, vilJages, fortifications, birds, trees, flowers, men, and animals of different kinds. Agates have a white, red-nal word. The jasper is usually defined a hard stone, dish, yellowish, or greenish ground. They are only varieties of the flint, and the lowest in value of all the precious stones. 9. AMETHYST, s achlamah, a gem generally of a purple colour, composed of a strong blue and deep red. The oriental amethyst is sometimes of a dove colour, though some are purple, and others white like diamonds. The name amethyst is Greek, auetvoros, and it was so called because it was supposed that it prevented inebriation. 10. The BERYL, vtarshish. Mr. Parkhurst derives this name from tar, to go round, and w shash, to be vivid or bright in colour. If the beryl be intended, it is a pellucid gem of a bluish green colour, found in the East Indies, and about the gold mines of Peru. But some of the most learned mineralogists and critics suppose the chrysolite to be meant. This is a gem of a yellowish green colour, and ranks at present often a plate of a bluish white or red in it, and when on one or both sides of this white there appears a plate of a reddish colour, the jewellers, says Woodward, call the stone a sardonyx. 12. JASPER, now yashepheh. The similarity of the Hebrew name has determined most critics and mineralogists to adopt the jasper as intended by the origi of a beautiful bright green colour, sometimes clouded with white, and spotted with red or yellow. Minera- ́ logists reckon not less than fifteen varieties of this stone: 1. green; 2. red; 3. yellow; 4. brown; 5. violet; 6. black; 7. bluish grey; 8. milky white; 9. variegated with green, red, and yellow clouds; 10. green with red specks; 11. veined with various colours, apparently in the form of letters; 12. with variously coloured zones; 13. with various colours mixed without any order; 14. with many colours together; 15. mixed with particles of agate. It can scarcely be called a precious stone; it is rather a dull opaque rock. In examining what has been said on these different precious stones by the best critics, I have adopted such explanations as appeared to me to be best justified by the meaning and use of the original words; but I cannot say that the stones which I have described are Lev. viii. 8; Num. xxvii. 21; Deut. xxxiii. 8; 1 Sam. xxviii. 6; Ezra ii. 63; Neh. vii. 65; Ecclus. xlv. 1Q. precisely those intended by the terms in the Hebrew text, nor can I take upon me to assert that the tribes are arranged exactly in the manner intended by Moses; for as these things are not laid down in the text in such a way as to preclude all mistake, some things must be left to conjecture. Of several of these stones many fabulous accounts are given by the ancients, and indeed by the moderns also: these I have in general omitted because they are fabulous; as also all spiritual meanings which others have found so plentifully in each stone, because I consider some of them puerile, all futile, and not a few dangerous. Verse 30. Thou shall put in the breastplate-the Urim and the Thummim] What these were has, I believe, never yet been discovered. 1. They are nowhere described. 2. There is no direction given to Moses or any other how to make them. 3. Whatever they were, they do not appear to have been made on this occasion. 4. If they were the work of man at all, they must have been the articles in the ancient tabernacle, matters used by the patriarchs, and not here particularly described, because well known. 5. It is probable that nothing material is designed. This is the opinion of some of the Jewish doctors. Rabbi Menachem on this chapter says, "The Urim and Thummim were not the work of the artificer; neither had the artificers or the congregation of Israel in them any work or any voluntary offering; but they were a mystery delivered to Moses from the mouth of God, or they were the work of God himself, or a measure of the Holy Spirit." 6. That God was often consulted by Urim and Thummim, is sufficiently evident from several scriptures; but how or in what manner he was thus consulted appears in none. 7. This mode of consultation, whatever it was, does not appear to have been in use from the consecration of Solomon's temple to the time of its destruction; and after its' destruction it is never once mentioned. Hence the Jews say that the five following things, which were in the first temple, were wanting in the second: "i. The ark with the mercy-seat and cherubim; 2. The fire which came down from heaven; 3. The shechinah or Divine presence; 4. The Holy Spirit, i. e., the gift of prophecy; and, 5. The Urim and Thummim.” · to be put in the breastplate. A. M. 2513. B. C. 1491. in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the An. Exod. Isr. 1 children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually. Sivan. y Zech. vi. 13; 2 Cor. vii. 3; Heb. ij. 17. et veritas, doctrine and truth-a system of teaching proceeding from truth itself. The Septuagint translate the original by dŋλwois kai aĥndeia, the manifestation and the truth; meaning probably the manifestation which God made of himself to Moses and the Israelites, and the truth which he had revealed to them, of which this breastplate should be a continual menforial. All the other versions express nearly the same things, and all refer to intellectual and spiritual subjects, such as light, truth, manifestation, doctrine, perfection, &c., &c., not one of them supposing that any thing material is intended. The Samaritan text is however different; it adds here a whole clause not' found in, the Hebrew: MI NA SMK. MY NAK veasitha eth haurim veeth hattummim,, Thou shalt make the Urim and the Thummim: If this reading be admitted, the Urim and Thummim were manufactured on this occasion as well as the other articles. However it be, they are indescribable and unknown. The manner in which the Jews suppose that the inquiry was made by Urim and Thummim is the following: "When they inquired the priest stood with his face before the ark, and he that inquired stood behind him with his face to the back of the priest; and · the inquirer said, Shall I go up? or, Shall I not go up? And forthwith the Holy Ghost came upon the priest, and he beheld the breastplate, and saw therein by the vision of prophecy, Go up, or, Go not up, in the letters which showed forth themselves upon the breastplate before his face." See Num. xxvii. 18, 21.; Judg. i, 1; xx. 18, 28; 1 Sam. xxiii. 9-12; xxviii. 6; and see Ainsworth. It was the letters that formed the names of the twelve tribes upon the breastplate, which the Jews suppose were used in a miraculous way to give answers to the inquirers, Thus when David consulted the Lord whether he should go into a city of Judea, three letters which constituted the word hy aloh, Go, rose up or became prominent in the names on the breastplate; y ain, from the name of Simeon, lamed from the name of Levi, and he from the name of Judah, But this supposition is without proof. 8. As the word purim signifies LIGHTS, and the Among the Egyptians, a breastplate something like word 'n tummim, PERFECTIONS, they were probably that of the Jewish high-priest was worn by the presidesigned to point out the light-the abundant informa-dent of the courts of justice. Diodorus Siculus has tion, in spiritual things, afforded by the wonderful re- these words: Epopet d' OUTOS REρ TOV тpaxnλov ek velation which God made of himself by and under the χρυσης λύσεως ηρτημενον ζωδιον των πολυτελών λιθων, LAW; and the perfection—entire holiness and strict | ¿ проσnуopɛvov AAHOEIAN. "He bore about his neck conformity to himself, which this dispensation required, a golden chain, at which hung an image set about with and which are introduced and accomplished by that dispensation of light and truth, the GOSPEL, which was prefigured and pointed out by the law and its sacrifices, &c.; and in this light the subject has been viewed by the Vulgate, where the words are translated doctrina or composed of precious stones, which was called TRUTH."-Bib. Hist., lib. i., chap. lxxv., p. 225. And he farther adds, "that as soon as the president put this gold chain about his neck, the legal proceedings commenced, but not before. And that when the 31 And thou shalt make the An. Exod. Isr. 1. robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 And there shall be a hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of a habergeon, that it be not rent. b and the golden plate. A. M. 2513. B. C. 1491. golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round An. Exod. Isr. 1 about. 35 Sivan. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not. 33 And beneath, upon the hem of it, thou 36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of pur-gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings ple, and of scarlet, round about the hem of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. thereof; and bells of gold between them round 37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, about: that it may be upon the mitre; upon the fore34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a front of the mitre it shall be. Chap. xxxix. 22; Lev. viii. 7. Chap. xxxix. 23.- b Or, Ecclus. xlv. 9.- d Chapter xxxix. 30; Zech. xiv. 20; skirts; chap. xxxix. 24-26. Ecclus. xlv. 12. case of the plaintiff and defendant had been fully and tion to the very solemn and important office which the fairly heard, the president turned the image of truth, priest was then performing, that they might all have which was hung to the golden chain round his neck, their hearts engaged in the work; and at the same toward the person whose cause was found to be just," by time to keep Aaron himself in remembrance that he which he seemed to intimate that truth was on his side.ministered before Jehovah, and should not come into Elian, in his Hist. Var., lib. xxxiv., gives the same his presence without due reverence. account. "The chief justice or president," he says, That he die not.] This seems an allusion to certain, "was always a priest, of a venerable age and acknow-ceremonies which still prevail in the eastern countries. ledged probity. Είχε δε και αγαλμα περι τον αυχενα εκ σαπφείρου λιθου, και εκαλείτο άγαλμα ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑ. And he had an image which was called TRUTH engraved on a sapphire, and hung about his neck with a `gold chain." Peter du Val mentions a mummy which he saw at Cairo, in Egypt, round the neck of which was a chain, having a golden plate suspended, which lay on the breast of the person, and on which was engraved the figure of a bird. This person was supposed to have. been one of the supreme judges; and in all likelihood the bird, of what kind he does not mention, was the emblem of truth, justice, or innocence." I have now before me paintings, taken on the spot by a native Chinese, of the different courts in China where criminal causes were tried. In these the judge always appears with a piece of embroidery on his breast, on which a white bird of the ardea or heron kind is represented, with expanded wings. All these seem to have been derived from the same source, both among the Hebrews, the Egyptians, and the Chinese. And it is certainly not impossible that the two latter might have borrowed the notion and use of the breastplate of judgment from the Hebrews, as it was in use among them long before we have any account of its use either among the Egyptians or Chinese. The different mandarins have a breast-piece of this kind. Verse 31. The robe of the ephod] See on ver. 4. From this description, and from what Josephus says, who must have been well acquainted with its form, we find that this meil, or robe, was one long straight piece of blue cloth, with a hole or opening in the centre for the head to pass through; which hole or opening was bound about, that it might not be rent in putting it on or taking it off, ver. 32. Verse 35. His sound shall be heard] The bells were doubtless intended to keep up the people's atten Jehovah appeared among his people in the tabernacle as an emperor in his tent among his troops. At the doors of the tents or palaces of grandees was generally placed, some sonorous body, either of metal or wood, which was struck to advertise those within that a person prayed for admittance to the presence of the king, &o. As the tabernacle had no door, but a veil, and consequently nothing to prevent any person from going in, Aaron was commanded to put the bells on his robe, that his sound might be heard when he went into the holy place before the Lord. Verse 36. Thou shalt make a plate of pure gold] The word 's tsits, which we render plate, means a flower, or any appearance of this kind. The Septuagint translate it by. merahov, a leaf; hence we might be led to infer that this plate resembled a wreath of flowers or leaves; and as it is called, chap. xxix. 6, nezer, a crown, and the author of the book of Wisdom, chap. xviii. 24, who was a Jew, and may be supposed to know well what it was, calls it diadnμa, it was probably of the form, not of the ancient diadem, but rather of the radiated crown worn by the ancient Roman emperors, which was a gold band that went round the head from the vertex to the occiput; but the position of the Jewish sacerdotal crown was different, as that went round the forehead, under which there was a blue lace or fillet, ver, 37, which was probably attached to the mitre or turban, and formed its lowest part or border. HOLINESS TO THE LORD.] This we may consider as the grand badge of the sacerdotal office. 1. The priest was to minister in holy things. 2. He was the representative of a holy God. 3. He was to offer sacrifices to make an atonement for and to put away 4. He was to teach the people the way of rightcousness and true holiness. 5. As mediator, he was to obtain, for them those Divine influences by which SIN. The clothing of A. M. 2513. B. C. 1491. Sivan. A. M. 2513. B. C. 1491. Sivan. 38 And it shall be upon Aaron's brother, and his sons with him ; An. Exod. Isr. 1. forehead, that Aaron may e bear and shalt h anoint them, and i con- An. Exod. Isr. 1. k the iniquity of the holy things, secrate them, and sanctify them, which the children of Israel shall hallow in that they may minister unto me in the priest's all their holy gifts; and it shall be always office. upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. 39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needle-work. 40 And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. 41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy, • Ver. 43; Lev, x. 17; xxii. 9; Num. xviii. 1; Isa. liii. 11; Ezek. iv. 4, 5, 6; John 1. 29; Heb. ix. 28; 1 Pet. ii. 24.- Lev. i. 4; xxij. 27; xxii. 11; Isa. lvi. 7. Ver. 4, ch. xxxix. 27, 28, 29, 41; Ezek. xliv. 17, 18. Chap. xxix. 7; xxx. 30; xl. 15; Lev. x. 7.- Heb. fill their hand. they should be made holy, and be prepared to dwell with holy spirits in the kingdom of glory. 6. In the sacerdotal office he was the type of that holy and just ONE who, in the fulness of time, was to come and put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, It is allowed on all hands that this inscription was, in the primitive Hebrew character, such as appears upon ancient shekels, and such as was used before the Babylonish captivity, and probably from the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. The Kodesh Laihovah, of the present Hebrew text, would in those ancient characters appear thus : TAL WTY which, in the modern Samaritan character, evidently, derived from that above, is as follows: 2 WTP And the word in this ancient and original character is the famous Tetragrammaton, or word of four letters, which, to the present day, the Jews will neither write nor pronounce. The Jews teach that these letters were embossed on the gold, and not engraven in it, and that the plate on which they were embossed was about two fingers broad, and that it oecupied a space on the forehead between the hair and the eyebrows. But it is most likely that it was attached to the lower part of the mitre.” | 42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover m their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: 43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar, to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die : it shall be a statute for ever unto him, and his seed after him. Chap. xxix. 9, &c.; Lev. viii.; Heb. vii. 28. Ch. xxxix. 28; Lev, vi. 10'; xvi. 4; Ezek. xliv. 18. m Heb. flesh of their nakedness. Heb. be. Chap. xx. 26.-P Lev. v. 1, 17; xx. 19, 20; xxii. 9.; Num. ix. 13; xviii. 22.- -9 Chapter xxviL 21; Lev. xvii. 7. 12, where the same verb, NV nasa, is used; and see 1. Pet. ii. 24. By the inscription on the plate on his forehead Aaron was acknowledged as the holy minister of the holy God... To the people's services and their offerings much imperfection was attached, and therefore Aaron was represented, not only as making an atonement in general for the sins of the people by the sacrifices they brought, but also as making an atonement for the imperfection of the atonement itself, and the manner in which it was brought. It shall be always upon his forehead] The plate inscribed with Holiness to the Lord should be always on his forehead, to teach that the law required holiness; that this was its aim, design, and end: and the same is required by the Gospel; for under this dispensation it is expressly said, Without holiness no man shall see the Lord; Heb. xii. 14. Verse 40. For glory and for beauty. See the note on ver. 2. Verse 42. Linen breeches] This command had in view the necessity of purity and decency in every part of the Divine worship, in opposition to the shocking indecency of the pagan worship in general, in which the priests often ministered naked, as in the sacrifices to Bacchus, &c. Verse 38. May bear the iniquity of the holy things] On the garments of the high priest some general A venasa Aharon eth avon hak- reflections have already been made; see ver. 2 and kodashim. And Aaron shall bear (in a vicarious and to what is there said it may be just necessary to add, typical manner) the sin of the holy or separated things that there can be no doubt of their being all emble-offerings or sacrifices. Aaron was, as the high matical of spiritual things; but of which, and in what priest of the Jews, the type or representative of our way, no man can positively say. Many commentators blessed Redeemer; and as he offered the sacrifices pre- have entered largely into this subject, and have made scribed by the law to make an atonement for sin, and many edifying and useful remarks; but where no clue was thereby represented as bearing their sins because is given to guide us through a labyrinth in which the he was bound to make an atonement for them; so possibility of mistake is every moment occurring, it is Christ is represented as bearing their sins, i. e., the much better not to attempt to be wise above what is punishment due to the sins of the world, in his becom-written; for however edifying the reflections may be ing a sacrifice for the human race. See Isa. liii. 4, which are made on these subjects, yet, as they are not |