The Ephod
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. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. 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. 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. And they take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 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 shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. 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. And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a 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. 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.-Exodus 28:1-12***Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar were born into the tribe of Levi to Aaron and Elisheba when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Aaron and his siblings Miriam and Moses were born to Amram and Jochebed when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. However, Moses lived as the son of the daughter of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. When Moses was 40 years old, he left Egypt after the murder he committed was mentioned to him. In Midian, Moses married Zipporah and worked as a shepherd for Zipporah's father Jethro (Reuel). When Moses was 80 years old and shepherding Jethro's sheep near Mount Horeb (Sinai), Moses saw a bush that was afire. Moses heard the Lord God speaking to him, and Moses spoke to the Lord God and listened to the Lord God. The Lord God sent Moses and 83-year-old Aaron to speak to the Israelite elders and to Pharaoh. After the Lord God brought the 10th and final plague upon Pharaoh and Egypt, Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to get the Israelites and their animals and go and serve the Lord God. Three months after leading the Israelites away from Egypt, across the divinely parted Red Sea, and into the desert wilderness of Shur, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, their fellow Israelites, and those with them, were in the desert wilderness of Sinai, in the region of Mount Sinai. The Lord God spoke to Moses and gave Moses a message for the Israelites. The Israelites proclaimed that they would obey the Lord God. The Lord God told Moses that he was going to come to Moses in a thick cloud, and the Israelites would hear the Lord God speaking to Moses. After Moses consecrated the Israelites and set bounds, Moses brought the Israelites from the camp to Mount Sinai, according to the commands of the Lord God, and the Lord God descended upon Mount Sinai in fire. Moses spoke to the Lord God, and the Lord God spoke to Moses, and Moses went to the top of Mount Sinai and listened to the Lord God. Moses returned to the Israelites, and the Israelites heard the voice of the Lord God proclaim the Ten Commandments to them. The Israelites were frightened and told Moses that they wanted him to speak the words of the Lord God to them. The Lord God agreed to speak to Moses, and the Lord God began giving Moses judgments for the Israelites. Moses proclaimed the words of the Lord God and the judgments to the Israelites. The Israelites agreed to obey the Lord God. Moses wrote in a book the words of the Lord God, and Moses built an altar, and pillars, and sent young Israelite men to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord God. Moses sprinkled blood on the altar, and read the words of the Lord God to the Israelites. The Israelites said they would obey the Lord God, and Moses sprinkled blood upon the Israelites. Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 Israelite elders went upon Mount Sinai. The glory that was seen and the activities of Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the 70 Israelite elders upon Mount Sinai are revealed in the divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible. Moses and his assistant Joshua went onto Mount Sinai, and Moses was eventually alone with the Lord God for 40 days and nights, fasting each day and night. The Lord God gave Moses commands for receiving an offering, and the Lord God described to Moses and showed Moses the likeness of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the tabernacle, and all of the other sacred items that the Israelites were to make, including the ephod, the square 2-piece vestment for the priest. The Lord God told Moses that only Aaron, and Aaron's sons, and the sons born to their descendants were to serve the Lord God as priests. During the 40-year journey to Canaan, the Promised Land, Miriam died and was buried in Kadesh, in the desert wilderness of Zin. Upon Mount Hor, 123-year-old Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar succeeded Aaron as high priest. When Moses went upon Mount Nebo, the Lord God showed Moses the Promised Land, and 120-year-old Moses died and was divinely buried. Joshua, Moses' successor, was from the tribe of Ephraim, descended from Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai), Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob (Israel) and his 2nd wife Rachel, their firstborn son Joseph and his wife Asenath, and Joseph and Asenath's 2nd born son Ephraim, whom Jacob proclaimed to be his own son. Joshua led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. Over 1,300 years after 110-year-old Joshua died and was buried in his tribe's portion of the Promised Land, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus, a great high priest, was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Judah, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, and daughter Dinah were the children born to Jacob and his 1st wife Leah. Dan and Naphtali were born to Jacob and maidservant Bilhah. Gad and Asher were born to Jacob and maidservant Zilpah. Joseph and Benjamin were born to Jacob and Rachel. The 12 sons are the forefathers of the 12 tribes of Israel and their names were engraved on the specific stones on the ephod.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 6:1-81, 7:20-29, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26, Hebrews 4:1-16
Reference Information:
cunning = hoseb = chashab = artistic, skilled, to weave or fabricate
curious = weheseb = chesheb/chashab = intricately woven, artistic
girdle = weabnet/abnet = sash, woven band
mitre = misnepet/mitsnepheth = tsanaph = turban
Reference Scriptures:
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,-Exodus 31:1-3...And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;-Exodus 31:6
And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;-Exodus 35:30-31...And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that device cunning work.-Exodus 35:34-35
And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses. And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.-Exodus 38:22-23
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,-Exodus 40:1...And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.-Exodus 40:12-13
And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.-Leviticus 8:6-7
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