The priestly garments were finished as the Lord commanded

39:1 from the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for serving in the sanctuary; they made holy garments that were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:2 He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 39:3 they hammered the gold into thin sheets and cut it into narrow strips to weave them into the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and into the fine linen, the work of an artistic designer. 39:4 They made shoulder pieces for it, attached to two of its corners, so it could be joined together. 39:5 the artistically woven waistband of the ephod that was on it was like it, of one piece with it, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:6 they set the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved as with the engravings of a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. 39:7 he put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of memorial for the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:8 he made the breastpiece, the work of an artistic designer, in the same fashion as the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 39:9 It was square – they made the breastpiece doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide when doubled. 39:10 they set on it four rows of stones: a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl – the first row; 39:11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 39:12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 39:13 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in gold filigree settings. 39:14 the stones were for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, corresponding to the number of their names. each name corresponding to one of the twelve tribes was like the engravings of a seal. 39:15 they made for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure gold, 39:16 and they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and they attached the two rings to the upper two ends of the breastpiece. 39:17 they attached the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece; 39:18 the other two ends of the two chains they attached to the two settings, and they attached them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 39:19 they made two rings of gold and put them on the other two ends of the breastpiece on its edge, which is on the inner side of the ephod. 39:20 they made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the waistband of the ephod. 39:21 they tied the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue cord, so that it was above the waistband of the ephod, so that the breastpiece would not be loose from the ephod, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:22 he made the robe of the ephod completely blue, the work of a weaver. 39:23 there was an opening in the center of the robe, like the opening of a collar, with an edge all around the opening so that it could not be torn. 39:24 they made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and twisted linen around the hem of the robe. 39:25 they made bells of pure gold and attached the bells between the pomegranates around the hem of the robe between the pomegranates. 39:26 There was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe, to be used in ministering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:27 they made tunics of fine linen – the work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his sons – 39:28 and the turban of fine linen, the headbands of fine linen, and the undergarments of fine twisted linen. 39:29 the sash was of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, the work of an embroiderer, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:30 they made a plate, the holy diadem, of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription, as on the engravings of a seal, “Holiness to the Lord.” 39:31 they attached to it a blue cord, to attach it to the turban above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Israel’s craftsmen completed Aaron’s priestly garments exactly as the Lord commanded. The garments showed that the high priest was set apart for holy service and for representing Israel before God.

This passage reports that the priestly garments were finished exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses. It is a picture of careful obedience, not a new set of instructions.

The ephod was made with gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen. The shoulder stones carried the names of the sons of Israel as stones of memorial. The breastpiece also held the names of the twelve tribes on twelve stones. Together, these details showed that the high priest came before the Lord with Israel in view.

The breastpiece was fastened securely to the ephod, showing that this service was ordered by God, not by human choice. The robe, with its pomegranates and bells, was made for ministering, just as the Lord had commanded.

Aaron and his sons also received tunics, turbans, headbands, undergarments, and a sash. Finally, the gold plate on the turban was engraved with the words, “Holiness to the Lord.” That inscription summed up the section: the priesthood had to be holy because it belonged to the Lord.

The repeated phrase, “just as the Lord had commanded Moses,” emphasizes faithful obedience throughout the passage.

• God’s worship must be ordered by his command, not by human invention.
• The high priest carried Israel before the Lord in a representative way.
• The names on the stones served as memorials for the tribes of Israel.
• Holiness marked Aaron’s office, as shown by the gold plate inscribed, “Holiness to the Lord.”
• The repeated obedience refrain shows that the craftsmen completed the work faithfully.

• Warning: Do not treat the colors, stones, or measurements as an invitation to speculation.
• Warning: Do not turn Aaron’s garments into a direct pattern for Christian ministry clothing or church symbolism.
• Command: The passage presses obedience to the Lord’s instructions.
• Command: Those who serve in God’s worship should do so with reverence and holiness.

This belongs to the Mosaic covenant at Sinai, after redemption from Egypt and before Israel enters the land. The tabernacle and priesthood were God’s gracious provision for a holy people to dwell with a holy God. In the wider Bible, this priestly pattern points forward to the need for greater and lasting mediation, but here the focus is on Israel’s God-given sanctuary order.

God cares that his people worship him in the way he commands. His servants should act with obedience, reverence, and holiness, not according to their own ideas.

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