Глава 28

1–5. The establishment of the Old Testament hierarchy and sacred vestments. 6–39. Robes of Aaron the High Priest. 40–43. The clothes of the sons of Aaron. Ex.28:1. And take unto you Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may be priest unto me, Aaron, and Nadab, and Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron. Establishment of the Old Testament Hierarchy. Before the Sinai legislation, the Jews had the right of natural priesthood: the head of the family was at the same time a priest - he made sacrifices (Gen. 12:7, 22:2, 26:25, 28:18). With the construction of the tabernacle and the emergence of a complex cult, special priests, members of the family of Aaron, are appointed for worship, with him as the high priest (Lev. 21.10, Ex. 20:7, Num. 35:28), at their head. They were intended by God to serve at the tabernacle back in Egypt (1 Samuel 2:27–28), and it was given to them as a gift (Numbers 18:7). But, being a matter of free divine institution, the election of priests from the tribe of Levi was caused, one might think, by its comparative moral purity and religiosity. Even if we do not attach special significance to the testimony of Jewish tradition that before the exodus from Egypt, the tribe of Levi fought for the confession of the Most High against those who were carried away by paganism, then even then the behavior of the Levites after worshiping the golden calf at Sinai can testify to its religiosity (Ex. 32:27–28). “Take it to you” - you are close to Me, you are a mediator between Me and the people, I command you to put your brother and his sons in the same position. The performance of the duties of sacred service, placing the servants in the position of mediators between God and the people, makes them persons belonging to God. They are not priests of the people, but priests of God. Ex.28:2. And thou shalt make sacred garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and splendor. The clothes of Aaron and his sons indicated their rank and served as an external distinction between the sacred persons and the rest of the people. Hence, as worn only by priests, they are called “sacred.” They are also sacred because they were worn only during sacred ceremonies (Ex. 29:29, 31:10). Speaking further about the “glory and splendor” of the service, the clothing corresponded to the splendor of the sanctuary. Ex.28:3. And tell all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom [and understanding], that they make [sacred] garments for Aaron to consecrate him, that he may be a priest to Me. To arrange the garments, Moses must choose “wise in heart,” people skilled in arts and crafts (Ex. 31:6, 35:10, 36:1–2). Ex.28:4. These are the garments they must make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a robe, a turban, a turban, and a girdle. Let them make sacred garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may be a priest to Me. Ex.28:5. Let them take gold, blue and purple and scarlet wool and fine linen, Exodus 28:6. And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine woven linen, of cunning work. Ephod 17. Derived by interpreters from the Hebrew verb “afad” - “to bind”, this name indicates clothing that consisted of two pieces of material, one of which covered the back, the other the chest to the waist; on the shoulders they were fastened with amices (see v. 7), and at the waist with ties (Ex. 28:8). The material for the ephod was threads of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, fine linen (linen) and gold. The latter was stretched into sheets, cut into threads, which were woven between the loops of the indicated colors (Ex. 39:3). “The Ephod,” says Blessed Jerome, is woven from four colors: hyacinth, linen, scarlet, scarlet and gold. Gold records, i.e. sheets are stretched to extreme thinness, threads cut from them are twisted with a weft of three colors and a thread warp.” Exodus 28:7. It must have two binding amices on both ends of it in order for it to be tied. The amices, or shoulder clasps, tied the ephod at both ends (Ex. 39:4). This indication makes it clear that the ephod was not a whole garment - then there would be no need to fasten or tie its two ends on the shoulders. It consisted of two pieces of fabric woven in the above manner, one of which ended on the shoulders of the high priest from the chest side, and the other from the back. To prevent disintegration, the ends of these halves were tied on each shoulder with a special kind of clasp. The shape of this latter is unknown, but, as can be seen from Ex. 28:9–12, each of them was decorated with a “shogam” stone - onyx, inserted into a gold frame (Ex. 39:6-7). Exodus 28:8. And the girdle of the ephod that is over it shall be of the same workmanship, of [pure] gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine woven linen. On the shoulders, two pieces of material were fastened with amices, and below, at the waist, with ties. Exodus 28:9. And take two onyx stones and carve on them the names of the children of Israel: Exodus 28:10. six of their names on one stone and six names of the rest on another stone, according to the order of their birth; According to legend, the names of the six eldest sons of Jacob were carved on the stone designated for the right shoulder. Exodus 28:11. by a stone carver who carves seals, engrave the names of the children of Israel on two stones; and insert them into golden sockets Exodus 28:12. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the sidepieces of the ephod: they are stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on both his shoulders for a memorial. The names of the sons of Israel carved on each stone were worn by Aaron before the Lord “for remembrance,” so that he would not forget his people in prayer of supplication. Together with the high priest, who appeared before the face of God, the tribes of Israel also appeared before the face of God. Exodus 28:13. And make nests of [pure] gold; Exodus 28:14. and [make] two chains of pure gold, make them twisted with braided work, and attach the twisted chains to the sockets [on their amices in front]. The chains spoken of in these verses cannot be identified with the chains with which the breastplate of judgment was attached to the amice (Ex. 28:22–25). A special command is given regarding the arrangement of the latter (Ex. 28:22). It is more natural to assume that the chains, Ex. 28:13–14, wrapped around the sockets and thereby prevented the stones of the amices from falling out of the frames. Exodus 28:15. Make the breastplate of judgment with skillful work; make it of the same workmanship as the ephod: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine woven linen, make it. Exodus 28:16. it must be quadrangular, double, a span long and a span wide; The name breastplate is given to the garment from wearing it on the chest, and the name “judgment” comes from the presence of the Urim and Thummim in it (see explanation of v. 30). Made from the same material as the ephod, it was a square cloth a span of length and width (about five inches). The confidant was double, consisting of fabric folded in half. Exodus 28:17. and insert the set stones into it in four rows; next to it: ruby, topaz, emerald - this is one row; Exodus 28:18. second row: carbuncle, sapphire and diamond; Exodus 28:19. third row: yakhont, agate and amethyst; Exodus 28:20. fourth row: peridot, onyx and jasper; in golden sockets they must be inserted. Exodus 28:21. These stones must be twelve, according to the number [twelve names] of the children of Israel [on his two shoulders], according to their names [and according to their birth]; on each, as on a seal, one name from among the twelve tribes should be engraved. In the confidant, on its front side, 12 precious stones arranged in four rows should be inserted in gold frames. It is impossible to say with certainty what kind of stones they were. Based on ancient translations, it can be plausibly assumed that the top row contained carnelian, topaz and emerald; in the second - carbuncle, sapphire and jasper; in the third - yakhont, agate and amethyst; in the lower, i.e. fourth - peridot, beryl and onyx. Carnelian – red; topaz – golden; emerald - green; carbuncle – fiery; sapphire - blue; jasper - various colors; yakhont – golden yellow; agate - various colors; amethyst - purple; chrysolite – greenish; beryl – green-bluish; Onyx is like agate. In what order the names of the tribes should appear, the text does not say, but probably in order of precedence, as on the amices (Ex. 28:10). Exodus 28:22. For the breastplate, make chains twisted with braided work from pure gold; Exodus 28:23. and thou shalt make two rings of gold for the breastplate, and fasten the two [gold] rings to the two ends of the breastplate; Exodus 28:24. and on the day two woven chains of gold in both rings at [both] ends of the breastplate, Exodus 28:25. and fasten the two ends of the two chains to the two sockets, and fasten them to the side of the ephod on the front side thereof; To each of the top two, i.e. The corners of the breastplate closest to the shoulders were attached with a gold ring, and to them, in turn, with a gold chain, and each of these latter was attached to the corresponding socket of the amice. Exodus 28:26. also make two gold rings and attach them to the other two ends of the breastplate, on the side that lies inside the ephod; Exodus 28:27. Also thou shalt make two gold rings and attach them to the two amices of the ephod from below, on the front side of it, at the joint thereof, above the belt of the ephod; Exodus 28:28. And they shall fasten the breastplate with its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue wool, so that it will be over the girdle of the ephod, and so that the breastplate will not fall off the ephod. The same gold ring was attached to each of the two lower corners of the breastplate, only they were not on the front side, but on the underside, facing the ephod. In turn, this latter, under the belt that held him together, had a ring at each corner, a ring opposite the ring of the confidant. The ring of the breastplate was connected to the ring of the ephod with a cord, and thanks to this the breastplate did not fall off the ephod, nor get knocked to one side. Exodus 28:29. And Aaron will bear the names of the children of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart when he enters into the sanctuary, for a continual memorial before the Lord. The high priest's wearing of stones with the names of the sons of Israel on his chest, near his heart, indicated his spiritual relationship to his people. The High Priest is united to him by bonds of the closest love. Exodus 28:30. Place the Urim and Thummim on the breastplate of judgment, and they will be in Aaron’s heart when he enters before the Lord. and Aaron will always bear the judgment of the children of Israel in his heart before the Lord. The “Urim and Thummim” were connected to the breastplate of judgment. The Hebrew text, speaking about the relationship of the latter to the former, uses the expression “natatta” (from “natan”), meaning: “add, add” the Urim and Thummim to the breastplate (Lev.8.8) 18. Accordingly, the name “Urim and Thummim” meant the item that came with the breastplate. The relationship between them is clarified with greater accuracy by comparing this verse and Lev. 8:8 with Ex. 25:16, 21. Both verses speak of putting the tablets of the covenant into the ark, and the Hebrew text uses the same one as in Ex. 28:30, Lev.8:8, the verb “natan” with the preposition “el”. But if in them he characterizes the relationship of the tablets to the ark, then in the latter he characterizes the relationship of the Urim and Thummim to the breastplate. As the tablets were placed in the ark of the covenant, so the Urim was placed in the breastplate. The possibility of this is evident from the fact that the latter was “double” and consisted of two pieces of matter. But if the Urim and Thummim were “put into” the breastplate, then it can no longer be identified, as some do, with the 12 stones: they were on the breastplate, but not in the breastplate. The idea of ​​the Urim and Thummim as an object coincides with another opinion expressed by exegetes, that this name was used to refer to the revelation received by the high priest. In particular, Numbers points out the difference between the Urim and revelation. 27:21: “and he (Joshua) will turn to Eleazar the priest and ask him about the decision of the Urim.” From the comparison of the words: “and they (Urim and Thummim) will be in the heart of Aaron” with the further expression: “and Aaron will bear the judgment of the children of Israel in his heart,” it undoubtedly follows that the name “judgment” is adopted by the Urim and Thummim and that, depending on this, the confidant containing them received the name “confidant of judgment” (Exodus 28:15). And since the expression “judgment” (Heb. “mishpat”) is associated with the concept of revelation (Is. 51:4), the name of the Urim “judgment” indicates that through it the will of God was revealed, revelation was obtained (Num. 27:21) 19. Exodus 28:31. And thou shalt make the outer robe of the ephod all blue; Meil 20, unlike the ephod, was one color. The upper robe is called “the robe of the ephod,” i.e. part of the ephod, which could not be worn without it. Exodus 28:32. there should be a hole for the head among it; there should be a woven covering around the hole around it, like the hole in armor, so that it doesn’t fight; The clothes were not open or fastened, but solid, with a hole for the head in the upper part. The hole should not be cut, but made during the weaving of the robe, which was all woven (Ex. 39:22). To prevent the hole from being torn, it was lined (Ex. 39:23). Ex.28:33. along its hem make apples from threads of blue, yellow, purple and scarlet [and from woven linen], around it along the hem; [this kind of apples and] golden vertebrae between them in a circle: Ex.28:34. a golden vertebra and an apple, a golden vertebra and an apple, all around the hem of the upper robe; Ex.28:35. it will be upon Aaron in service, so that a sound may be heard from him when he enters the sanctuary before the Lord and when he goes out, so that he does not die. Along the hem of the upper robe, which, according to Josephus and Blessed Jerome, reached to the knees, were interspersed (Exodus 39:26) three-colored likenesses of pomegranates, made from blue, purple and scarlet twisted yarn (Exodus 39:24), and golden bells. While pomegranates, distinguished by their sweetness, recalled the sweetness of the law proclaimed by the high priest (Ps. 119:72), so the sound of the bells when Aaron entered and left the sanctuary had a close relationship with the personal safety of the high priest: “and he shall not die.” Entering the sanctuary, the place of the special presence of God, Aaron, clothed in his sacred vestments, was the representative and intercessor of the people, and not a violator of the sanctity of the place; Therefore, Aaron must be free from the fear of punishment by death for insulting the majesty of God. The explanation of Jesus son of Sirach (Sir. 45:11) does not make clear the expression: “and he will not die.” Ex.28:36. And thou shalt make a polished tablet of pure gold, and engrave upon it, as a seal is engraved: “Holy to the Lord.” Exodus 28:37. and attach it to the miter with a blue cord, so that it is on the front side of the miter; Ex.28:38. and it will be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron will bear the disadvantages of the offerings dedicated by the children of Israel, and of all the gifts they bring; and it will continually be on his forehead, for the favor of the Lord towards them. Attached to the headband of the high priest, a golden tablet, the “diadem of holiness” (Ex. 29:6, 39:30), with the inscription on it: “Holiness to the Lord,” indicated that the high priest bore the sins or shortcomings of the offerings of the children of Israel. It is difficult to say with certainty what these sins of the victims are and why they occur. Some point out the reason for this in the sins of the sacrificer, which infected with their uncleanness what was sacrificed. Others understand the sins of offerings as the sins of the priests when making sacrifices, resulting from violations of ritual regulations. If the high priest had not carried, i.e. did not remove these sins, then the sacred gifts appointed to cleanse man and propitiate God would not achieve their goal. There is no description of the high priest's headdress in the Bible. According to Josephus, it consisted of a linen cloth, an ordinary priestly bandage, over which was another made of patterned violet cloth with a triple wrought gold wreath (Jude 3:7, 6). Exodus 28:39. And thou shalt make a tunic of fine linen, and a miter of fine linen, and make a belt of embroidered work; Tunic 21 was made of fine linen, woven (Ex. 28:4, 39:27). One might think that the fabric of the chiton was woven from single-color threads in checkers, or small squares, in which the threads ran in different directions, forming the fabric in the form of a pique. The belt was made of fine linen and blue, purple and scarlet, embroidered work (Ex. 39:29). Exodus 28:40. Make also tunics for the sons of Aaron, make them belts, and make them headbands for glory and splendor, Ex.28:41. and thou shalt clothe Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, in them, and anoint them, and fill their hands, and consecrate them, and they shall be priests unto me. The silence about the design of the priestly tunics and belts will give reason to assume that they did not differ from the corresponding clothes of the high priest (Ex. 39:27). The name of the priestly headband - “migbaa” (Ex. 39:28, Lev. 8:13) differs from the name of the high priestly headdress “mitznefet”, which in turn indicates a difference in the design of the head decorations themselves. Ex.28:42. And make them a linen undergarment to cover their nakedness from the loins to the legs, Ex.28:43. and let them be upon Aaron and his sons when they enter into the tabernacle of meeting, or come to the altar to serve in the sanctuary, lest they bring sin upon themselves and die. This is an everlasting statute [shall be] for him and for his descendants according to him. Nadragi, a lower linen garment that extended from the loins, waist, to the shins (part of the leg from the knee to the foot), covered bodily nudity. Wearing them indicated the priests' awareness of their sinfulness, their reverent attitude towards the holiness of the place, and therefore saved them from death. Slav."upper robe", or "efud". Here it is interesting to consider the corresponding text of the Slavic Bible - “And his girdles were according to the dispensation of Ephud, and they bound him with them: and put upon the word, and put on the word the manifestation and the truth.” Note ed. This interpretation fits the Slavic interpretation of “Urim” and “Thummim” as “word” and “truth”. Note ed. Slav.: long robe, inner. Slav.: “riza tresnovita” - fringed, or, according to another explanation, checkered. You might be interested in: