Exodus 28:10

the ephod: The ephod was a kind of apron consisting of front and back pieces joined by shoulder straps and secured with a decorative sash (28:7, 8, 27–28). Moses probably mentions it first because it was a unique garment of the high priest.

Gideon later made a gold ephod. This suggests that people believed the garment had special powers (Judges 8:27).

These holy garments for Aaron were to distinguish him as a priest set apart (Hebrew qadash, “consecrated”) for the Lord's service (28:2, 3). The beauty of these garments matched the beauty of the Tent of Meeting, which was God's portable earthly palace (or tabernacle).

One day, Jesus Christ, the true High Priest, would enter the Most Holy Place once for all. Then the difference between priests and people would disappear (Hebrews 10:11–22). Until then, human mediators represented how Christ would fulfill the types of wonderful things God accomplishes for his people.

ephod--It was a very gorgeous robe made of byssus, curiously embroidered, and dyed with variegated colors, and further enriched with golden tissue, the threads of gold being either originally interwoven or afterwards inserted by the embroiderer. It was short--reaching from the breast to a little below the loins--and though destitute of sleeves, retained its position by the support of straps thrown over each shoulder. These straps or braces, connecting the one with the back, the other with the front piece of which the tunic was composed, were united on the shoulder by two onyx stones, serving as buttons, and on which the names of the twelve tribes were engraved, and set in golden encasements. The symbolical design of this was, that the high priest, who bore the names along with him in all his ministrations before the Lord, might be kept in remembrance of his duty to plead their cause, and supplicate the accomplishment of the divine promises in their favor. The ephod was fastened by a girdle of the same costly materials, that is, dyed, embroidered, and wrought with threads of gold. It was about a handbreadth wide and wound twice round the upper part of the waist; it fastened in front, the ends hanging down at great length (Rev 1:13).

Directions are here given concerning the ephod, which was the outmost garment of the high priest. Linen ephods were worn by the inferior priests, Sa1 22:18. Samuel wore one when he was a child (Sa1 2:18), and David when he danced before the ark (Sa2 6:14); but this which the high priest only wore was called a golden ephod, because there was a great deal of gold woven into it. It was a short coat without sleeves, buttoned closely to him, with a curious girdle of the same stuff (Exo 28:6-8); the shoulder-pieces were buttoned together with two precious stones set in gold, one on each shoulder, on which were engraven the names of the children of Israel, Exo 28:9-12. In allusion to this, 1. Christ our high priest appeared to John girt about the breast with a golden girdle, such as was the curious girdle of the ephod, Rev 1:13. Righteousness is the girdle of his loins (Isa 11:6), and should be of ours, Eph 6:14. He is girt with strength for the work of our salvation, and is ready for it. 2. The government is said to be upon his shoulders (Isa 9:6), as Aaron had the names of all Israel upon his shoulders in precious stone. He presents to himself and to his Father a glorious church, Eph 5:27. He has power to support them, interest to recommend them, and it is in him that they are remembered with honour and favour. He bears them before the Lord for a memorial (Exo 28:12), in token of his appearing before God as the representative of all Israel and an advocate for them.

And thou shalt take two onyx-stones. That the connection between the priest and the people might be made more plain, God not only placed on his breast the memorials of the twelve tribes, but also engraved their names on his shoulders. Thus all occasion of envy was removed, since the people would understand that this one man was not separated from the others for the sake of private advantage, but that in his one person they were all a kingdom of priests, which Peter teaches to have been at length really fulfilled in Christ, (1 Peter 2:5;) as Isaiah had foretold that there should be priests of God, and Levites brought from the Gentiles, (Isaiah 66:21;) to which John makes allusion in the Apocalypse, where he says that we are all priests in Christ, (Revelation 1:6.) But we must remember the reason why our High Priest is said to bear us on His shoulders, for we not only crawl on earth, but we are plunged in the lowest depths of death; how then should we be able to ascend to heaven, unless the Son of God should raise us up with Him; Now, since there is no ability in us unto eternal life, but all our powers of mind and body lie prostrate, we must be borne up by His strength alone. Hence then arises our confidence of ascending to heaven, because Christ raises us up with Him; as Paul says, we "sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," (Ephesians 2:6;) however weak then we may be in ourselves, herein is all our strength, that we are His burden. Therefore in this old type was prefigured what Paul teaches, that the Church is "his body," and "the fullness of him," (Ephesians 1:22.) It remains that each of us, conscious of our own weakness, should rest on Christ; for when in foolish arrogance we exalt ourselves, we do not suffer ourselves to be lifted up by Him, to be borne and sustained by His power. Let the proud then, by lifting themselves on high, fall down in ruin, whilst Christ supports us upon His shoulders. These stones are called "stones of memorial;" and again, "for a memorial" to the children of Israel; as is also afterwards repeated of the twelve stones; which some expound, that "God may be mindful of the children of Israel;" others, that "the priest himself may remember them;" others, that "the children of Israel may remember that God is reconciled to them for the sake of the one Mediator;" but I simply interpret it, that they were a monument of the mutual agreement between God and them; as if God would shew by a visible sign that He embraced them and received them into His sanctuary, as often as they were offered in this manner.

Two onyx stones - See Clarke on Exo 25:7 (note).

Six of their names on one stone,.... The names of the six eldest on the stone upon the right shoulder:

and the other six names of the rest on the other stone: the names of the six youngest on the stone upon the left shoulder; for these stones, as afterwards said, were put on the shoulders of the priests:

according to their birth; the order of it; so that upon the first stone were engraven the names of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, and Naphtali; and on the second stone the names of Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin; and so they are disposed by Jarchi, with whom Josephus agrees (a); though some Jewish writers, and particularly Maimonides (b), place them otherwise; but this seems most agreeable to the letter and sense of the text.

(a) Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 3. c. 7. sect. 5.) (b) Hilchot Cele Hamikdash, ut supra. (c. 9. sect. 9.)

Levi seems to be omitted here, as being sufficiently represented by the high priest himself.

The first part mentioned of Aaron's holy dress, i.e., of the official dress of the high priest, is the ephod. The etymology of this word is uncertain; the Sept. rendering is ἐπωμίς (Vulg. superhumerale, shoulder-dress; Luther, "body-coat"). It was to be made of gold, hyacinth, etc., artistically woven, - of the same material, therefore, as the inner drapery and curtain of the tabernacle; but instead of having the figures of cherubim woven into it, it was to be worked throughout with gold, i.e., with gold thread. According to Exo 39:3, the gold plates used for the purpose were beaten out, and then threads were cut (from them), to be worked into the hyacinth, purple, scarlet, and byssus. It follows from this, that gold threads were taken for every one of these four yearns, and woven with them.
(Note: The art of weaving fabrics with gold thread (cf. Plin. h. n. 33, c. 3, s. 19, "aurum netur ac texitur lanae modo et sine lana"), was known in ancient Egypt. "Among the coloured Egyptian costumes which are represented upon the monuments, there are some that are probably woven with gold thread." - Wilkinson 3, 131. Hengstenberg, Egypt, etc., p. 140.)
Exo 28:7
"Two connecting shoulder-pieces shall it have for its two ends, that it may be bound together." If we compare the statement in Exo 39:4, - "shoulder-pieces they made for it, connecting; at its two ends was it connected," - there can hardly be any doubt that the ephod consisted of two pieces, which were connected together at the top upon (over) the shoulders; and that Knobel is wrong in supposing that it consisted of a single piece, with a hole cut on each side for the arms to be put through. If it had been a compact garment, which had to be drawn over the head like the robe (Exo 28:31, Exo 28:32), the opening for the head would certainly have been mentioned, as it is in the case of the latter (Exo 28:32). The words of the text point most decidedly to the rabbinical idea, that it consisted of two pieces reaching to about the hip, one hanging over the breast, the other down the back, and that it was constructed with two shoulder-pieces which joined the two together. These shoulder-pieces were not made separate, however, and then sewed upon one of the pieces; but they were woven along with the front piece, and that no merely at the top, so as to cover the shoulders when the ephod was worn, but according to Exo 28:25 (? 27), reaching down on both sides from the shoulders to the girdle (Exo 28:8).
Exo 28:8
"And the girdle of its putting on which (is) upon it, shall be of it, like its work, gold, etc." There was to be a girdle upon the ephod, of the same material and the same artistic work as the ephod, and joined to it, not separated from it. The חשׁב mentioned along with the ephod cannot mean ὕφασμα, textura (lxx, Cler., etc.), but is to be traced to חשׁב = חבשׁ to bind, to fasten, and to be understood in the sense of cingulum, a girdle (compare Exo 29:5 with Lev 8:7, "he girded him with the girdle of the ephod"). אפדּה is no doubt to be derived from אפד, and signifies the putting on of the ephod. In Isa 30:22 it is applied to the covering of a statue; at the same time, this does not warrant us in attributing to the verb, as used in Exo 9:5 and Lev 8:7, the meaning, to put on or clothe. This girdle, by which the two parts of the ephod were fastened tightly to the body, so as not to hang loose, was attached to the lower part or extremity of the ephod, so that it was fastened round the body below the breastplate (cf. Exo 28:27, Exo 28:28; Exo 39:20-21).
Exo 28:9-10
Upon the shoulder-piece of the ephod two beryls (previous stones) were to be placed, one upon each shoulder; and upon these the names of the sons of Israel were to be engraved, six names upon each "according to their generations," i.e., according to their respective ages, or, as Josephus has correctly explained it, so that the names of the six elder sons were engraved upon the previous stone on the right shoulder, and those of the six younger sons upon that on the left.
Exo 28:11
"Work of the engraver in stone, of seal-cutting shalt thou engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel." The engraver in stone: lit., one who works stones; here, one who cuts and polishes precious stones. The meaning is, that just as precious stones are cut, and seals engraved upon them, so these two stones were to be engraved according to the name of the sons of Israel, i.e., so that the engraving should answer to their names, or their names be cut into the stones. "Surrounded by gold-twist shalt thou make it." זהב משׁבּצות, from שׁבץ to twist, is used in Exo 28:39 (cf. Psa 45:14) for a texture woven in checks; and here it denotes not merely a simple gold-setting, but, according to Exo 28:13, gold-twists or ornaments representing plaits, which surrounded the golden setting in which the stones were fixed, and not only served to fasten the stones upon the woven fabric, but formed at the same time clasps or brooches, by which the two parts of the ephod were fastened together. Thus Josephus says (Ant. iii. 7, 5) there were two sardonyxes upon the shoulders, to be used for clasps.
Exo 28:12
The precious stones were to be upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, stones of memorial for the sons of Israel; and Aaron was to bear their names before Jehovah upon his two shoulders for a memorial, i.e., that Jehovah might remember the sons of Israel when Aaron appeared before Him clothed with the ephod (cf. Exo 28:29). As a shoulder-dress, the ephod was par excellence the official dress of the high priest. The burden of the office rested upon the shoulder, and the insignia of the office were also worn upon it (Isa 22:22). The duty of the high priest was to enter into the presence of God and made atonement for the people as their mediator. To show that as mediator he brought the nation to God, the names of the twelve tribes were engraved upon precious stones on the shoulders of the ephod. The precious stones, with their richness and brilliancy, formed the most suitable earthly substratum to represent the glory into which Israel was to be transformed as the possession of Jehovah (Exo 19:5); whilst the colours and material of the ephod, answering to the colours and texture of the hangings of the sanctuary, indicated the service performed in the sanctuary by the person clothed with the ephod, and the gold with which the coloured fabric was worked, the glory of that service.
Exo 28:13-14
There were also to be made for the ephod two (see Exo 28:25) golden plaits, golden borders (probably small plaits in the form of rosettes), and two small chains of pure gold: "close shalt thou make them, corded" (lit., work of cords or strings), i.e., not formed of links, but of gold thread twisted into cords, which were to be placed upon the golden plaits or fastened to them. As these chains served to fasten the choshen to the ephod, a description of them forms a fitting introduction to the account of this most important ornament upon the state-dress of the high priest.