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SEDRA TETSAVEH
Exodus 27:20 – 30:10
Sedra Terumah ended at Exodus 27:19, but the Christian chapters include in their chapter 27 what are the first two verses of Sedra Tetsaveh; for convenience I have therefore placed those two verses here, as a preface to chapter 28; but you will also find them at the end of chapter 27.
YHVH's instruction of Mosheh continues where the last sedra left off: the eternal lamp, the priestly clothing, the ephod and breastplate and all the "royal" elements of the priesthood; sacrificial rules; daily sacrifices instituted etc. The question is: did any of this actually happen in the desert; one cannot imagine, living like this in the desert, that ritual sacrifice and all that spilling of blood could have taken place; on the other hand, they had to eat, and an organised system such as this for killing meat would have made sense.
There is also much about the initiation of the priesthood, which is highly likely to have taken place, though probably not with the Levitical emphasis that it is given here; the clear impression of the Book of Nechem-Yah (Nehemiah) is that the priesthood only became strictly, which is to say tribally, Levitical, in his day.
27:20 VE ATAH TETSAVEH ET BENEY YISRA-EL VE YIKCHU ELEYCHA SHEMEN ZAYIT ZACH KATIV LA MA'OR LEHA'ALOT NER TAMID
וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד
KJ (King James translation): And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
BN (BibleNet translation): And you shall instruct the Beney Yisra-El, that they bring pure, beaten olive oil to you for the light, so that a lamp may burn continually [in the tent of meeting]
27:21 BE OHEL MO'ED MI CHUTS LA PAROCHET ASHER AL HA EDUT YA'AROCH OTO AHARON U VANAV ME EREV AD BOKER LIPHNEY YHVH CHUKAT OLAM LE DOROTAM ME ET BENEY YISRA-EL
בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד מִחוּץ לַפָּרֹכֶת אֲשֶׁר עַל הָעֵדֻת יַעֲרֹךְ אֹתוֹ אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו מֵעֶרֶב עַד בֹּקֶר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתָם מֵאֵת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
BN: ... [in the tent of meeting], outside the veil which is before the testimony; Aharon and his sons shall set it in order, to burn from evening to morning before YHVH; this is a statute in perpetuity for the Beney Yisra-El, for all the generations yet to come.
BE OHEL MO'ED really belongs at the end of the previous verse, but for some reason it has slipped to the following line; the error is in all Christian translations, but the original fault appears to lie with the Septuagint. The Yehudit scroll, being one continuous text, is broken only by the ends of columns or the pey and samech breaks within columns, so the error does not appear there.
Throughout this lengthy passage the same questions arise again and again. First, is it really conceivable that YHVH summoned Mosheh to the summit of the mountain to discuss the fine details of the Mishkan, especially when the summons is intended to be the giving of the Law? Second, why would YHVH involve himself so much in such infinitesimal detail? Yes, he gave detail of the Ark to No'ach, and this is the next Ark - but he did not specify the curtain materials and the crockery to No'ach. Thirdly, what is being described is not the desert Mishkan anyway; it is really the Yeru-Shala'im Temple, though whether the First or Second Temple is another matter for speculation, as we do not know how far the Second was modeled on the first. Nevertheless we can say this: whichever Temple it was, the design, the structure, the materials, must have been extremely controversial, and the need was felt to specify every detail in the Mosaic text, to give it legitimacy: "Mosheh told us to build it this way, and so we must; you think it's wrong - too bad; who are we to argue with the god of Mount Sinai?"
And why would it have been controversial? If it was the First Temple, then because there was no central shrine, and this was designated to replace all other shrines; and also because the model was Phoenician, and probably very different from traditional Kena'ani shrines; possibly also because the materials were the ones that suited the builders. If it was the Second Temple, perhaps it was all that gold and silver and fine linen and brass and people felt this was too lavish a project at a time of returning exiles and economic hardship.
samech break
Chapter 28
28:1 VE ATAH HAKREV ELEYCHA ET AHARON ACHIYCHA VE ET BANAV ITO MI TOCH BENEY YISRA-EL LE CHAHANO LI AHARON NADAV VA AVI-HU EL-AZAR VE IYTAMAR BENEY AHARON
וְאַתָּה הַקְרֵב אֵלֶיךָ אֶת אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וְאֶת בָּנָיו אִתּוֹ מִתּוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְכַהֲנוֹ לִי אַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אֶלְעָזָר וְאִיתָמָר בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן
KJ (King James translation): 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.
BN (BibleNet translation): Fetch Aharon your brother, and his sons with him, from among the Beney Yisra-El, that they may serve me as Kohanim, including Aharon, Nadav and Avi-Hu, El-Azar and Iytamar, Aharon's sons.
LE CHAHANO: Earlier in the text (Exodus 24:13) I explored the root word MESHARTO (מְשָׁרְתוֹ), to try to determine what form of "minister" was intended by its use: political, administrative or priestly: it appears to cover all three. Here, where Aharon and his sons are being called to the priesthood, it is not used, but the root-word that will give KOHEN = "a priest" is formed as a verb, "to Kohen". There are several such usages, including several more in this chapter, and also Exodus 31:10, 40:13 and 15, Deuteronomy 10:6 and Hosea 4:6. However, it is used for the priesthood in 28:35 below.
CHAHANO: remember this word has appeared before in the context of Mitsrayim (Egypt); we also know it from the Sanskrit Khan. It appears to be a fairly universal term for priest, though it was also used for the secular (Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan - both rulers, not priests; and theirs probably the earliest, Mongol, form and usage of the name).
What is being initiated here is not simply a priesthood, but a priestly dynasty; from this point on, or so Torah informs us, only Aharon's immediate family and their immediate descendants can serve as priests; and indeed, that remains the case to this day, where the designation Kohen (Cohen), though it has no sacrificial priestly role any longer, still has specific synagogue roles, such as duchening on the major festivals, which is the giving of the Priestly Blessing, the Yevarechecha (Numbers 6:23-27).
However, we are told in 2 Samuel 8:18 that King David's sons served as priests at the major shrines; yet David was not a Kohen. So either Samuel is wrong, or the Aharonic priesthood did not come into being until later, and is again receiving retroactive validation through this addition to the text.
NADAV: See the link.
AVI-HU: See the link.
EL-AZAR: Meaning "god's helper", but the god in the name is El, not YHVH. Ezra the Scribe's full name was Azar-Yah (see Ezra 7:1), likewise meaning "god's helper", or "goddess' helper" actually, in honour of Yah, who was still the moon-goddess in his day, though only just.
IYTAMAR: The aleph is usually an Aramaic prefix; if so, this would make it a late name; and it would leave the Yehudit equivalent as Tamar, and Tamar is already known to us as the priestess-goddess of Eylim, one of the shrines visited before reaching Sinai (Exodus 15:27). This requires further investigation, but the inference is that Iytamar was originally female, and represents Mir-Yam's (Miriam's) daughter rather than Aharon's son: the priestess rather than the priest. Post-exilic Judaism denies the existence of priestesses. Given the cult as we have begun to understand it in this commentary, and the role we have seen Mir-Yam play (and will later see Devorah play), a female priestesshood must be regarded as a certainty at this period.
The name is usually rendered in English as ITAMAR; however, the Masoretic pointing adds a Yud (י) after the Aleph (א), rendering this as Iytamar, or possibly I-Tamar, like I-Chavod (1 Samuel 4:21) and I-Zevel (- Jezebel - 1Kings 21).
28:2 VE ASIYTA VIGDEY KODESH LE AHARON ACHIYCHA LE CHAVOD U LE TIPHARET
וְעָשִׂיתָ בִגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְאָרֶת
KJ: And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.
BN: And you shall make clothing for Aharon your brother that is different from everyday clothing both in its majesty and its beauty.
U LE TIPHARET: Very important that the priestly clothing was both rich and opulent and gorgeous, to give the priests a status above the common people. I mention this, really, in the light of researching the root of LE CHAHANO above, for in Arabic the root has the sense of "presaging" and "predicting", which was the shaman-role of the priest in the earliest times; from this the Arabic word evolved to mean "augury", "soothsaying" and "prophecy"; but in Syriac it took a different route altogether, possibly because of the nature of the priestly garments: KAHAN there means - you guessed it! - "rich", "opulent", "gorgeous", and even "splendid" and "full of glory". Isaiah 61:10 uses it in this form (the only usage of this form would turn out to be Yesha-Yahu, wouldn't it!), when he writes: "I will rejoice greatly in YHVH, my soul shall be joyful in my god; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of victory, as a bridegroom puts on a priestly diadem - KE CHATAN YECHAHEN PE'ER - כֶּחָתָן יְכַהֵן פְּאֵר - and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."
28:3 VE ATAH TEDABER EL KOL CHACHMEY LEV ASHER MIL'E'TIV RU'ACH CHACHMA VE ASU ET BIGDEY AHARON LE KADSHO LECHAHANO LI
וְאַתָּה תְּדַבֵּר אֶל כָּל חַכְמֵי לֵב אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּאתִיו רוּחַ חָכְמָה וְעָשׂוּ אֶת בִּגְדֵי אַהֲרֹן לְקַדְּשׁוֹ לְכַהֲנוֹ לִי
KJ: 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.
BN: And you shall speak to all those who have expertise in this, who I have filled with the knowledge of these esoteric matters, and have them make Aharon's garments to distinguish him, that he may serve me in the office of Kohen.
CHACHMEY LEV: "wise-hearted" does not sound right. Why does it need "wise-hearted" people to make these clothes? It needs tailors and seamstresses with "expertise" - and in a world which regarded the Lev, the heart, as the seat of thought, "expertise" and "wise-heartedness" become synonyms. And what a wonderful phrase it is - that recognition, yet again, that very little that is wise ever comes from the over-rated human brain, mostly because it is continuously over-ruled, or simply argued into defeat, by the far greater wisdom of the "naked, thinking heart", the seat of true wisdom!
28:4 VE ELEH HA BEGADIM ASHER YA'ASU CHOSHEN VE EPHOD U ME'IL U CHETONET TASHBETS MITSNEPHET VE AVNET VE ASU VIGDEY KODESH LE AHARON ACHIYCHA U LE VANAV LECHAHANO LI
וְאֵלֶּה הַבְּגָדִים אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשׂוּ חֹשֶׁן וְאֵפוֹד וּמְעִיל וּכְתֹנֶת תַּשְׁבֵּץ מִצְנֶפֶת וְאַבְנֵט וְעָשׂוּ בִגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וּלְבָנָיו לְכַהֲנוֹ לִי
KJ: 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.
BN: And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a tunic of chequer-work, a mitre, and a girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aharon your brother, and his sons, that he may serve me in the office of Kohen.
CHOSHEN: The Choshen is really a kind of pouch, a container for the more important Ephod. See also the CHOSHEN MISHPAT in verse 15.
EPHOD: But what exactly the Ephod was is a matter of dispute, for which click here. In brief, possibly the garment, possibly an image, possibly the Urim and Tumim by another name (see verse 30); though the article at this link, which is the same source, places the Urim and Thumim in the Choshen.
ME'IL: Today a Me'il would be a raincoat or an overcoat; then simply the outermost layer of the tiered garment.
CHETONET TASHBETS MITSNEPHET: Chetonet is the source of the English word "cotton", the tunic of the Biblical age being made from linen - probably the finer "retted" linen in the case of the priestly tunic.
AVNET: Generally reckoned to be a sash, it is not obviously visible in the adjacent illustration, nor is it obvious where precisely it would go, or why it was needed - unless, like some fashion models today, a sash is simply a grandiose form of belt. In the military the sash is worn over one or both shoulders, and functions much like the pouch for carrying the Urim and Tumim, in its case for carrying medals. So it may be that the AVNET is the pouch, and it was attached to the CHOSHEN, which carried the EPHOD - but I am still only speculating.
28:5 VE HEM YIKCHU ET HA ZAHAV VE ET HA TECHELET VE ET HA ARGAMAN VE ET TOLA'AT HA SHANI VE ET HA SHESH
וְהֵם יִקְחוּ אֶת הַזָּהָב וְאֶת הַתְּכֵלֶת וְאֶת הָאַרְגָּמָן וְאֶת תּוֹלַעַת הַשָּׁנִי וְאֶת הַשֵּׁשׁ
KJ: And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.
BN:And they shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.
28:6 VE ASU ET HA EPHOD ZAHAV TECHELET VE ARGAMAN TOLA'AT SHANI VE SHESH NASHZAR MA'ASEH CHOSHEV
וְעָשׂוּ אֶת הָאֵפֹד זָהָב תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן תּוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר מַעֲשֵׂה חֹשֵׁב
KJ: And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.
BN: And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the skilled workman.
28:7 SHETEY CHETEPHOT CHOVROT YIHEYEH LO EL SHENEY KETSOTAV VE CHUBAR
שְׁתֵּי כְתֵפֹת חֹבְרֹת יִהְיֶה לּוֹ אֶל שְׁנֵי קְצוֹתָיו וְחֻבָּר
KJ: It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.
BN: It shall have two shoulder-pieces joined at each of its ends, that it may be joined together.
28:8 VE CHESHEV APHUDATO ASHER ALAV KE MA'ASEHU MIMENU YIHEYEH ZAHAV TECHELET VE ARGAMAN VE TOLA'AT SHANI VE SHESH MASHZAR
וְחֵשֶׁב אֲפֻדָּתוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו כְּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ מִמֶּנּוּ יִהְיֶה זָהָב תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר
KJ: 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.
BN: And the skilfully woven band, which is on it, and which shall be used to keep it securely fastened, shall be of the same type and quality of work, and of the same piece: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
28:9 VE LAKACHTA ET SHETEY AVNEY SHOHAM U PHITACHTA ALEYHEM SHEMOT BENEY YISRA-EL
וְלָקַחְתָּ אֶת שְׁתֵּי אַבְנֵי שֹׁהַם וּפִתַּחְתָּ עֲלֵיהֶם שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:
BN: And you shalt take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the Beney Yisra-El...
This intrigues me. Other than this verse, there is no evidence (which is to say no written record in the Tanach) anywhere that suggests the ephod had the names of the tribes engraved on it, rather than their heraldic jewels. See the essay on Number Twelve. Is it possible that the tribes had both at this period, but that in the Yeru-Shala'im Temple they only had the jewels?
28:10 SHISHAH MISHMOTAM AL HA EVEN HA ECHAT VE ET SHEMOT HA SHISHAH HA NOTARIM AL HA EVEN HA SHENIT KE TOLDOTAM
שִׁשָּׁה מִשְּׁמֹתָם עַל הָאֶבֶן הָאֶחָת וְאֶת שְׁמוֹת הַשִּׁשָּׁה הַנּוֹתָרִים עַל הָאֶבֶן הַשֵּׁנִית כְּתוֹלְדֹתָם
KJ: Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.
BN: Six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, according to their birth.
TOLDOTAM: yes, but which order? There are so many to choose from. The translation here is the generally accepted one, "in the order of their birth"; but TOLDOTAM does not have to mean that; it can equally well mean "in the order of their patrimony", which as we know from Genesis is very different. The essay on Number Twelve gives a fuller picture, but in brief:
According to Ya'akov's blessing (Genesis 49) it is: RE'U-VEN, SHIM'ON, LEVI, YEHUDAH, ZEVULUN, YISASCHAR, DAN, GAD, ASHER, NAPHTALI, YOSEPH, BIN-YAMIN
According to their birth however it would read: RE'U-VEN, SHIM'ON, LEVI, YEHUDAH, DAN, NAPHTALI, GAD, ASHER, YISASCHAR, ZEVULUN, YOSEPH, BIN-YAMIN + DINAH
The order in which they brought their offerings on the day that Mosheh set up the Mishkan (Numbers 7) was: YEHUDAH, YISASCHAR, ZEVULUN, RE'U-VEN, SHIM'ON, GAD, EPHRAYIM, MENASHEH, BIN-YAMIN, DAN, ASHER, NAPHTALI.
According to Yehoshu'a's order of division, however, the order is different again:
RE'U-VEN, GAD, MENASHEH (these three were bestowed by MOSHEH, and LEVI was anyway excluded); KALEV the KENEZITE; YEHUDAH, EPHRAYIM & MENASHEH, BIN-YAMIN, SHIM'ON, ZEVULUN, YISASCHAR, ASHER, NAPHTALI, DAN, YEHOSHU'A himself, and a Levite portion in each tribal area.
The list of going down to Mitsrayim (Exodus 1) was: RE'U-VEN, SHIM'ON, LEVI, YEHUDAH, YISASCHAR, ZEVULUN, BIN-YAMIN, DAN, NAPHTALI, GAD, ASHER. YOSEPH was already there, and EPHRAYIM and MENASHEH were born there. No mention of DINAH.
According to their birth however it would read: RE'U-VEN, SHIM'ON, LEVI, YEHUDAH, DAN, NAPHTALI, GAD, ASHER, YISASCHAR, ZEVULUN, YOSEPH, BIN-YAMIN + DINAH
The order in which they brought their offerings on the day that Mosheh set up the Mishkan (Numbers 7) was: YEHUDAH, YISASCHAR, ZEVULUN, RE'U-VEN, SHIM'ON, GAD, EPHRAYIM, MENASHEH, BIN-YAMIN, DAN, ASHER, NAPHTALI.
According to Yehoshu'a's order of division, however, the order is different again:
RE'U-VEN, GAD, MENASHEH (these three were bestowed by MOSHEH, and LEVI was anyway excluded); KALEV the KENEZITE; YEHUDAH, EPHRAYIM & MENASHEH, BIN-YAMIN, SHIM'ON, ZEVULUN, YISASCHAR, ASHER, NAPHTALI, DAN, YEHOSHU'A himself, and a Levite portion in each tribal area.
The list of going down to Mitsrayim (Exodus 1) was: RE'U-VEN, SHIM'ON, LEVI, YEHUDAH, YISASCHAR, ZEVULUN, BIN-YAMIN, DAN, NAPHTALI, GAD, ASHER. YOSEPH was already there, and EPHRAYIM and MENASHEH were born there. No mention of DINAH.
Robert Graves and Raphael Patai have also worked out the zodiacal connections of the tribes, and reckoned their precise calendrical dates, according to the solar calendar. This must count as one of the most bizarre and pointless acts of scholarship ever undertaken (remember that neither the lunar nor the solar calendar is constant, so the best this could reflect is the state of the calendar at the time that they scholared it, without intercalation); if you want to see it, again, go to the essay on Number Twelve.
28:11 MA'ASEH CHARASH EVEN PITUCHEY CHOTAM TEPHATACH ET SHETEY HA AVANIM AL SHEMOT BENEY YISRA-EL MUSABOT MISHBETSOT ZAHAV TA'ASEH OTAM
מַעֲשֵׂה חָרַשׁ אֶבֶן פִּתּוּחֵי חֹתָם תְּפַתַּח אֶת שְׁתֵּי הָאֲבָנִים עַל שְׁמֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֻסַבֹּת מִשְׁבְּצוֹת זָהָב תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם
KJ: 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.
BN: Using the skills of an engraver in stone, [who is experienced in] engraving signet-rings, you shall engrave the two stones, putting on them the names of the Beney Yisra-El; you shall enclose them in settings of checkered gold.
These two stones are interesting, reflecting as they do the stone tablets of the 10 commandments. As per my link to the Urim and Tumim, above, the origin of this is probably the Babylonian "Tablets of Destiny", as was also the case with the Ten Commandments.
MISHBETSOT: I have no idea what "ouches" are, and refuse to make any of the obvious puns. Probably the intention here is "filigree", which is to say "plaited".
MISHBETSOT: I have no idea what "ouches" are, and refuse to make any of the obvious puns. Probably the intention here is "filigree", which is to say "plaited".
28:12 VE SAMTA ET SHETEY HA AVANIM AL KITPHOT HA EPHOD AVNEY ZIKARON LIVNEY YISRA-EL VE NASA AHARON ET SHEMOTAM LIPHNEY YHVH AL SHETEY CHETEPHAV LE ZIKARON
וְשַׂמְתָּ אֶת שְׁתֵּי הָאֲבָנִים עַל כִּתְפֹת הָאֵפֹד אַבְנֵי זִכָּרֹן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת שְׁמוֹתָם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה עַל שְׁתֵּי כְתֵפָיו לְזִכָּרֹן
KJ: 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.
BN: And you shall put the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to be stones of reminder for the Beney Yisra-El; and Aharon shall bear their names on his two shoulders as a reminder before YHVH.
A memorial to what, or who? The concept of identity rooted in memory is fundamental to the Yisra-Eli world-view, as it still is in the Jewish, whether it be the Passover instruction to retell the story of Mitsrayim (Egypt), or the construction of Holocaust memorials in the contemporary world. People are defined by their commonalities, and require mutualised empathy to achieve it: usually geography, language, culture and history; the latter requires not just memory, but particularised memory: we all have to remember the same events in the same way for it to work. So I have translated ZICHARON here as "reminder", rather than "memorial" - see also verse 29.
Given that the tribes were not really tribes at this point of history, we have to assume that this text belongs to a later period. The most likely is that the stones would have been set in the ephod when the amphictyony was established, which means in King David's time, or perhaps in Shelomoh's (Solomon's), though this would have been a very Davidic thing to do; all of which suggests that the descriptions of the Mishkan etc given in these chapters are First rather than Second Temple.
samech break; end of fragment one
28:13 VE ASIYTA MISHBETSOT ZAHAV
וְעָשִׂיתָ מִשְׁבְּצֹת זָהָב
KJ: And thou shalt make ouches of gold;
BN: And you shalt make buckles of gold...
Ouches of gold? (I can't ignore it; the word is used frequently below). Is it a King James error for "pouches of gold"? Apparently not. Dictionary.com tells us that it is a: "a clasp, buckle, or brooch, especially one worn for ornament; the setting of a precious stone", and that it can even be used as a verb. Gold ouches - and it really is pronounced as though it hurts, and not à la Français as "oosh", though it probably was originally! Don't you just wish your aches and could be gilded in that manner!
28:14 U SHETEY SHARSHEROT ZAHAV TAHOR MI GEBALOT TA'ASEH OTAM MA'ASEH AVOT VE NATATAH ET SHARSHEROT HA AVOTOT AL HA MISHBETSOT
וּשְׁתֵּי שַׁרְשְׁרֹת זָהָב טָהוֹר מִגְבָּלֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם מַעֲשֵׂה עֲבֹת וְנָתַתָּה אֶת שַׁרְשְׁרֹת הָעֲבֹתֹת עַל הַמִּשְׁבְּצֹת
KJ: And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches.
BN: And two chains of pure gold; you shall make them of plaited thread, wrought in the manner of filigree; and you shall put filigree chains on the buckles.
GEBALOT: Not obvious to me what is the difference between GEBALOT, "braided", and "MISHBETSOT, "filigree", but that is why verse 3 is here.
MA'ASEH AVOT: "Archaeological finds in ancient Mesopotamia indicate that filigree was incorporated into jewelry since 3,000 BC. Specific to the city of Midyat in Mardin Province in upper Mesopotamia, a form of filigree using silver and gold wires, known as 'telkari', was developed in the 15th Century. To this day, expert craftsmen in this region continue to produce fine pieces of telkari. The Egyptian jewelers employed wire, both to lay down on a background and to plait or otherwise arranged jour. But, with the exception of chains, it cannot be said that filigree work was much practiced by them. Their strength lay rather in their cloisonné work and their molded ornaments. Many examples, however, remain of round plaited gold chains of fine wire, such as those that are still made by the filigree workers of India, and known as trichinopoly chains. From some of these are hung smaller chains of finer wire with minute fishes and other pendants fastened to them."
Yes, you can tell by the number of spelling and proof-reading and grammatical errors, and the phrases that just don't make any sense, that this is cited from Wikipedia. Factually, however, it would be significant, if it turns out to be correct - because it indicates that the design was Mesopotamian and not Egyptian (though that should probably say Babylonian, rather than Mesopotamian), and thereby gives yet more evidence that this was not Mosaic, but much later.
Yes, you can tell by the number of spelling and proof-reading and grammatical errors, and the phrases that just don't make any sense, that this is cited from Wikipedia. Factually, however, it would be significant, if it turns out to be correct - because it indicates that the design was Mesopotamian and not Egyptian (though that should probably say Babylonian, rather than Mesopotamian), and thereby gives yet more evidence that this was not Mosaic, but much later.
28:15 VE ASIYTA CHOSHEN MISHPAT MA'ASEH CHOSHEV KE MA'ASEH EPHOD TA'ASENU ZAHAV TECHELET VE ARGAMAN VE TOLA'AT SHANI VE SHESH MASHZAR TA'ASEH OTO
וְעָשִׂיתָ חֹשֶׁן מִשְׁפָּט מַעֲשֵׂה חֹשֵׁב כְּמַעֲשֵׂה אֵפֹד תַּעֲשֶׂנּוּ זָהָב תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתוֹ
KJ: And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and offine twined linen, shalt thou make it.
BN: And you shall make a Breastplate of Judgment, the work of a craftsman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and of fine twined linen you shall make it.
CHOSHEN MISHPAT: Is this the same as the CHOSHEN of verse 4? Probably both yes and no; the same pouch, but understood differently in differently contets. Presumably the intention - of the variation in language at least - was to distinguish the role of the priest as sacrificer and leader of the ceremonies of worship, from the role of the priest in the Sanhedrin or Beit Din, the court, with different clothing for different circumstances. It is worth comparing this with the modern separations in most "democratic" countries, where the Legislature makes the laws, the Executive carries them out, and the Judiciary both deals with those who break them and ensures that new laws are consistent with other existing laws, both in their writing and their execution. In the Biblical world, where the Legislature is divine, the Kohen (latterly the Rabbi) provides a human tier of Legislature (Talmud and Responsa), but also serves as Judiciary (Sanhedrin, Beit Din).
28:16 RAVU'A YIHEYEH KAPHUL ZERET ARKO VE ZERET RACHBO
רָבוּעַ יִהְיֶה כָּפוּל זֶרֶת אָרְכּוֹ וְזֶרֶת רָחְבּוֹ
KJ: Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.
BN: Four-square it shall be, and double: its length and its breadth shall be a span.
A span is reckoned to be 9 inches (click here for the specifics of Biblical measurement).
28:17 U MILE'TA VO MILU'AT EVEN ARBA'AH TURIM AVEN TUR ODEM PITDAH U VAREKET HA TUR HA ECHAD
וּמִלֵּאתָ בוֹ מִלֻּאַת אֶבֶן אַרְבָּעָה טוּרִים אָבֶן טוּר אֹדֶם פִּטְדָה וּבָרֶקֶת הַטּוּר הָאֶחָד
KJ: And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.
BN: And you shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of carnelian, topaz, and smaragd shall be the first row;
The gem-stones that were noted earlier are indeed present, alongside the names. It would, however, have needed to be carved extremely small, to fit all this onto a breastplate. Graves has much to say about these gem-stones. See Number Twelve. In the text and notes below I have retained the common translations; my thoughts on which I think are correct and which incorrect are in the notes and commentary.
ODEM: From the same root that gave us ADAM, EDOM, ADMAH and ADAMAH (earth). The root-word is DAM, meaning "blood", whence ADOM, meaning the colour "red", which yields ADAM as "the red-headed man", EDOM as "the red land" (from the colour of its sand and rocks - see the image of Petra and you will understand why). So an ODEM must be a red stone; but which one? The ruby and the almandine (red garnet) are possible, as is the carnelian.
PITDAH: Ezekiel 28:13 and Job 28:19 both mention it; Ezekiel 28:13 actually mentions almost every precious gem known to the Beney Yisra-El, including all of those that appear on the priestly breastplate, and all of them, according to Yechezke-El (Ezekiel), worn by Adam and Chavah in Eden (which suggests he must have read a very different version from the one we know!). None of which helps us deduce what type of stone it was. Job 28:19 calls it the PITDAT-KUSH, identifying it with Ethiopia, or possibly with Mesopotamia - see the Dictionary of Names for the double-name Kush. The identification is not helpful anyway: we might speak of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond or the Cullinan; exactly the same type of stone, just different manifestations. The only thing we can say for certain about the PITDAH is that it was yellow.
VAREKET: Most likely an emerald. "Smaragd" is based on Josephus, who uses the Latin "smaragdus", which is a variation of the word from which we get "emerald". Diodorus of Sicily reckons that both the emerald and the beryl acquired their hue from copper, a view he took because both were found in copper mines. I leave that one to the geologists to explain.
"Carnelian, topaz and smaragd" is the Mechon-Mamre translation; Chabad has "odem, pitdah, and bareketh", which is disgracefully lazy; King James has "a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle"; most modern Christian versions prefer "carnelian, chrysolite and beryl". I am inclined to go for "red garnet, yellow topaz and emerald". Why? Because I like them.
28:18 VE HA TUR HA SHENI NOPHECH SAPIR VE YAHALAM
וְהַטּוּר הַשֵּׁנִי נֹפֶךְ סַפִּיר וְיָהֲלֹם
KJ: And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
BN: And for the second row a carbuncle, a sapphire, and an emerald;
NOPHECH: Ezekiel 27:16 also names it, and it is usually translated there as the carbuncle, but actually the sentence is mostly talking about dyed cloths, with coral and rubies mentioned at the end; NOPHECH starts the phrase, and the root, which is PUCH (פוך) is actually a type of gum, and not a jewel at all. Most translations give "carbuncle" here, but a carbuncle is normally a KADKOD (כַדְכֹּד). My preference is for "tourquoise".
SAPIR: The easiest of them all, this being the source from which English gets the word sapphire.
YAHALAM: The root, HALAM (הלם) means "striking", in the sense of "something hard", suggesting the diamond, and indeed YAHALAM is the modern Ivrit word for a diamond (though that doesn't prove anything! Modern Ivrit took most of its vocab from the Bible, based on what it thought the Bible vocab meant).
28:19 VE HA TUR HA SHLISHI LESHEM SHEVO VE ACHLAMAH
וְהַטּוּר הַשְּׁלִישִׁי לֶשֶׁם שְׁבוֹ וְאַחְלָמָה
KJ: And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
BN: And for the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
LESHEM: The etymologists simply have no answer to this one, save noting that there is an equivalent root in Arabic, which gives the verb "to lick"; does this suggest that the stone in question would have been very smooth, and therefore the opal makes a strong candidate, as does the jacinth, and several others? The trouble with this is that it is really a distinction between "rough" and "smooth" stones, those that have and those that have not been "polished", and this could apply to literally any stone (which statement also raises an interesting question: hewn stone could not be smoothed or polished, and images of nature could not be made, because this either changed, or imitated, divine creation; and yet, apparently, minerals could be smoothed. Is this not a contradiction? Or was it in fact that all these gems were placed in the priestly garments in their rough form?)
SHAVO: Generally rendered as the agate, but the truth is, no one has the foggiest idea what stone this was; someone early on (the Latin Vulgate actually, based on the Septuagint) chose agate; everyone else has followed suit.
ACHLAMAH: Those of you who come from an orthodox Jewish background, or have looked closely at my notes, will recognise that this is an Aramaic word, the give-away being the initial Aleph (א); after which comes the standard three-letter root, in this case CHALOM (חלם) which means "a dream". The Aramaic helps us date the text - Deutero-Isaiah, early post-exile, 5th century BCE. The "dream" may help us decide which stone it is, given that jewelery and fantasy have also been closely associated. Much as I love amethyst, and much as it approximates to the royal argaman (see verse 5 above, et al), it is not a jewel that one dreams about, in the way that one might rubies and emeralds and diamonds, which leaves me wondering why most translations go for amethyst here. It would actually make more sense for NOPHECH, given that the Ezekiel reference (see above) places it next to the word ARGAMAN, which means purple. As with SHAVO, the etymologists have absolutely no idea.
28:20 VE HA TUR HA REVIY'I TARSHISH VE SHOHAM VE YASHPHEH MESHUBATSIM ZAHAV YIHEYU BE MILU'OTAM
וְהַטּוּר הָרְבִיעִי תַּרְשִׁישׁ וְשֹׁהַם וְיָשְׁפֵה מְשֻׁבָּצִים זָהָב יִהְיוּ בְּמִלּוּאֹתָם
KJ: And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.
BN: And for the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be enclosed in gold in their settings.
TARSHISH: is really the name of a place, not of a jewel. Far too many Biblical references to list; suffice it to say that it was probably Tartessus, on the Guadalquivir river in Spain, and the place to which Yonah (Jonah) was trying to flee when he was shipwrecked; though there is also Tarsus in Turkish Cilicia, from which Saul, later Paul, originated, and where Anthony had his first meeting with Cleopatra (that surprised you, didn't it!). 1 Kings 10:22, Ezekiel 27:12 and Jeremiah 10:9 speak of Tarshish as a source of gold, silver and ivory - no jewels.
SHOHAM: General consent on this one, that it is the onyx, though which onyx precisely is another matter. The root-word suggests "a nail", possibly from the shapes of the multiple lines, possibly from the colouring, possibly both. Whether it was onyx or sardonyx I leave to you to decide.
YASHPHEH: There is a Yehudit root, SHAPHAH (שפה), which means "smooth", though really it means "scraped off" which isn't quite the same; and there is also a root YASHAPH (ישף), which means "shiny", and these two are very likely variations at different times of the same root. Both take us back to the explanation of LESHEM earlier, but do not actually inform us what colour or type of stone it was. My sense with "jasper" is that it sounds a bit like YASPHEH, and so why not? Having said which, the Septuagint gives the three on this row as chrysolite, beryl and onyx, two of the same three, but attached to different Yehudit words. In the end, we just don't know.
28:21 VE HA AVANIM TIHEYEYNA AL SHEMOT BENEY YISRA-EL SHETEYM ESREH AL SHEMOTAM PITUCHEY CHOTAM ISH AL SHEMO TIHEYEYNA LI SHENEY ASAR SHAVET
וְהָאֲבָנִים תִּהְיֶיןָ עַל שְׁמֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה עַל שְׁמֹתָם פִּתּוּחֵי חוֹתָם אִישׁ עַל שְׁמוֹ תִּהְיֶיןָ לִשְׁנֵי עָשָׂר שָׁבֶט
KJ: 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 according to the twelve tribes.
BN: And the stones shall be according to the names of the Beney Yisra-El, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, each one according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.
Each tribe having its own jewel; see Number Twelve.
28:22 VE ASIYTA AL HA CHOSHEN SHARSHOT GAVLUT MA'ASEH AVOT ZAHAV TAHOR
וְעָשִׂיתָ עַל הַחֹשֶׁן שַׁרְשֹׁת גַּבְלֻת מַעֲשֵׂה עֲבֹת זָהָב טָהוֹר
KJ: And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.
BN: And you shall set plaited chains of filigree of pure gold on the breastplate.
28:23 VE-ASITA AL-HA-CHOSHEN SHETEY TAB'OT ZAHAV VE NATATA ET SHETEY HA TABA'OT AL SHENEY KETSOT HA CHOSHEN
וְעָשִׂיתָ עַל הַחֹשֶׁן שְׁתֵּי טַבְּעוֹת זָהָב וְנָתַתָּ אֶת שְׁתֵּי הַטַּבָּעוֹת עַל שְׁנֵי קְצוֹת הַחֹשֶׁן
KJ: And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
BN: And you shalt make two rings of gold on the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
We have noticed this oddity of TA'BOT and TABA'OT before. Previously it was suggested that they might be linguistic variations, perhaps from two versions at different times; but here they appear together; suggesting either an unusual grammatical form or that there were different types of ring. The same is true of the altar, which is sometimes rendered as MIZBACH, sometimes as MIZBE'ACH.
NATATA usually has a Hey (ה) ending; but not here. A typographic error? No, it is the genuinely correct 2nd person singular, Vav-Consecutive, Po'al form, from the root that gives the verb LATET (לתת) = "to give".
28:24 VE NATATAH ET SHETEY AVOTOT HA ZAHAV AL SHETEY HA TABA'OT EL KETSOT HA CHOSHEN
וְנָתַתָּה אֶת שְׁתֵּי עֲבֹתֹת הַזָּהָב עַל שְׁתֵּי הַטַּבָּעֹת אֶל קְצוֹת הַחֹשֶׁן
KJ: And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.
BN: And you shall set the two filigree chains of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.
28:25 VE ET SHETEY KETSOT SHETEY HA AVOTOT TITEN AL SHETEY HA MISHBETSOT VE NATATAH AL KITPHOT HA EPHOD EL MUL PANAV
וְאֵת שְׁתֵּי קְצוֹת שְׁתֵּי הָעֲבֹתֹת תִּתֵּן עַל שְׁתֵּי הַמִּשְׁבְּצוֹת וְנָתַתָּה עַל כִּתְפוֹת הָאֵפֹד אֶל מוּל פָּנָיו
KJ: And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.
BN: And the other two ends of the two filigree chains you shall set on the two buckles, and on the front of the shoulder-pieces of the ephod.
28:26 VE ASIYTA SHETEY TAB'OT ZAHAV VE SAMTA OTAM AL SHENEY KETSOT HA CHOSHEN AL SEPHATO ASHER EL EVER HA EPHOD BAYETAH
וְעָשִׂיתָ שְׁתֵּי טַבְּעוֹת זָהָב וְשַׂמְתָּ אֹתָם עַל שְׁנֵי קְצוֹת הַחֹשֶׁן עַל שְׂפָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר אֶל עֵבֶר הָאֵפֹד בָּיְתָה
KJ: 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.
BN: And you shall make two rings of gold, and set them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its edge, which is to say on the inner side of the ephod.
28:27 VE ASIYTA SHETEY TAB'OT ZAHAV VE NATATAH OTAM AL SHETEY CHITPHOT HA EPHOD MI LEMATA MI MUL PANAV LE'UMAT MACHBARTO MI MA'AL LE CHESHEV HA EPHOD
וְעָשִׂיתָ שְׁתֵּי טַבְּעוֹת זָהָב וְנָתַתָּה אֹתָם עַל שְׁתֵּי כִתְפוֹת הָאֵפוֹד מִלְּמַטָּה מִמּוּל פָּנָיו לְעֻמַּת מַחְבַּרְתּוֹ מִמַּעַל לְחֵשֶׁב הָאֵפוֹד
KJ: And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
BN: And you shall make two rings of gold, and set them on the front of the two shoulder-pieces underneath the ephod, close by the coupling, above the plaited band of the ephod.
28:28 VE YIRKESU ET HA CHOSHEN MI TAB'OTAV EL TAB'OT HA EPHOD BIPHTIL TECHELET LIHEYOT AL CHESHEV HA EPHOD VE LO YIZACH HA CHOSHEN ME AL HA EPHOD
וְיִרְכְּסוּ אֶת הַחֹשֶׁן מִטַּבְּעֹתָו אֶל טַבְּעֹת הָאֵפוֹד בִּפְתִיל תְּכֵלֶת לִהְיוֹת עַל חֵשֶׁב הָאֵפוֹד וְלֹא יִזַּח הַחֹשֶׁן מֵעַל הָאֵפוֹד
KJ: 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.
BN: And they shall bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a thread of blue, that it may sit on the plaited band of the ephod, so that the breastplate does not come loose from the ephod.
28:29 VE NASA AHARON ET SHEMOT BENEY YISRA-EL BE CHOSHEN HA MISHPAT AL LIBO BE VO'O EL HA KODESH LE ZIKARON LIPHNEY YHVH TAMID
וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּחֹשֶׁן הַמִּשְׁפָּט עַל לִבּוֹ בְּבֹאוֹ אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ לְזִכָּרֹן לִפְנֵי יְהוָה תָּמִיד
KJ: 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 LORD continually.
BN: And Aharon shall bear the names of the Beney Yisra-El on the Breastplate of Judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy place, as a perpetual reminder before YHVH.
ZICHARON: see my note to verse 12
28:30 VE NATATA EL CHOSHEN HA MISHPAT ET HA URIM VE ET HA TUMIM VE HAYU AL LEV AHARON BE VO'O LIPHNEY YHVH VE NASA AHARON ET MISHPAT BENEY YISRA-EL AL LIBO LIPHNEY YHVH TAMID
וְנָתַתָּ אֶל חֹשֶׁן הַמִּשְׁפָּט אֶת הָאוּרִים וְאֶת הַתֻּמִּים וְהָיוּ עַל לֵב אַהֲרֹן בְּבֹאוֹ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת מִשְׁפַּט בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל לִבּוֹ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה תָּמִיד
KJ: And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.
BN: And you shalt put the Urim and the Tumim in the Breastplate of Judgment; and they shall rest against Aharon's heart when he goes in before YHVH; and Aharon shall bear the judgment of the Beney Yisra-El upon his heart before YHVH for ever.
URIM...TUMIM: see my note to verse 4. It is unclear from the text if the Urim and Tumim are themselves the twelve tribal jewels, or the tribal names, or something else on the breastplate. URIM is generally thought to come from the root OR = "light", and that whatever it was had the capacity to light up; but given that we are in a world before batteries and electricity, it is difficult to work out what would have made it light up - unless sunlight or candlelight reflecting on the essence of the jewel itself. TOMIM = "twins", from which we can suggest that "URIM VE TUMIM" works like "ISHAH...ACHOTAH" in Exodus 26:3 and "ISH...ACHIV" in Exodus 25:20, i.e. "the light and its twin". In "City of Peace" I took the view that they were some form of dice, and that they were put into a pouch on the ephod; when the High Priest needed to pass judgement he would ask the question out loud, and then throw the dice, obtaining the answer something in the manner of an oracle. I based this on the Babylonian URTU and TAMITU, which were used for this precise purpose, and on the equivalent clothing in Mitsrayim (Egypt), where (Diodorus Siculus, 1:48:75) the Supreme Judge wore a sapphire necklace known as "the Image of Truth", which was probably what is meant here by the "Breastplate of Judgement"; this sapphire was believed to glow when a man was innocent, but to remain dark when he was guilty.
1 Samuel 14:41 ff likewise describes the use of the Urim and Tumim as a form of drawing lots. It does not state what form these lots took, but jewelled dice remains the most likely:
"Then Sha'ul prayed to YHVH, the god of Yisra-El: 'Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Yah-Natan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Yisra-El are at fault, respond with Tumim.' Yah-Natan and Sha'ul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. Sha'ul said, 'Cast the lot between me and Yah-Natan my son.' And Yah-Natan was taken."
samech break; end of 2nd fragment
28:31 VE ASIYTA ET ME'IL HA EPHOD KELIL TECHELET
וְעָשִׂיתָ אֶת מְעִיל הָאֵפוֹד כְּלִיל תְּכֵלֶת
KJ: And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
BN: And you shall make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue.
28:32 VE HAYAH PHI ROSHO BETOCHO SAPHAH YIHEYEH LEPHIV SAVIV MA'ASEH OREG KE PHI TACHRA YIHEYEH LO LO YIKAR'E'A
וְהָיָה פִי רֹאשׁוֹ בְּתוֹכוֹ שָׂפָה יִהְיֶה לְפִיו סָבִיב מַעֲשֵׂה אֹרֵג כְּפִי תַחְרָא יִהְיֶה לּוֹ לֹא יִקָּרֵעַ
KJ: And there shall be an 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 an habergeon, that it be not rent.
BN: And there shall be a hole for the head at the top of it; it shall have a binding of woven work round around that hole, as though it were the hole in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear.
OREG: "Woven"; but, as with GEBALOT, "braided", and MISHBETSOT, "plaited", at verse 4, I am not able to explain the difference.
PHI TACHRA: Translated here as "a coat of mail", but that is an anachronism; the earliest known chain mail was used by the Romans, but late in their Empire, and adopted by the Persians around the 3rd century CE. The whole garment is demonstrably linen, so the weaving here must also be some kind of linen embroidery. Some form of iron armour appars to have been used by the Pelishtim at the battle of Aphek, and it terrified King Sha'ul's spies because it was something never previously known; King David bought in the iron in vast quantities and made his weapons and his uniforms from it (1 Samuel 4:1 ff). The start of the Iron Age is reckoned to have started a little before then, probably around 1200 BCE - see my note to Exodus 27:3.
28:33 VE ASIYTA AL SHULAV RIMONEY TECHELET VE ARGAMAN VE TOLA'AT SHANI AL SHULAV SAVIV U PHA'AMONEY ZAHAV BETOCHAM SAVIV
וְעָשִׂיתָ עַל שׁוּלָיו רִמֹּנֵי תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי עַל שׁוּלָיו סָבִיב וּפַעֲמֹנֵי זָהָב בְּתוֹכָם סָבִיב
KJ: And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:
BN: And you shall set pomegranates on its skirts, blue, and purple, and scarlet, all around its skirts, and bells of gold between them the whole way round...
28:34 PA'AMON ZAHAV VE RIMON PA'AMON ZAHAV VE RIMON AL SHULEY HA ME'IL SAVIV
פַּעֲמֹן זָהָב וְרִמּוֹן פַּעֲמֹן זָהָב וְרִמּוֹן עַל שׁוּלֵי הַמְּעִיל סָבִיב
KJ: A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.
BN: A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, on each of the skirts that go around the robe.
28:35 VE HAYAH AL AHARON LESHARET VE NISHMA KOLO BE VO'O EL HA KODESH LIPHNEY YHVH U VE TSE'TO VE LO YAMUT
וְהָיָה עַל אַהֲרֹן לְשָׁרֵת וְנִשְׁמַע קוֹלוֹ בְּבֹאוֹ אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וּבְצֵאתוֹ וְלֹא יָמוּת
KJ: 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.
BN: And Aharon shall wear this when he leads the worship; and the sound of it shall be heard when he goes in to the holy place before YHVH, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.
LESHARET: "to minister", in the sense of leading the prayers, or sacrifices, or whatever religious ceremony it may be. See my note to verse 1, and also Exodus 24:13.
VE LO YAMUT: A wonderful superstition this, and deeply revealing about religious faith and practices in the ancient world. When Aharon goes into the "holy place", where the god "lives", he risks death. Why? Because a man cannot meet the deity face to face and survive the experience. And yet he can, and does, regularly; daily indeed. But just in case something happens to him, he has bells that jingle; if the bells are jingling, he must be alive. And of course, he could have a heart attack or an illness and collapse. The question then is: what can you do if the bells stop jingling, because no one else is allowed in the holy place? Answer: one of his attendant priests can go in and look after him.
Actually, I suspect that the explanation of this is a security device: there would have been armed guards around the Mishkan, in the desert as in Yeru-Shalayim later on, and anyone trying to enter without authority would have been in danger.
samech break
28:36 VE ASIYTA TSITS ZAHAV TAHOR U PHITACHTA ALAV PITUCHEY CHOTAM KODESH LA YHVH
וְעָשִׂיתָ צִּיץ זָהָב טָהוֹר וּפִתַּחְתָּ עָלָיו פִּתּוּחֵי חֹתָם קֹדֶשׁ לַיהוָה
KJ: And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
BN: And you shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet-ring: "SET APART FOR YHVH".
TSITS: Here translated as a plate (like "INRI" on a Cross, or "EGO 1" on a Rolls Royce!), which leads to much confusion, because the text of the Shema (Numbers 15:38) instructs all the Beney Yisra-El to wear TSITSIT (צִיצִת), and these were understood to be fringes on their clothing, which is how they are still worn today. Properly TSITSIT are feathers. See "A Myrtle Among Reeds" (pages 10-14) for a full explanation.
28:37 VE SAMTA OTO AL PETIL TECHELET VE HAYAH AL HA MITSNAPHET EL MUL PENEY HA MITSNEPHET YIHEYEH
וְשַׂמְתָּ אֹתוֹ עַל פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת וְהָיָה עַל הַמִּצְנָפֶת אֶל מוּל פְּנֵי הַמִּצְנֶפֶת יִהְיֶה
KJ: And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.
BN: And you shall put it on a thread of blue, and it shall be on the mitre; on the very front of the mitre it shall be.
The description of the tsitsit in Numbers 15:38 is almost identical to the description here, adding weight to my conviction that the priestly tsits was a feathered ornament and not a "plate".
Why is it first MITSNAPHET but then MITSNEPHET?
28:38 VE HAYAH AL METSACH AHARON VE NASA AHARON ET AVON HA KADASHIM ASHER YAKDISHU BENEY YISRA-EL LE CHOL MATNOT KADSHEYHEM VE HAYAH AL MITS'CHO TAMID LE RATSON LAHEM LIPHNEY YHVH
וְהָיָה עַל מֵצַח אַהֲרֹן וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת עֲוֹן הַקֳּדָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יַקְדִּישׁוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְכָל מַתְּנֹת קָדְשֵׁיהֶם וְהָיָה עַל מִצְחוֹ תָּמִיד לְרָצוֹן לָהֶם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה
KJ: And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.
BN: And it shall be placed on Aharon's forehead, and Aharon shall take upon himself any sins committed in the matter of the holy objects - objects which the Beney Yisra-El shall deem sacred, more than any of their holy gifts. And it shall be placed permanently on his forehead, that they may be accepted before YHVH.
METSACH: Exactly the spot where the Shel Rosh of the Tefilin is now placed.
AVON HA KADASHIM...MATNOT KADASHIM: The inference is that the act of ministering has to do with sins, impurities etc, which is actually still the case today in all three of the Av-Rahamic religions; regular visits to the confession booth, an Ave Maria and a Pater Noster taken twice daily after meals as a cure for sickness, a constant SELICHOT, a daily YOM KIPPUR, with the offerings as the means of atonement. A suggestion of a god who requires propitiation, but also of a human species which requires constant expiation.
28:39 VE SHIBATSTA HA KETONET SHESH VE ASIYTA MITSNEPHET SHESH VE AVNET TA'ASEH MA'ASEH ROKEM
וְשִׁבַּצְתָּ הַכְּתֹנֶת שֵׁשׁ וְעָשִׂיתָ מִצְנֶפֶת שֵׁשׁ וְאַבְנֵט תַּעֲשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה רֹקֵם
KJ: 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 needlework.
BN: And you shall weave the tunic in chequer-work of fine linen, and make a mitre of fine linen, and a girdle, the work of the weaver in colours.
28:40 VE LIVNEY AHARON TA'ASEH KUTANOT VE ASIYTA LAHEM AVNETIM U MIGBA'OT TA'ASEH LAHEM LE CHAVOD U LE TIPH'ARET
וְלִבְנֵי אַהֲרֹן תַּעֲשֶׂה כֻתֳּנֹת וְעָשִׂיתָ לָהֶם אַבְנֵטִים וּמִגְבָּעוֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה לָהֶם לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְאָרֶת
KJ: 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.
BN: And for Aharon's sons you shall make tunics, and girdles, and head-attire, and they shall be both majestic and beautiful.
Compare verse 2. And also, contrast this with Yoseph's coat of many colours which, as we have seen, was also a priestly garment.
Again, the notion that fine clothing designates a person's importance in the world - thereby enhancing the likelihood of their being respected, even revered, definitely heeded.
28:41 VE HILBASHTA OTAM ET AHARON ACHIYCHA VE ET BANAV ITO U MASHACHTA OTAM U MIL'E'TA ET YADAM VE KIDASHTA OTAM VE CHIHANO LI
וְהִלְבַּשְׁתָּ אֹתָם אֶת אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וְאֶת בָּנָיו אִתּוֹ וּמָשַׁחְתָּ אֹתָם וּמִלֵּאתָ אֶת יָדָם וְקִדַּשְׁתָּ אֹתָם וְכִהֲנוּ לִי
KJ: And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.
BN: And you shall dress Aharon your brother with them, and his sons with him; and anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the office of Kohen.
MASHACHTA: anoint, as in Mashiyach - Messiah.
28:42 VA ASEH LAHEM MICHNESEY VAD LECHASOT BASAR ERVAH MI MATNAYIM VE AD YERECHAYIM YIHEYU
וַעֲשֵׂה לָהֶם מִכְנְסֵי בָד לְכַסּוֹת בְּשַׂר עֶרְוָה מִמָּתְנַיִם וְעַד יְרֵכַיִם יִהְיוּ
KJ: And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
BN: And you shall make linen breeches for them, to cover the flesh of their nakedness; they shall reach from the loins even to the thighs.
MICHNESEY VAD: A loin-cloth, much as Jesus is always portrayed wearing on the cross, or you can see in the photograph of Gandhi adjacent. The phrase "gird up your loins" comes from this; not a sexual nor a macho idea, as is often thought, but simply the equivalent of "pulling up your pants".
MI MATNAYIM VE AD YERECHAYIM: From the buttocks to the mid-thigh (imagine the Pope appearing on the balcony of St Peter's dressed like the illustration!) Hence the "majestic and splendid" above, which presumably Aharon and the other Kohanim wore over this loin-cloth; and this loin-cloth avoided the problem of nakedness when ascending the ramp.
28:43 VE HAYU AL AHARON VE AL BANAV BE VO'AM EL OHEL MO'ED O VE GISHTAM EL HA MIZBE'ACH LESHARET BA KODESH VE LO YIS'U AVON VA METU CHUKAT OLAM LO U LE ZAR'O ACHARAV
28:43 VE HAYU AL AHARON VE AL BANAV BE VO'AM EL OHEL MO'ED O VE GISHTAM EL HA MIZBE'ACH LESHARET BA KODESH VE LO YIS'U AVON VA METU CHUKAT OLAM LO U LE ZAR'O ACHARAV
וְהָיוּ עַל אַהֲרֹן וְעַל בָּנָיו בְּבֹאָם אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד אוֹ בְגִשְׁתָּם אֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לְשָׁרֵת בַּקֹּדֶשׁ וְלֹא יִשְׂאוּ עָוֹן וָמֵתוּ חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו
KJ: 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.
BN: And Aharon shall wear them, and his sons shall wear them, when they go into the Ohel Mo'Ed, or when they come near to the altar to minister in the holy place; so that they do not commit a sin, and die. This shall be a statute for ever, to him and to his seed after him.
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