The big picture
Exodus 28 opens in verse 1 with “And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 22 with “And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure…”, and closes in verse 43 with “And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle…” Repeated or prominent terms include gold, ephod, Aaron, breastplate, blue. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Exodus · King James Version · 43Exodus 28:1-8
1–8: Take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among…
Exodus 28:1–8 opens with “And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of…” and reaches “And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Exodus 28 develops its own movement around gold, ephod, Aaron, breastplate, blue, with particular weight carried by Aaron, garments, blue.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may…” Naming Aaron and Abihu keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make…” Naming Aaron keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Exodus 28:1-8
King James Version1And 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.
2And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.
3And 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.
4And 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.
5And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.
6And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.
7It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.
8And 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.
Exodus 28:9-16
9–16: Thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the…
Exodus 28:9–16 opens with “And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:” and reaches “Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Exodus 28 develops its own movement around gold, ephod, Aaron, breastplate, blue, with particular weight carried by names, gold, stones.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the…” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“And thou shalt make ouches of gold;” The line’s distinctive content terms include gold, ouches. Its relationship to verses 12 and 14 shows what work it does in this passage.
Exodus 28:9-16
King James Version9And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:
10Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.
11With 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.
12And 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.
13And thou shalt make ouches of gold;
14And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches.
15And 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 of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.
16Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.
Exodus 28:17-24
17–24: Thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the…
Exodus 28:17–24 opens with “And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a…” and reaches “And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Exodus 28 develops its own movement around gold, ephod, Aaron, breastplate, blue, with particular weight carried by breastplate, gold, ends.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.” The line’s distinctive content terms include agate, amethyst, ligure. Its relationship to verses 18 and 20 shows what work it does in this passage.
Exodus 28:17-24
King James Version17And 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.
18And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
19And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
20And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.
21And 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.
22And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.
23And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
24And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.
Exodus 28:25-32
25–32: The other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the…
Exodus 28:25–32 opens with “And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put…” and reaches “And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Exodus 28 develops its own movement around gold, ephod, Aaron, breastplate, blue, with particular weight carried by ephod, breastplate, rings.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the…” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the…” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.” The line’s distinctive content terms include blue, ephod, robe. Its relationship to verses 30 and 32 shows what work it does in this passage.
Exodus 28:25-32
King James Version25And 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.
26And 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.
27And 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.
28And 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.
29And 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.
30And 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.
31And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
32And 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.
Exodus 28:33-40
33–40: Beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of…
Exodus 28:33–40 opens with “And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of…” and reaches “And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Exodus 28 develops its own movement around gold, ephod, Aaron, breastplate, blue, with particular weight carried by holy, LORD, mitre.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the…” The line’s distinctive content terms include round, bells, beneath. Its relationship to verses 34 shows what work it does in this passage.
“And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“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.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Exodus 28:33-40
King James Version33And 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:
34A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.
35And 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.
36And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD .
37And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.
38And 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 .
39And 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.
40And 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.
Exodus 28:41-43
41–43: Thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and…
Exodus 28:41–43 opens with “And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them…” and reaches “And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Exodus 28 develops its own movement around gold, ephod, Aaron, breastplate, blue, with particular weight carried by Aaron, minister, sons.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and…” Naming Aaron keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Exodus 28:41-43
King James Version41And 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.
42And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
43And 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.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Exodus 28:1 begins with “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…”
Where the chapter turns
Exodus 28:22 forms a natural hinge: “And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.”
The final note
Exodus 28:43 leaves the reader with “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…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words gold, ephod, Aaron, breastplate, blue, children help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Which promise most directly answers Jacob's situation?
God will be with him, keep him and bring him back to the land in verse 15.
How does the place change for Jacob?
An ordinary stopping place becomes recognized as the setting of divine encounter.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.