Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all the way around the lower hem, with gold bells between them, Make pomegranatesThe instruction to "make pomegranates" is significant in its symbolic and aesthetic value. The pomegranate, in ancient Near Eastern culture, was a symbol of fertility, abundance, and blessing. In the Hebrew context, it also represented the law and the commandments, as the fruit is said to have 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613 mitzvot or commandments in the Torah. The use of pomegranates in the priestly garments underscores the idea of fruitfulness and the abundance of God's provision and law. of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn
The colors "blue, purple, and scarlet" are rich with meaning and were highly valued in ancient times. Blue (Hebrew: תְּכֵלֶת, tekhelet) is often associated with divinity and the heavens, symbolizing the divine nature and authority of God. Purple (Hebrew: אַרְגָּמָן, argaman) was a color of royalty and nobility, indicating the priest's role as a mediator between God and His people. Scarlet (Hebrew: שָׁנִי, shani) represents sacrifice and redemption, pointing to the blood of sacrifices and ultimately to the sacrifice of Christ. These colors woven into the priestly garments remind us of the multifaceted nature of God's covenant with His people—His divine authority, His royal kingship, and His redemptive plan. around the lower hem
The "lower hem" of the garment is significant as it represents the boundary or the edge of the priestly robe. In ancient cultures, the hem of a garment often symbolized authority and identity. By adorning the hem with pomegranates and bells, the garment is marked as sacred and set apart for holy service. This placement also ensures that the priest's every movement is accompanied by a reminder of his consecration and the presence of God. with gold bells between them
The "gold bells" serve both a practical and symbolic purpose. Practically, the sound of the bells would announce the priest's movements, especially as he entered the Holy of Holies, ensuring that he was not entering unannounced into the presence of God. Symbolically, gold (Hebrew: זָהָב, zahav) represents purity, divinity, and value. The bells, made of gold, signify the purity and holiness required of the priest as he ministers before the Lord. The alternating pattern of pomegranates and bells creates a rhythm of sound and silence, symbolizing the balance of God's law (pomegranates) and His presence (bells) in the life of His people. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites who received the instructions for the priestly garments from God on Mount Sinai. 2. AaronThe brother of Moses, appointed as the first high priest of Israel, for whom these garments were specifically designed. 3. TabernacleThe portable dwelling place for the divine presence, where Aaron and his descendants would serve as priests. 4. Pomegranates and BellsDecorative elements on the hem of the high priest's robe, symbolizing fruitfulness and the sound of holiness. 5. Mount SinaiThe place where God gave Moses the law and instructions for the tabernacle and priestly garments. Teaching Points Symbolism of Colors and MaterialsThe blue, purple, and scarlet yarns represent royalty, divinity, and sacrifice. Gold signifies purity and holiness. These elements remind us of the attributes of God and the calling to reflect His character. The Role of the High PriestThe high priest served as a mediator between God and the people. This points to Jesus Christ, our ultimate High Priest, who intercedes for us before the Father. Holiness and ReverenceThe bells on the robe served a practical purpose, signaling the high priest's movements within the Holy Place. This teaches us about the importance of reverence and awareness of God's presence in our lives. Fruitfulness in MinistryThe pomegranates symbolize fruitfulness. As believers, we are called to bear spiritual fruit, demonstrating the life of Christ within us. Attention to Detail in WorshipGod's specific instructions for the priestly garments highlight the importance of approaching worship with care and intentionality, reflecting His glory in all we do. Bible Study Questions 1. What do the colors blue, purple, and scarlet in the high priest's garments symbolize, and how can these attributes be reflected in our daily walk with God? 2. How does the role of the high priest in the Old Testament foreshadow the ministry of Jesus Christ as described in the New Testament? 3. In what ways can we cultivate a sense of holiness and reverence in our personal and communal worship practices? 4. How can the symbolism of the pomegranates inspire us to pursue spiritual fruitfulness in our lives and ministries? 5. What lessons can we learn from the detailed instructions for the priestly garments about the nature of our worship and service to God today? Connections to Other Scriptures Leviticus 8Describes the consecration of Aaron and his sons, where the priestly garments, including the robe with pomegranates and bells, are put into use. Hebrews 9Discusses the role of the high priest and the significance of the tabernacle, drawing parallels to Christ as our High Priest. Revelation 1:13Describes Jesus in a robe reaching down to His feet, reminiscent of the high priestly garments, symbolizing His eternal priesthood. People Aaron, Abihu, Eleazar, Israelites, Ithamar, Moses, Nadab, ShohamPlaces Mount SinaiTopics Bells, Beneath, Blue, Fruits, Gold, Hast, Hem, Material, Midst, Pomegranates, Purple, Red, Robe, Round, Scarlet, Skirts, Stuff, Thereof, YarnDictionary of Bible Themes Exodus 28:1-43 1065 God, holiness of Exodus 28:31-34 5177 robes Exodus 28:31-35 4450 fruit Exodus 28:33-35 5915 ornaments Exodus 28:33-38 4333 gold Library Three Inscriptions with one Meaning
'Thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it ... HOLINESS TO THE LORD.'--EXODUS xxviii. 36. 'In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD.'--ZECH. xiv. 20. 'His name shall be in their foreheads.'--REV. xxii. 4. You will have perceived my purpose in putting these three widely separated texts together. They all speak of inscriptions, and they are all obviously connected with each other. The first of them comes from the ancient times of the institution …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Names on Aaron's Breastplate
Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord, upon his two shoulders, for a memorial.... 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.'--EXODUS xxviii. 12,29. Every part of the elaborately prescribed dress of the high priest was significant. But the significance of the whole was concentrated in the inscription upon his mitre, 'Holiness to the Lord,' and in those others upon his breastplate and his shoulder. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ninth Day. Holiness and Mediation.
And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 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 always be upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.'--Ex. xxviii. 36, 38. God's house was to be the dwelling-place of His Holiness, the place where He was to reveal Himself; as the Holy One, not to be approached but with …
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ Edwards -- Spiritual Light
Jonathan Edwards, the New England divine and metaphysician, was born at East Windsor, Connecticut, in 1703. He was graduated early from Yale College, where he had given much attention to philosophy, became tutor of his college, and at nineteen began to preach. His voice and manner did not lend themselves readily to pulpit oratory, but his clear, logical, and intense presentation of the truth produced a profound and permanent effect upon his hearers. He wrote what were considered the most important …
Grenville Kleiser—The world's great sermons, Volume 3 That the Ruler Should be Pure in Thought.
The ruler should always be pure in thought, inasmuch as no impurity ought to pollute him who has undertaken the office of wiping away the stains of pollution in the hearts of others also; for the hand that would cleanse from dirt must needs be clean, lest, being itself sordid with clinging mire, it soil whatever it touches all the more. For on this account it is said through the prophet, Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord (Isai. lii. 11). For they bear the vessels of the Lord who undertake, …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Sanctification
'For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.' I Thess 4:4. The word sanctification signifies to consecrate and set apart to a holy use: thus they are sanctified persons who are separated from the world, and set apart for God's service. Sanctification has a privative and a positive part. I. A privative part, which lies in the purging out of sin. Sin is compared to leaven, which sours; and to leprosy, which defiles. Sanctification purges out the old leaven.' I Cor 5:5. Though it takes not …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity That the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action.
The ruler should always be chief in action, that by his living he may point out the way of life to those that are put under him, and that the flock, which follows the voice and manners of the shepherd, may learn how to walk better through example than through words. For he who is required by the necessity of his position to speak the highest things is compelled by the same necessity to exhibit the highest things. For that voice more readily penetrates the hearer's heart, which the speaker's life …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Thirtieth Lesson. An Holy Priesthood;'
An holy priesthood;' Or, The Ministry of Intercession. An holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.'--I Peter ii. 5. Ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord.'--Isaiah lxi. 6. THE Spirit of the Lord God is upon me: because the Lord hath anointed me.' These are the words of Jesus in Isaiah. As the fruit of His work all redeemed ones are priests, fellow-partakers with Him of His anointing with the Spirit as High Priest. Like the precious ointment upon …
Andrew Murray—With Christ in the School of Prayer That the Ruler Should be Discreet in Keeping Silence, Profitable in Speech.
The ruler should be discreet in keeping silence, profitable in speech; lest he either utter what ought to be suppressed or suppress what he ought to utter. For, as incautious speaking leads into error, so indiscreet silence leaves in error those who might have been instructed. For often improvident rulers, fearing to lose human favour, shrink timidly from speaking freely the things that are right; and, according to the voice of the Truth (Joh. x. 12), serve unto the custody of the flock by no means …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Romans 13, 8-10. 8 Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; love therefore is the fulfilment of the law. CHRISTIAN LOVE AND THE COMMAND TO LOVE. 1. This, like the two …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II The Covenant of Grace
Q-20: DID GOD LEAVE ALL MANKIND TO PERISH 1N THE ESTATE OF SIN AND MISERY? A: No! He entered into a covenant of grace to deliver the elect out of that state, and to bring them into a state of grace by a Redeemer. 'I will make an everlasting covenant with you.' Isa 55:5. Man being by his fall plunged into a labyrinth of misery, and having no way left to recover himself, God was pleased to enter into a new covenant with him, and to restore him to life by a Redeemer. The great proposition I shall go …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity The Earliest Christian Preaching
1. THUS far we have confined ourselves to the words of Jesus. The divine necessity of His death, indicated in the Old Testament and forming the basis of all His teaching regarding it, is the primary truth; the nature of that necessity begins to be revealed as the death is set in relation to the ransoming of many, and to the institution of a new covenant -- that is, a new religion, having as its fundamental blessing the forgiveness of sins. I do not think this view of our Lord's mind as to His own …
James Denney—The Death of Christ Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Exodus 28:33 NIVExodus 28:33 NLTExodus 28:33 ESVExodus 28:33 NASBExodus 28:33 KJV
Exodus 28:33 Commentaries
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