What brings the work in Exodus 39 to its close?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The priestly garments are made as commanded, Israel presents the complete tabernacle work, and Moses blesses them when he sees everything finished.

Chapter breakdown

Garments of violet, purple, scarlet and fine linen are made for Aaron to wear when he serves in the holy places, as the Lord commanded Moses. The ephod is made of gold, violet, purple, scarlet twice dyed and fine twisted linen, with embroidery. Thin plates of gold are cut and drawn into small threads to be twisted with the colored threads in the weaving. Two borders are joined at the top on either side. A girdle, or belt, is made in the same colors, as commanded.

Two onyx stones are secured in gold settings. A worker skilled in engraving stones cuts the names of the children of Israel into them. They are set in the sides of the ephod as a memorial of the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses. The chapter does not name the worker or say how the names are divided between the two stones.

The rational, the breastpiece, is embroidered like the ephod, using gold, violet, purple, scarlet twice dyed and fine twisted linen. It is square, doubled and measures a span. Its stones are arranged in four rows: sardius, topaz and emerald; carbuncle, sapphire and jasper; ligurius, agate and amethyst; chrysolite, onyx and beryl. The stones are set and enclosed in gold in their rows. Each of the twelve stones bears the engraved name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Little linked chains of the purest gold are made for the rational, along with two hooks and two rings of gold. The rings are placed on either side of the rational. The two gold chains hang from these rings and are put into the hooks that project from the corners of the ephod. The parts correspond before and behind so that the ephod and rational are bound together. They are fastened to the girdle and firmly joined with rings and a violet strip, so that they will not hang loose or move apart, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The tunic of the ephod is all violet. It has a head opening at the middle of its upper part, with a woven border around the opening. At the bottom are pomegranates of violet, purple, scarlet and fine twisted linen. Little bells of the purest gold are placed between the pomegranates around the bottom: a gold bell, then a pomegranate. These adorn the high priest when he carries out his ministry, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Woven fine linen tunics are made for Aaron and his sons, along with mitres with their little crowns of fine linen and breeches of fine linen. A girdle is embroidered from fine twisted linen, violet, purple and scarlet twice dyed, as commanded. The plate of sacred veneration is made of the purest gold. It is engraved with the words “The Holy of the Lord” in the manner of a stone engraving. A violet strip fastens it to the mitre, as the Lord commanded Moses.

All the work of the tabernacle and the roof of the testimony is finished. The children of Israel have done everything the Lord commanded Moses. They present the tabernacle, the roof and all the furniture: the rings, boards, bars, pillars and sockets; the cover of rams’ skins dyed red and the other cover of violet skins; the veil, ark, bars and propitiatory.

They also present the table with its vessels and the loaves of proposition; the candlestick, lamps and their equipment, with the oil; the gold altar, ointment and incense of spices; and the hanging at the tabernacle entrance. The altar of brass is brought with its grate, bars and all its vessels, together with the laver, or washing basin, and its base, the court hangings, pillars and sockets.

The hanging at the court entrance, the little cords and the pins are included. None of the vessels commanded for the ministry of the tabernacle and the roof of the covenant is missing. The garments used in the sanctuary by the priests, Aaron and his sons, are presented too. The children of Israel offer the work as the Lord commanded. When Moses sees everything finished, he blesses them.

The story inside

The chapter follows the work from the priestly garments to the presentation of the finished tabernacle. It describes how gold becomes thread in the ephod, how Israel’s names are engraved on the stones, and how rings, chains and a violet strip hold the rational to the ephod. The reason given for this fastening is practical: the pieces must not hang loose or move apart. The account then widens from garments to the whole collection of structures, coverings, furniture and equipment. It states that nothing commanded is missing. Moses sees the finished work and blesses the people. This is the chapter’s closing action; it does not describe his inspection methods or give the words of his blessing.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Israel’s names are part of the garments. The two onyx stones serve as a memorial of the children of Israel, and each of the twelve stones of the rational carries a tribal name. The account ties these objects to the people they name.
2
The fastening has a stated purpose. Chains, hooks, rings and a violet strip join the rational to the ephod and girdle so that the pieces do not hang loose or move apart. This purpose can be explained without assigning the garments powers the chapter does not state.
3
Completion includes the smaller parts. The final list includes entrance hangings, little cords and pins as well as the ark and altars. The account says nothing commanded is missing, and Moses blesses the people when he sees everything finished.

Test your recall

Why are rings and a violet strip used to join the rational to the ephod, and what does Moses do when he sees the completed work?

Show answer

The rings and violet strip hold the rational and ephod firmly together so they do not hang loose or move apart. When Moses sees that all the work is finished, he blesses the people.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 10364–10384
Exodus Chapter 39 All the ornaments of Aaron and his sons are made. And the whole work of the tabernacle is finished. 39:1. And he made, of violet and purple, scarlet and fine linen, the vestments for Aaron to wear when he ministered in the holy places, as the Lord commanded Moses. 39:2. So he made an ephod of gold, violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen, 39:3. With embroidered work, and he cut thin plates of gold, and drew them small into threads, that they might be twisted with the woof of the foresaid colours, 39:4. And two borders coupled one to the other in the top on either side, 39:5. And a girdle of the same colours, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Lines 10386–10391
39:6. He prepared also two onyx stones, fast set and closed in gold, and graven, by the art of a lapidary, with the names of the children of Israel: 39:7. And he set them in the sides of the ephod, for a memorial of the children of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Lines 10393–10410
39:8. He made also a rational with embroidered work, according to the work of the ephod, of gold, violet, purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen: 39:9. Foursquare, double, of the measure of a span. 39:10. And he set four rows of precious stones in it. In the first row was a sardius, a topaz, an emerald. 39:11. In the second, a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a jasper. 39:12. In the third, a ligurius, an agate, and an amethyst. 39:13. In the fourth, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a beryl, set and enclosed in gold by their rows. 39:14. And the twelve stones, were engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, each one with its several name.
Lines 10412–10426
39:15. They made also in the rational little chains, linked one to another, of the purest gold, 39:16. And two hooks, and as many rings of gold. And they set the rings on either side of the rational, 39:17. On which rings the two golden chains should hang, which they put into the hooks that stood out in the corners of the ephod. 39:18. These both before and behind so answered one another, that the ephod and the rational were bound together, 39:19. Being fastened to the girdle, and strongly coupled with rings, which a violet fillet joined, lest they should flag loose, and be moved one from the other, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Lines 10428–10441
39:20. They made also the tunic of the ephod all of violet, 39:21. And a hole for the head in the upper part at the middle, and a woven border round about the hole: 39:22. And beneath at the feet pomegranates of violet, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen: 39:23. And little bells of the purest gold, which they put between the pomegranates at the bottom of the tunic round about: 39:24. To wit, a bell of gold, and a pomegranate, wherewith the high priest went adorned, when he discharged his ministry, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Lines 10443–10458
39:25. They made also fine linen tunics with woven work for Aaron and his sons: 39:26. And mitres with their little crowns of fine linen: 39:27. And linen breeches of fine linen: 39:28. And a girdle of fine twisted linen, violet, purple, and scarlet twice dyed, of embroidery work, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:29. They made also the plate of sacred veneration of the purest gold, and they wrote on it with the engraving of a lapidary: The Holy of the Lord: 39:30. And they fastened it to the mitre with a violet fillet, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Lines 10460–10471
39:31. So all the work of the tabernacle and of the roof of the testimony was finished: and the children of Israel did all things which the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:32. And they offered the tabernacle, and the roof, and the whole furniture, the rings, the boards, the bars, the pillars and their sockets, 39:33. The cover of rams’ skins dyed red, and the other cover of violet skins, 39:34. The veil, the ark, the bars, the propitiatory,
Lines 10473–10485
39:35. The table, with the vessels thereof, and the loaves of proposition: 39:36. The candlestick, the lamps, and the furniture of them, with the oil: 39:37. The altar of gold, and the ointment, and the incense of spices: 39:38. And the hanging in the entry of the tabernacle: 39:39. The altar of brass, the grate, the bars, and all the vessels thereof: the laver, with the foot thereof: the hangings of the court, and the pillars, with their sockets:
Lines 10487–10497
39:40. The hanging in the entry of the court, and the little cords, and the pins thereof. Nothing was wanting of the vessels, that were commanded to be made for the ministry of the tabernacle, and for the roof of the covenant. 39:41. The vestments also, which the priests, to wit, Aaron and his sons, use in the sanctuary, 39:42. The children of Israel offered, as the Lord had commanded. 39:43. And when Moses saw all things finished, he blessed them.