Exo 39.1-43 continues with the making of several items such as the priestly garments such as the ephod (28.6-12), the breastpiece (28.15-28), the robe of the ephod (28.31-34), the tunics and headgear) (28.39-42, the crown (28.36), and a summary of the work.
v 1…Moreover, from the blue (techelet-heaven) and the purple (argamon-royalty) and scarlet (tolat shanni-blood) material, they made finely woven garments for ministering in the holy place, as well as the holy garments (they had a kedusha) which were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
v 2…And he made the ephod of gold and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen (shesh-righteousness).
v 3…Then they hammered out gold (all God) sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the blue and the purple and the scarlet material, and the fine linen, the work of a skillful (wise) workman.
v 4…They made attaching shoulder (security; government) pieces for the ephod; it was attached at its two upper ends.
v 5…And the skillfully woven band which was on it was like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold (God) and of blue (son of God from heaven) and purple (king) and scarlet (lamb of God; redemption), and fine twisted linen (priest), just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
v 6…And they made the onyx stones, set in filigree settings; they were engraved like the engravings of a signett, according to the names of the sons of ISrael.
v 7…And he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses (Isa 9.6).
v 8…And he made the breastpiece (alludes to the heart), the work of a skillful workman, like the workmanship of the ephod; of gold and of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen (see v 5 notes).
v 9…It was square (four cornered), they made the breastpiece folded double, a span long and a span wide (a span is a half a cubit) when folded double.
v 10…And they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz and emerald;
v 11…and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond;
v 12…and the third row; a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst;
v 13…and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx and a jasper (see 28.17-20 notes).
v 14…And the stones were corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with engravings of a signet; each with its name for the twelve tribes.
v 15…And they made on the breastpiece chains like cords (alludes to love/emotions) of twisted cordage work in pure gold)
v 16…And they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings (eternal witness) and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.
v 17…Then they put the two gold cords in the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece (bound to the Torah-Psa 2.3).
v 18…And they out the other two ends of the cords on the two filigree settings, and out them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it.
v 19…And they made two gold rings and placed them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inner edge which was next to the ephod.
v 20…Furthermore, they made two gold rings and placed them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it, close to the place where it joined, above the woven band of the ephod.
v 21…And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue (our security rests on the God of heaven), that it might be on the woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece might not come loose from the ephod, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
v 22…Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue;
v 23…and the opening of the robe was at the top in the center, as the opening of a coat of amil, with a binding all around its opening, that it might not be torn (no flaws in God).
v 24…And they made pomegranates (fruit; authority and kingship) of blue and purple and scarlet and twisted linen on the hem of the robe.
v 25…They also made bells of pure gold, and out the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the robe,
v 26…alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe, for the service, just as the Lord commanded Moses (the bells call attention to the pomegranate).
v 27…And they mae tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons (speaks of the righteousness of the believers),
v 28…and the turban of fine linen, and a decorated caps (Hebrew “pe’er” or headdress; related to “pa’ar” or glory-Prov 17.6; Ezek 24.16; Isa 61.1-3) of fine linen (righteousness), and the linen breeches of fine twisted linen (covers the flesh),
v 29…and the sash of the fine twisted linen, and blue and purple and scarlet material, the work of the weaver, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
v 30…And they made the plate of the holy crown (tzitz), and inscribed it like the engravings of the signet, “Holy (a kedusha) to the Lord (Yehovah).”
v 31…And they fastened a blue cord to it, to fasten it on the turban above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
v 32…Thus all the work of the tabernacle (Mishkan) of the tent of meeting was completed; and the sons of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did.
v 33…And they brought the tabernacle to Moses; the tent (speaks of our pilgrim life in this world) and all its furnishings; its clasps (he holds us), its boards (the kahal/people), its bars (the four fold functions of the kahal), and its oillars and sockets (redemption),
v 34…and the covering of ram’s skins dyed red (blood and atonement), and the covering of seal-skins (probably the Dugong, a sea cow creature that lived in the Red sea); and the screening veil (flesh),
v 35…the ark of the testimony and its poles and the mercy sat (kipporet),
v 36…the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the presence (faces);
v 37…the pure gold lampstand (illumination of the word), with its arrangement of lamps and all its utensils, and the oil (the Ruach);
v 38…and the gold altar (Prayer) and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the veil for the doorway of the tent;
v 39…the bronze altar and the bronze grating (cross), ist poles and all its utensils, the laver (daily washing of the word-Eph 5.26) and its stand;
v 40…the hangings for the court, its pillars and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords and its pegs and all the equipment for the service (avodah) of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;
v 41…the woven garments for ministering in the holy place and the garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons, to minister as priests.
v 42…So the sons of Israel did the work (“avodah” is the effort and motivation of the heart, like a servant) according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses.
v 43…And Moses examined all the work (“melakah” is effort with the hands for your own benefit) and behold, they had done just as the Lord had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them (tradition says Psa 90 composed and written at this time).
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