Exodus 39 – Garments for Glory and Beauty
The garments of the high priest and his sons are completed. From the ephod to the breastplate, from the robe to the mitre, every detail was divinely designed and executed with precision. These were not mere clothes—they were symbols of sanctification, authority, and representation before God.
Clothed in Holiness
Exodus 39 reveals the final steps of tabernacle preparation—focusing on the garments that would set the priesthood apart. These garments were made “for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2), pointing not only to external splendor but internal consecration. Holiness was not hidden—it was worn.
✔ The ephod and breastplate were finished and fastened.
✔ The robe of the ephod featured pomegranates and bells.
✔ The linen garments were crafted for Aaron’s sons.
✔ The golden crown was engraved: “HOLINESS TO THE LORD.”
📖 Key Verse: “As the Lord commanded Moses.” – Repeated throughout Exodus 39
🔎 Obedience is the true beauty that adorns God’s servants.
Exodus Chapter 39 Overview
📖 Exodus 39:1–2 – “And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service…”
🔎 A garment of divine service:
🔹 The ephod was the outermost priestly garment, signifying authority and consecration.
🔹 Made with gold thread and precious colors, it reflected heavenly royalty and purity.
🔹 Shoulder stones engraved with the names of Israel’s tribes signified representation and intercession.
➡️ Christ Connection: Jesus bears our names before the Father as our eternal High Priest (Hebrews 7:25).
Exodus 39:8–21 – The Breastplate of Judgment
📖 Exodus 39:8–9 – “And he made the breastplate of cunning work…”
🔎 Discernment and divine counsel:
🔹 The breastplate held twelve stones, each bearing a tribe’s name—resting near the priest’s heart.
🔹 It was doubled into a square, symbolizing fullness, justice, and balance.
🔹 Attached by golden chains and rings, it could not be removed—just as God’s care is unshakable.
➡️ Spiritual Insight: In Christ, we are never forgotten. He carries us close to His heart with perfect wisdom and love.
Exodus 39:22–26 – The Robe of the Ephod
📖 Exodus 39:22–23 – “And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.”
🔎 Sound and fruitfulness:
🔹 The robe was seamless and blue—signifying heaven and priestly continuity.
🔹 Bells and pomegranates adorned the hem, alternating in a divine pattern.
🔹 The bells ensured the priest’s presence was known; the pomegranates symbolized fruitfulness.
➡️ Faith Insight: God expects both presence and produce—true servants make sound and bear fruit.
Exodus 39:27–31 – Linen Garments and the Crown
📖 Exodus 39:30–31 – “And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold…”
🔎 A visible call to holiness:
🔹 The white linen garments signified purity for daily service in the tabernacle.
🔹 The golden crown engraved with “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” sat upon the high priest’s forehead—a visible testimony of his calling.
🔹 A blue lace secured the plate—royalty tied to holiness.
➡️ Spiritual Insight: Our identity in Christ is not casual—it is consecrated. Holiness should crown our thoughts and motives.
Exodus 39:32–43 – Completion and Blessing
📖 Exodus 39:32 – “Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished…”
🔎 Finished and faithful:
🔹 Every item commanded by God was made without deviation—obedience in the details marked the entire process.
🔹 The phrase “as the Lord commanded Moses” is repeated over and over—emphasizing the perfection of obedience.
🔹 Once the work was completed, the people brought it to Moses—showing accountability and reverence.
📖 Exodus 39:43 – “And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded… And Moses blessed them.”
🔎 A divine inspection:
🔹 Moses examined everything—spiritual leadership involves discernment and careful oversight.
🔹 Because the work reflected God’s exact instructions, Moses was moved to bless the people.
➡️ Faith Insight: God’s blessing flows when His people obey fully. Completion is not just about finishing—it’s about faithfulness to every detail He commanded.
Exodus Chapter 39 - Deeper Study
Overview: Garments for God’s Glory
🔹 Theme: Holiness on display through garments made with precision and reverence.
🔹 Focus: The spiritual role of clothing in worship and representation.
🔹 Outcome: The priesthood is now prepared to serve before the Lord.
Key Takeaways
🔑 The ephod and breastplate symbolize authority and remembrance.
🔑 The robe’s bells and pomegranates signify awareness and fruitfulness.
🔑 Linen and gold reveal purity and holiness.
🔑 Every detail was obeyed—“as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 The priestly garments point to Christ’s role as our Intercessor and King (Hebrews 4:14–16).
🔮 The crown reveals the future reality of God’s people as kings and priests (Revelation 1:6).
🔮 The engraved stones represent our names written in heaven (Luke 10:20).
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Garment Design – Each material and measurement followed a divine blueprint. Clothing was never casual before God.
📜 Symbolism – Blue, purple, scarlet, and gold signified heaven, royalty, sacrifice, and divine purity.
📜 Priestly Role – The garments marked someone set apart—sanctified to draw near for the people.
Final Reflection: Wearing Holiness
God’s people are not clothed in common garments—they are wrapped in purpose, purity, and presence. Exodus 39 teaches that holiness must be visible, obedience must be exact, and representation must be heartfelt.
📌 Are you wearing what God has prepared for you?
📌 Do your garments reflect your calling in Christ?
📌 Is your life set apart for “glory and for beauty”?
🚀 Don’t just serve in the tabernacle—dress for it.
Making the Priestly Garments
Exo 39:1 And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Exo 39:2 And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
Exo 39:3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
Exo 39:4 They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together.
Exo 39:5 And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Exo 39:6 And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel.
Exo 39:7 And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Exo 39:8 And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
Exo 39:9 It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled.
Exo 39:10 And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row.
Exo 39:11 And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
Exo 39:12 And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
Exo 39:13 And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings.
Exo 39:14 And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes.
Exo 39:15 And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold.
Exo 39:16 And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate.
Exo 39:17 And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate.
Exo 39:18 And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it.
Exo 39:19 And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward.
Exo 39:20 And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
Exo 39:21 And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Exo 39:22 And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.
Exo 39:23 And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend.
Exo 39:24 And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.
Exo 39:25 And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates;
Exo 39:26 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Exo 39:27 And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,
Exo 39:28 And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen,
Exo 39:29 And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Exo 39:30 And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
Exo 39:31 And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Exo 39:32 Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.
Exo 39:33 And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets,
Exo 39:34 And the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers’ skins, and the vail of the covering,
Exo 39:35 The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat,
Exo 39:36 The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread,
Exo 39:37 The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light,
Exo 39:38 And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door,
Exo 39:39 The brasen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
Exo 39:40 The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation,
Exo 39:41 The cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons’ garments, to minister in the priest’s office.
Exo 39:42 According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.
Exo 39:43 And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.
Date Written
1446-1406 BC
Written By
Moses
Language
Hebrew
Verses
43