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Exodus 28

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1 Take unto thee also Aaron thy brother with his sons, from among the children of Israel, that they may minister to me in the priest's office: Aaron, Nadab, and Abiu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

2 And thou shalt make a holy vesture for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

3 And thou shalt speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's vestments, in which he being consecrated may minister to me.

4 And these shall be the vestments that they shall make: A rational and an ephod, a tunick and a strait linen garment, a mitre and a girdle. They shall make the holy vestments for thy brother Aaron and his sons, that they may do the office of priesthood unto me.

5 And they shall take gold, and violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine linen.

6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, and violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen, embroidered with divers colours.

7 It shall have the two edges joined in the top on both sides, that they may be closed together.

8 The very workmanship also and all the variety of the work shall be of gold, and violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen.

9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and shalt grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

10 Six names on one stone, and the other Six on the other, according to the order of their birth.

11 With the work of an engraver and the graving of a jeweller, thou shalt engrave them with the names of the children of Israel, set in gold and compassed about:

12 And thou shalt put them in both sides of the ephod, a memorial for the children of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon both shoulders, for a remembrance.

13 Thou shalt make also hooks of gold.

14 And two little chains of the purest gold linked one to another, which thou shalt put into the hooks.

15 And thou shalt make the rational of judgment with embroidered work of divers colours, according to the workmanship of the ephod, of gold, violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen.

16 It shall be foursquare and doubled: it shall be the measure of a span both in length and in breadth.

17 And thou shalt set in it four rows of stones: in the first row shall be a sardius stone, and a topaz, and an emerald:

18 In the second a carbuncle, a sapphire and a jasper.

19 In the third a ligurius, an agate, and an amethyst:

20 In the fourth a chrysolite, an onyx, and a beryl. They shall be set in gold by their rows.

21 And they shall have the names of the children of Israel: with twelve names shall they be engraved, each stone with the name of one according to the twelve tribes.

22 And thou shalt make on the rational chains linked one to another of the purest gold:

23 And two rings of gold, which thou shalt put in the two ends at the top of the rational.

24 And the golden chains thou shalt join to the rings, that are in the ends thereof:

25 And the ends of the chains themselves thou shalt join together with two hooks on both sides of the ephod, which is towards the rational.

26 Thou shalt make also two rings of gold which thou shalt put in the top parts of the rational, in the borders that are over against the ephod, and look towards the back parts thereof.

27 Moreover also other two rings of gold, which are to be set on each side of the ephod beneath, that looketh towards the nether joining, that the rational may be fitted with the ephod,

28 And may be fastened by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a violet fillet, that the joining artificially wrought may continue, and the rational and the ephod may not be loosed one from the other.

29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the rational of judgement upon his breast, when he shall enter into the sanctuary, a memorial before the Lord for ever.

30 And thou shalt put in the rational of judgment doctrine and truth, which shall be on Aaron's breast, when he shall go in before the Lord: and he shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his breast, in the sight of the Lord always.

31 And thou shalt make the tunick of the ephod all of violet,

32 In the midst whereof above shall be a hole for the head, and a border round about it woven, as is wont to be made in the outmost parts of garments, that it may not easily be broken.

33 And beneath at the feet of the same tunick round about, thou shalt make as it were pomegranates, of violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, with little bells set between:

34 So that there shall be a golden bell and a pomegranate, and again another golden bell and a pomegranate.

35 And Aaron shall be vested with it in the office of his ministry, that the sound may be heard, when he goeth in and cometh out of the sanctuary, in the sight of the Lord, and that he may not die.

36 Thou shalt make also a plate of the purest gold: wherein thou shalt grave with engraver's work, Holy to the Lord.

37 And thou shalt tie it with a violet fillet, and it shall be upon the mitre,

38 Hanging over the forehead of the high priest. And Aaron shall bear the iniquities of those things, which the children of Israel have offered and sanctified, in all their gifts and offerings. And the plate shall be always on his forehead, that the Lord may be well pleased with them.

39 And thou shalt gird the tunick with fine linen, and thou shalt make a fine linen mitre, and a girdle of embroidered work.

40 Moreover for the sons of Aaron thou shalt prepare linen tunicks, and girdles and mitres for glory and beauty:

41 And with all these things thou shalt vest Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him. And thou shalt consecrate the hands of them all, and shalt sanctify them, that they may do the office of priesthood unto me.

42 Thou shalt make also linen breeches, to cover the flesh of their nakedness from the reins to the thighs:

43 And Aaron and his sons shall use them when they shall go in to the tabernacle of the testimony, or when they approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary, lest being guilty of iniquity they die. It shall be a law for ever to Aaron, and to his seed after him.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 9959

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9959. And thou shalt make for them breeches of linen. That this signifies what is external of conjugial love, is evident from the signification of “breeches,” as being what is external of love (of which below); and from the signification of “linen,” as being external truth, or natural truth (of which also below). The reason why “breeches” signify what is external of conjugial love, is that garments or coverings derive their signification from that part of the body which they cover (see n. 9827), and the loins together with the genitals, which are clothed or covered by the breeches, signify conjugial love. (That “the loins” have this signification, see n. 3021, 4280, 4575; and also “the genitals,” n. 4462, 5050-5062.) What love truly conjugial is, shall be told in the following article.

[2] The reason why the breeches were made of linen, was that “linen” signifies external truth, that is, natural truth (n. 7601), and the external itself is truth. The reason why the external is truth, is that internal things cease in external ones, and rest upon these as their supports; and supports are truths. They are like the foundations on which a house is built; and therefore “the foundations of a house” signify truths of faith from good (see n. 9643). Moreover, truths are what protect goods from evils and falsities, and resist them; and all the power which good has is by means of truths (n. 9643). From this also it is that in the ultimate of heaven are those who are in truths of faith from good; and therefore also the ultimate, or outermost, with man, which is his outer skin, corresponds to those in the heavens who are in truths of faith (n. 5552-5559, 8980); but not to those who are in faith separate from good, for these are not in heaven. From all this it can now be seen why the breeches were of linen. But when Aaron was clothed in garments which were for glory and comeliness (which have been treated of in this chapter), his breeches were of linen with fine linen interwoven, as is evident from what follows, where it is said:

They made the tunics of fine linen, the work of the weaver, and the miter of fine linen, and the adornments of the tiaras of fine linen, and the breeches of linen with fine linen interwoven (Exodus 39:27-28).

But when he was clothed in the garments of holiness, Aaron’s breeches were of linen, as is evident from these words in Moses:

When Aaron shall enter into the holiness within the veil, he shall put on the linen tunic of holiness, and the linen breeches shall be put upon his flesh, and he shall gird himself with the linen belt, and he shall put on himself the linen miter; these are the garments of holiness; he shall also wash his flesh with water when he puts them on; and he shall then first offer burnt-offerings and sacrifices, by which he shall expiate the holiness from uncleanesses (Leviticus 16 (Leviticus 16:2) (Leviticus 16:23-24)).

[3] The reason why Aaron then went clothed with linen garments, which were also called “garments of holiness,” was that he then administered the office of expiating the Tent, as also the people and himself, from uncleannesses; and all expiation, which was effected by means of washings, burnt-offerings, and sacrifices, represented the purification of the heart from evils and falsities, thus regeneration; and purification from evils and falsities, or regeneration, is effected by means of the truths of faith. Therefore there were then linen garments upon Aaron, for as before said, by “the linen garments” were signified the truths of faith. (That all purification from evils and falsities is effected by means of the truths of faith, see n. 2799, 5954, 7044, 7918, 9089; thus that regeneration is so effected, n. 1555, 2046, 2063, 2979, 3332, 3665, 3690, 3786, 3876, 3877, 4096, 4097, 5893, 6247, 8635, 8638-8640, 8772, 9088, 9089, 9103)

[4] It was for the same reason that the priest put on linen clothing, and linen breeches, when he took the ashes away from the altar (Leviticus 6:10-11); and that the priests the Levites, of the sons of Zadok, were also to do the same when they should enter into the sanctuary, of which we read in Ezekiel:

The priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, shall enter into My sanctuary, and shall come near to My table, to minister to Me. When they shall enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall put on linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, when they shall enter in at the gates of the inner court inward. There shall be linen tiaras upon their heads, and linen breeches shall be upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with sweat (Ezekiel 44:15-18).

The new temple is here treated of, by which is signified the New Church; by “the priests the Levites” are signified those who are in truths from good; by “the linen garments” are signified the truths of faith by means of which purification and regeneration are effected; “not to be girded with sweat” signifies that the holy things of worship were not to be commingled with what is man’s own; for “sweat” denotes what is man’s own; and what is man’s own is nothing but evil and falsity (n. 210, 215, 694, 874-876, 987, 1047, 3812, 8480, 8941).

[5] That the breeches worn by Aaron when he was clothed in garments for glory and comeliness were of linen with fine linen interwoven ((Exodus 39:27-28) as is evident from the passage cited above, Exodus 39:27-28), was because in them Aaron represented the Lord as to Divine good in the heavens; Aaron himself the Lord as to the Divine celestial there; and his garments the Lord as to the Divine spiritual there proceeding from the Divine celestial (n. 9814); and “fine linen” denotes the Divine spiritual that proceeds from the Divine celestial (n. 5319, 9469).

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.