Moses was commanded to make holy garments for Aaron and his sons, who would become the high priests. The garments were made for beauty and glory (Exodus 28:2). Job 40:10 states, “Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.” The garments consisted of a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle (or sash).
The ephod was an apron-like or vest-like vestment that was worn on the outside of the robe. The ephod was embroidered with colors of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet and made of fine linen.
The gold symbolized God’s glory, holiness, and the divine nature of the priestly office. The gold was beaten into thin plates and woven into the fabric. Gold represents the very best. The mercy seat, or place of atonement, in the Holy of Holies was made of pure gold (Exodus 25:17). The outer courtyard of the Tabernacle consisted of wood and brass. The Holy Place had more silver, and the gold was reserved for the Holy of Holies to represent the Lord’s presence. The resurrected Savior appeared in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836, on an Easter Sunday, standing on a “paved work of pure gold” (D&C 110:2).
Blue was considered the color of heaven. The Israelites were commanded to put upon the borders of their garments a “ribband of blue” in remembrance of God’s covenant. It also reminded them of revelation from heaven and the source of their blessings. (Numbers 15:38).
Purple represented royalty and kingdom. Kings wore purple robes. The purple dye was extracted from the glands of sea snails in the Mediterranean. Each snail produced a tiny drop of purple dye, so it was very precious. When Gideon defeated the Midianites in battle, he took the golden earrings, 700 shekels of gold, and the purple raiment of the kings of Midian (Judges 8:26). In the Book of Acts, Lydia, who assisted Paul, was a seller of purple and was likely very rich (Acts 16:14). The high priest in the Tabernacle represented Jesus, who was “the Great High Priest” (Hebrews 3:1; 4:14) and also the King of kings (Revelation 19:16). When the Roman soldiers put a robe on Jesus to mock Him as king of the Jews, the Joseph Smith translation changes the color from scarlet to purple (JST Matthew 27:30).
Scarlet symbolizes the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. It represents atonement and sacrifice. The red dye is produced from the kermes insect, known as the “scarlet worm.” There is some deep symbolism here. The mother scarlet worm would attach herself to the trunk of a tree and deposit the eggs for the next generation. She would give her life in the process as the red dye stained herself and the tree. What an image of Jesus giving His life on the tree so we could gain eternal life!
The white “fine-twined linen” represents purity and righteousness.
It is significant that the veil of the tabernacle (or temple) was made of similar colors and materials as the high priest garments. Exodus 26:31-32 states, “And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.” The veil hanging on four pillars created three gateways into the Holy of Holies. I love that our Provo City Center Temple has a similar design in the Terrestrial Room. These three divisions of the veil will become important when we get to Psalms and Isaiah.
The ephod was connected to the two shoulder pieces which had settings for two onyx stones. The stones had engraved upon them the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, with six names on each shoulder. This points to Jesus as prophesied in Isaiah: “And the government shall be upon his shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6). The high priest, like the Savior, would carry Israel upon his shoulders and “bear their names before the Lord” (Exodus 28:12). Gold and onyx stones were in the Garden of Eden—the first temple.
The high priest also wore the “breastplate of judgment” which had four rows of precious stones representing the twelve tribes. The four rows had the following gems:
Row 1: Sardius, topaz, carbuncle
Row 2: Emerald, sapphire, diamond
Row 3: Ligure, agate, amethyst
Row 4: Beryl, onyx, jasper
Similar stones were found in the Garden of Eden as recorded in Ezekiel 28:13: “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold.”
The foundation of the wall of the celestial city described in Revelation 21:19-20 also had similar precious stones:
“And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.”
There was a pouch in the breastplate of judgment for the Urim and Thummim, meaning “lights and perfections.” Exodus 28:30 states, “And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.” Likewise, Jesus bore our judgment upon His heart in Gethsemane and Golgotha.
On the hem of the robe were alternating golden bells and pomegranates. The bells were to make a sound to petition the Lord and so the high priest does not approach the Lord unawares. The pomegranates symbolize fruitfulness and plenty due to their seedy nature.
The headplate was made of pure gold and had engraved upon it the words, “HOLINESS TO THE LORD.”
See below for images of the breastplate and yours truly standing next to a high priest mannequin.
