Exodus 28-30

02 Jun 2026 - Theology

Instructions for Gifts

Ancient Eastern Weddings:

1. Betrothal (Cup of the Covenant) - Genesis 12
2. Groom leaves to prepare the house - Exodus 1-12
3. Arrival of the bridegroom - Exodus 12
4. Bride is consecrated - Exodus 19:10-15
5. Shofar is sounded (bride’s entrance) - Exodus 19:16
6. Gather under the chuppah - Exodus 19:17
7. Presentation of the ketubah - Exodus 20-23
8. Exchange of wedding gifts - Exodus 25-40, Leviticus
9. Consummation of the marriage
10. “Honeymoon” year (Deuteronomy 24:5)

The exchange of wedding gifts will continue for the rest of the book of Exodus, and also in Leviticus. This portion of Scripture is filled with the Lord’s instructions for gifts, such as the lamps for the Tent of Meeting, incense, and clothing for the priests.

Exodus 28

Exodus 28:1 - “And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.”

Aaron and his sons were set apart as priests for all time. Special garments were to be made for them, including a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a fringed tunic, a headdress, and a sash.

Exodus 28:11-12 - “With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial.”

On each shoulder strap of Aaron’s ephod there was a large stone of lapis in a gold setting. The stones were engraved with the names of Jacob’s twelve sons - six on each stone. So the High Priest wore the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on his shoulders.

Exodus 28:21 - “And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.”

Exodus 28:29 - “And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.”

The Lord again instructed the people to engrave the names of Jacob’s sons, this time on the twelve stones of the breastplate. Symbolically, this meant that whenever Aaron entered the Holy or Holy of Holies, he was literally carrying the names of Jacob’s sons, ensuring that all of Israel was collectively remembered before God.

Exodus 29

The Lord instructed that the priests should be made holy through sacrifices: a bull and a ram. Blood from the sacrifices would be sprinkled on each priest’s ear, thumb, and toe. Other sacrifices are also mentioned, including wave offerings, heave offerings, and sin offerings. “Wave offerings” were waved in the air by the priests, and “heave offerings” were raised or “heaved” on high before being sacrificed.

The Lord then instructed that an offering of one bull had to be made daily as a sin offering for all of Israel.

Exodus 29:36 - “And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.”

The Lord said the ritual for making priests holy would last seven days. Afterward, the altar would be made holy in the same way, also for seven days.

Exodus 29:45-46 - “And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.”

Exodus 30

Lastly the Lord instructed that a special altar be made, which would be placed in front of the curtain in front of the ark. Aaron would burn incense on it every morning and every evening. Once a year the horns of this altar would be purified with the blood of a sin offering.

Exodus 30:10 - “And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the Lord.”

Some commentators thought that buring incense in the sanctuary was not just a gift to God, but was also meant to remind the Israelites of God’s pillar of cloud.

In verses 11-16, the Lord instructed Moses to collect a half-shekel from each male 20 years or older every time a census was taken. This counting was usually done before a war or before a new tax. Scholars tell us that at twenty years old, a man became a soldier.

Exodus 30:16 - “And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls.”

In the end, the silver collected from the males was to be used for making the Tabernacle.

References:

1. The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
2. The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)
3. Tabernacle of Moses Construction 3D Animation