Leviticus 8:7

And he put upon him the coat,.... The embroidered coat of fine linen, which was next to his flesh; Exodus 28:39 and all the garments were put on just in the order they are here declared; no mention

And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.

The linen breeches prescribed are not here mentioned, because they were not to be put on at his consecration, but afterwards in the execution of his office.

(7) And he put upon him the coat.—Better, and he put upon him the tunic. For this garment see Leviticus 6:10, and Exodus 28:39. It will be seen that the first article of dress—viz., the drawers—distinctly mentioned in Exodus 28:42, is here omitted. This arises from the fact that, being nearest to the skin, Aaron put them on himself behind the curtain, immediately after his ablution. And girded him with the girdle.—Not the band of the ephod, which is mentioned further on by the name of “curious girdle,” but the one made of needlework, with which the tunic was girded about the loins. (See Leviticus 6:10, and Exodus 28:39.) The robe.—Called in Exodus 28:31-35, “the robe of the ephod,” which was woven without seam, and was wholly blue. (See Leviticus 6:10.) And put the ephod upon him.—The ephod, which was the distinctive vestment of the high priest, was a sleeveless garment, and was worn over the shoulders. It was made of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine-twined linen, interwoven with golden threads. (See Exodus 28:6-7.) And he girded him with the curious girdle.—Better, and girded him with the band. This band was not only made of the same costly materials as the ephod, but was woven out of the same piece on either side of the garment, so that the ephod had as it were two hands, which constituted the band. (See Exodus 28:8.) It will be seen that this is entirely different from the girdle which was tied around the tunic, mentioned in the former part of this verse.

7–9. (b) vesting; cp. Exodus 29:5-6. The garments are mentioned in a different order in Exodus 28:4, and some of them are there described more fully in Leviticus 8:6 ff. The reader may refer to the notes in Driver’s commentary. The ‘linen breeches’ (Exodus 28:42) are not mentioned here. the coat] the tunic, Heb. kuttoneth or kĕ ?thoneth. A long tunic with sleeves, secured by a girdle, or sash, somewhat like a dressing gown. It was the principal garment of ordinary life, and made of cotton, linen, or wool. The high priest’s coat, or tunic, was made of fine linen (shçsh) and ornamented with a pattern. Cp. Exodus 28:4, where it is described as ‘a coat of chequer work’ (a broidered coat, A.V.), and in Exodus 28:39 as woven ‘in chequer work of fine linen’; the exact meaning of the Heb. is uncertain, but it not improbably denotes something of the nature of a check. the girdle] sash, the work of the embroiderer (Exodus 28:39), made in the same way as the screen (hanging A.V.) for the entrance to the Tent (Exodus 26:36) and to the Court (Leviticus 27:16). It was of considerable length (according to the Talmud about 48 ft.) and was passed round the body several times (Jos. Ant. iii. 7. 2). It seems to have been accidentally omitted in Exodus 29:5. It must be distinguished from the ‘cunningly woven band of the ephod’ (cp. Exodus 28:8, etc.), translated in A.V. ‘curious girdle.’ the robe] called ‘the robe of the ephod,’ Exodus 28:31; Exodus 29:5; Exodus 39:22 f. A garment all blue with a hole for the head, and a binding of woven work round the whole to prevent its being rent. The Heb. word mì‘îl is applied to the robe (A.V. coat) made by Hannah for her son Samuel (1 Samuel 2:19), and to the robe (A.V. mantle) of Samuel which was rent by Saul (1 Samuel 15:27). The clothing of the High Priest, though of costly material, is so far like that of other people, and similar to that worn by the Arabs of the present day; an under garment bound with a sash, and an outer robe reaching nearly to the ground, but this outer garment is now worn open in front. According to Josephus (Ant. iii. 7. 4, B.J. 8:5. 7) the robe of the ephod reached to the feet, but some writers describe it as shorter than the tunic. Its fringe of pomegranates and bells is described Exodus 28:33-35; Exodus 39:24-26 note the addition of ‘pure’ to ‘gold’ in the second passage), but being a part of the robe is not mentioned here or in Exodus 29. the ephod] This garment (described Exodus 28:6 ff; Exodus 39:2-5) was made of fine twined linen with blue purple and scarlet threads, and fine gold wire. Its exact shape cannot be determined.

See the notes at Exo. 28. Leviticus 8:9 The holy crown - The golden plate of the mitre was so called as the distinctive badge of the high priest’s consecration. See Leviticus 21:12.

7. The coat — This is the cethoneth, corresponding to the Greek ÷éôùí, a closely-fitting garment in form and use like our shirt, by which term it should be translated.