Breastplate

This was a part of the high priest’s dress, which he wore when performing his office in the temple service. On this breastplate were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and it was called, "the breastplate of judgment." (Exod. 28. 15.) The design of it seems to have been to typify the Lord Jesus Christ, the great and almighty High Priest of his redeemed, who going in before JEHOVAH, bears the names, and persons, and concerns of all his people. Hence, the church so vehemently desired the Lord that she mightbe set "as a seal upon his heart, and a seal upon his arm." The former the tenderest, and the latter the strongest part in Jesus’s affection. (Song 8, 6.) And hence, in allusion to the same, the apostle exhorts the church to put on "the breastplate of faith and love;" meaning, a steadfast looking unto Christ in the exercise of those graces, by relying wholly on him for mercy and salvation. (1 Thess. v. 8.)

or PECTORAL, one part of the priestly vestments, belonging to the Jewish high priests. It was about ten inches square, Exo 28:13-31; and consisted of a folded piece of the same rich embroidered stuff of which the ephod was made. It was worn on the breast of the high priest, and was set with twelve precious stones, on each of which was engraven the name of one of the tribes. They were set in four rows, three in each row, and were divided from each other by the little golden squares or partitions in which they were set. The names of these stones, and that of the tribe engraven on them, as also their disposition on the breastplate, are usually given as follows; but what stones really answer to the Hebrew name, is for the most part very uncertain:—

Sardine, Topaz, Carbuncle, REUBEN. SIMEON. LEVI. Emerald, Sapphire, Diamond, JUDAH. DAN. NAPHTALI. Ligure, Agate, Amethyst, GAD. ASHER. ISSACHAR. Beryl, Onyx, Jasper, ZEBULUN. JOSEPH. BENJAMIN.

This breastplate was fastened at the four corners, those on the top to each shoulder, by a golden hook or ring, at the end of a wreathen chain; and those below to the girdle of the ephod, by two strings or ribbons, which had likewise two rings or hooks. This ornament was never to be separated from the priestly garment; and it was called the memorial, because it was a sign whereby the children of Israel might know that they were presented to God, and that they were had in remembrance by him. It was also called the breastplate of judgment, because it had the divine oracle of URIM and THUMMIM annexed to it. These words signify lights and perfections, and are mentioned as in the high priest’s breastplate; but what they were, we cannot determine. Some think they were two precious stones added to the other twelve, by the extraordinary lustre of which, God marked his approbation of a design, and, by their becoming dim, his disallowance of it; others, that these two words were written on a precious stone, or plate of gold, fixed in the breastplate; others, that the letters of the names of the tribes, were the Urim and Thummim; and that the letters by standing out, or by an extraordinary illumination, marked such words as contained the answer of God to him who consulted this oracle.

Le Clerc will have them to be the names of two precious stones, set in a golden collar of the high priest, and coming down to his breast, as the magistrates of Egypt wore a golden chain, at the end of which hung the figure of truth, engraven on a precious stone. Prideaux thinks the words chiefly denote the clearness of the oracles dictated to the high priest, though perhaps the lustre of the stones in his breastplate might represent this clearness. Jahn says the most probable opinion is, that URIM and THUMMIM (אורים , ותמים light and justice, Septuagint, δηλωσις και αληθεια) [manifestation and truth] was a sacred lot, 1Sa 14:41-42. There were employed, perhaps, in determining this lot, three precious stones, on one of which was engraven כם , yes; on the other, לא , no; the third being destitute of any inscription. The question proposed, therefore, was always to be put in such a way, that the answer might be direct, either yes or no, provided any answer was given at all. These stones were carried in the purse or bag, formed by the lining or interior of the pectoral; and when the question was proposed, if the high priest drew out the stone which exhibited yes, the answer was affirmative; if the one on which no was written, the answer was negative; if the third, no answer was to be given, Jos 7:13-21; 1Sa 14:40-43; 1Sa 28:6. In the midst of all this conjecture, only two things are certain;

1. That one of the appointed methods of consulting God, on extraordinary emergencies, was by URIM and THUMMIM:

2. That the oracles of God rejected all equivocal and enigmatical replies, which was the character of the Heathen pretended oracles. “The words of the Lord are pure words.” His own oracle bears, therefore, an inscription which signifies lights and perfections, or the shining and the perfect; or, according to the LXX, manifestation and truth. In this respect it might be a type of the Christian revelation made to the true Israel, the Christian church, by the Gospel. St. Paul seems especially to allude to this translation of Urim and Thummim by the Septuagint, when he speaks of himself and his fellow labourers, “commending themselves to every man’s conscience by manifestation of the truth;” in opposition to those who by their errors and compliances with the Jewish prejudices, or with the philosophical taste of the Greeks, obscured the truth, and rendered ambiguous the guidance of Christian doctrine. His preaching is thus tacitly compared to the oracles of God; theirs, to the misleading and perplexed oracles of the Heathen.

Breastplate, a piece of defensive armour. [ARMS, ARMOR]

A piece of embroidery, about ten inches square, Exo 28:15-30, of very rich work, which the high priest wore on his breast. It was made of two pieces of the same rich embroidered stuff of which the ephod was made, having a front and a lining, and forming a kind of purse or bag, in which, according to the rabbins, the Urim and Thummim were enclosed. The front of it was set with twelve precious stones, on each of which was engraved the name of one of the tribes. They were placed in four rows, and divided from each other by the little golden squares or partitions in which they were set. At each corner was a gold ring answering to a ring upon the ephod, these four pairs of rings serving to hold the breastplate in its place on the front of the ephod, by means of four blue ribands, one at each corner.\par

a term applied in the Auth. Vers. to two very different pieces of equipment.

I. Sacerdotal.-The official pectoral of the Jewish high-priest is called חשֶׁן, cho’shen, prop. ornament, being a gorget adorned on the outside with twelve gems, and hollow within, where were deposited the sacred lots "Urim and Thummim" (q.v.); hence more fully called the breastplate of judgment (Exo 28:15 sq.; Lev 8:8; Sept. λογεῖον; Philo, λὀγιον; but fully λογεῖον κρίσεως in Ecclus. xl, 10). SEE EPHOD.

It was a piece of very rich embroidered work, about ten inches square, and made double with a front and lining, so as to answer for a pouch or bag, in which, according to the rabbins, the Urim and Thummim were enclosed. The front of it was occupied by the twelve precious stones, on each of which was engraved the name of one of the tribes. They were placed in four rows, and divided from each other by the little golden squares or partitions in which they were set. The two upper corners of the breastplate were fastened to the ephod, from which it was never to be loosed (Exo 28:28), and the two lower corners to the girdle. The rings, chains, and other fastenings were of gold or rich lace. It was called the memorial (Exo 28:12; Exo 28:29), inasmuch as it reminded the priest of his representative character in relation to the twelve tribes. Josephus repeats the description (Ant. 3:7, 5), Grecizing the Heb. term by ἐσσήνης, and translating it by λόγιον. A full discussion of the subject may be found in Braunii Vestitus Sacerdotum Hebrcorum, pt. ii, ch. 7. SEE HIGH-PRIEST.

II. Military.-As a piece of defensive armor "breastplate" is the rendering in the Auth.Vers. only of שַׁרְיָן, shiryan’, prob. gleaming (Isa 59:17; "harness," 1Ki 22:34; 2Ch 18:33), apparently a full coat of mail (q.v.), but according to the Sept. (θώραξ, which is the term thus rendered in Eph 6:14; 1Th 5:8; Rev 9:9), a breastplate. Kindred and probably equivalent are the terms שַׁרְיוֹן, shiryon’ ("coat of mail," 1Sa 17:5; 1Sa 17:38; "habergeon," 2Ch 26:14; Neh 4:16 [10]), and שַׁרְיָה skiryah’ ("habergeon," Job 41:28 [16]). The full form occurs in the description of the arms of Goliatht שַׁרְיוֹן קִשְׂקִשַּׂים, a "coat of mail," literally a "breastplate of scales" (1Sa 17:5; comp. 1Sa 17:38). SEE MAIL. It may be noticed that this passage contains the most complete inventory of the furniture of a warrior to be found in the whole of the sacred history. Goliath was a Philistine, and the minuteness of the description of his equipment may be due either to the fact that the Philistines were usually better armed than the Hebrews, or to the impression produced by the contrast on this particular occasion between this fully-armed champion and the wretchedly appointed soldiers of the Israelite host, stripped as they had been very shortly before both of arms and of the means of supplying them so completely that no smith could be found in the country, nor any weapons seen among the people, and that even the ordinary implements of husbandry had to be repaired and sharpened at the forges of the conquerors (1Sa 14:19-22). The passage in 2Ch 18:33 is very obscure; the A. V. follows the Syriac translation, but the real meaning is probably " between the joints and the breastplate." Ewald reads " between the loins and the chest;" Sept. and Vulgate, "between the lungs and the breastbone." This word has furnished one of the names of Mount Hermon (see Deu 3:9; Stanley, Palest. p. 403), a parallel to which is found in the name θώραξ given to Mount Sipylus in Lydia. It is thought by some that in Deu 4:48, Sion (שַׂיאֹן) is a corruption of Shiryon. SEE ARMOR.

A similar piece of defensive armor was the tachara’ (תִּחֲרָא), which is mentioned but twice-namely, in reference to the meil or gown of the priest, which is said to have had a hole in the middle for the head, with a hem or binding round the hole "as it were the ’mouth’ of an habergeon" (תִּחֲרָא), to prevent the stuff from tearing (Exo 28:32). The English "habergeon" was the diminutive of the "hauberk," and was a quilted shirt or doublet put on over the head--Smith. SEE HABERGEON.

In its metaphorical application, as the breastplate is a piece of defensive armor to protect the heart, so the breastplate of God is righteousness, which renders his whole conduct unassailable to any accusation (Isa 59:17). Christians are exhorted to take to themselves ’ the breastplate of righteousness" (Eph 6:14), and "the breastplate of faith and love" (1Th 5:8). Being clothed with these graces, they will be able to resist their enemies, and quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one; a beautiful simile.

Breastplate. The name of a part of the official dress of the Jewish high priest. Exo 28:15. It was a piece of embroidered work, about ten inches square and made double, with a front and lining, so as to answer for a pouch or bag. It was adorned with twelve precious stones. See High Priest. The two upper corners were fastened to the ephod, from which it was not to be loosed, Exo 28:28, and the two lower corners to the girdle. The rings, chains, and other fastenings were of gold or rich lace. It was called the memorial, Exo 28:12; Exo 28:29, inasmuch as it reminded the priest of his representative character in relation to the twelve tribes; and it is also called the breastplate of judgment, Exo 28:15, perhaps because it was worn by him who was instrumentally the fountain of justice and judgment to the Jewish church. Others think it is because the Urim and Thummim were annexed to it.

Armour for the breast.

1. of righteousness (for Christ), Isa 59:17; (for the Christian’s conflict in the heavenlies). Eph 6:14.

2. of faith and love (for the wilderness). 1Th 5:8.

3. of iron (steeled conscience). Rev 9:9.

4. of fire, jacinth, and brimstone (dire judgements). Rev 9:17. See ARMOUR.

By: Morris Jastrow, Jr., Ira Maurice Price

A rendering of the Hebrew "shiryon" or "siryon," which would be more correctly translated "coat of mail" or "cuirass." The kings of Israel used in warfare (I Kings xxii. 34) such body-protectors as were in vogue among their neighbors (compare Goliath's "coat of mail," I Sam. xvii. 5). The character of this piece of armor, as seen on the monuments of Egypt, Assyria, and later in Rome, would indicate that it was a coat of various lengths, often, if not always, made of overlapping plates of metal (compare I Sam. xvii. 5; Deut. xiv. 9). It protected the breast and the back, and in some cases reached as far down as the knees. In certain passages (for example, II Chron. xxii. 14; Neh. iv. 16) the exact character of the armor specified can not be determined. It may be that some such piece of armor served the illustrative purpose of the Prophet Isaiah (lix. 17) and of the apostle Paul (Eph. vi. 14).

BREASTPLATE (of the High Priest).—In the directions for the official dress of the high priest, as laid down by the priestly writer, a prominent place is occupied by the breastplate or pectoral. The fuller designation ‘the breastplate of judgment’ (Exo 28:15, Sir 45:10) is significant of the purpose of the breastplate, which was to form a fitting receptacle or pouch for the Urim and Thummim (wh. see), by means of which judgment was pronounced. The special directions for the making of the breastplate are given in Exo 28:13-30 (cf. Exo 39:8-21). It was made of an oblong piece of richly wrought linen, which, folded in two, formed a square of half a cubit, or 9 inches, in the side. Attached to the outer side were four rows of precious stones in gold settings, twelve in all, each stone having engraved upon it the name of a tribe ‘for a memorial before J″ [Note: Jahweh.] continually’ (Exo 28:29). The breastplate was kept in position by means of two cords of ‘wreathen work’ of gold, by which it was attached to a couple of gold ‘ouches’ (probably rosettes of gold filigree) on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, while the lower part was fastened to the ephod by a ‘lace of blue’ (Exo 28:28) at each corner.

A. R. S. Kennedy.

The third distinctive ornament of the Jewish high priest. In material and ornamentation like the Ephod, its most precious ornament consisted of twelve jewels set in four rows, each one being the name of one of the tribes. It was about 10 inches square and was constructed like a Benediction burse, containing the Urim and Thummim. It was fastened with gold chains to the onyx stones on the shoulders and with blue ribbons to the Ephod.

brest´plāt. See ARMOR.

See Armour.

Exo 25:7 (c) The high priest wore a breastplate in which were brilliant stones, each one bearing the name of one of the tribes of Israel. This is a figure of the nearness to GOD and dearness of each believer wherein his own High Priest carries him on His breast close to His heart.

Isa 59:17 (c) Here as in Eph 6:14 (a) the breastplate is a type of a righteous life. Those who live right fear no wrong. Their hearts are protected. Their feelings are protected. They have done that which is just and they are not afraid of evil consequences.

1Th 5:8 (a) This breastplate of faith and love guards the believer from being hurt or hindered by the shafts that may be shot at him from enemy sources. Faith in GOD and love for his fellowmen keep him from getting his feelings hurt.