“And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 28:40 Mean?
"And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty." The priestly garments serve TWO purposes: GLORY and BEAUTY. The vestments aren't just functional (covering the body for modesty). They're designed for GLORY (kavod — weight, honor, significance, the visible expression of dignity) AND BEAUTY (tif'arah — splendor, adornment, the aesthetic quality that attracts and honors). The clothes of the priesthood must be both WEIGHTY and BEAUTIFUL.
The phrase "for glory and for beauty" (lekhavod uletif'arah — for honor/glory and for beauty/splendor) is the TWO-WORD PURPOSE STATEMENT for priestly garments: the same phrase appears for AARON'S garments in verse 2. The sons receive the SAME purpose as the father: their garments also serve glory and beauty. The priestly clothing isn't PURELY FUNCTIONAL. It's THEOLOGICALLY AND AESTHETICALLY designed. The beauty is INTENTIONAL. The glory is PURPOSEFUL.
The THREE garments — coats (kuttonet — tunics, the basic inner garment), girdles (avnet — sashes, the waist-belt), and bonnets (migba'ot — turbans, the head-covering) — cover the body from HEAD to WAIST to FEET: the turban covers the head. The sash cinches the waist. The tunic covers the body. The complete covering says: every part of the priestly body is CLOTHED for glory and beauty. No part is uncovered. No part is utilitarian. Every piece serves the dual purpose.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does your worship carry both glory (significance) and beauty (aesthetic care)?
- 2.What does God designing beauty INTO the priestly garments teach about aesthetics in worship?
- 3.How does glory (weight) and beauty (splendor) being BOTH required describe complete worship-design?
- 4.What in your worship has glory but lacks beauty — or has beauty but lacks weight?
Devotional
For GLORY and for BEAUTY. The priestly garments aren't just COVERING — they're GLORY-CARRYING and BEAUTY-DISPLAYING. The clothes serve two purposes simultaneously: they make the priest WEIGHTY (kavod — honor, significance) and BEAUTIFUL (tif'arah — splendor, aesthetic delight). The function and the beauty are both designed. Both are required.
The 'for glory' (lekhavod) means the garments carry WEIGHT: kavod — the word for glory — literally means 'heavy.' The priestly garments give the priest WEIGHT — not physical heaviness but SIGNIFICANCE. The person wearing the garments carries the HONOR of the office. The clothes COMMUNICATE the importance of the role. The glory is VISIBLE — you see it in the garments before you hear it in the words.
The 'for beauty' (letif'arah) means the garments are AESTHETICALLY designed: tif'arah — splendor, beauty, the quality that delights the eye and honors the viewer. The priestly garments are BEAUTIFUL — not accidentally but INTENTIONALLY. God designs beauty into worship. The aesthetic quality isn't secondary to the theological function. It's PART of the theological function. The beauty IS the glory made visible.
The TWO TOGETHER — glory AND beauty — define the priestly wardrobe's PURPOSE: the garments must be both SIGNIFICANT (glory — carrying the weight of the office) and ATTRACTIVE (beauty — pleasing to see, honoring to behold). The priestly garments that are significant but ugly fail. The garments that are beautiful but trivial fail. BOTH must be present. The weight and the attractiveness serve the same God.
Does your worship carry both GLORY (weight, significance) and BEAUTY (splendor, aesthetic care)?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And thou shall put them on Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him,.... And this putting on of their garments by Moses,…
(Compare Exo. 39:1-31.) Moses is now commanded to commit all that pertains to the offerings made to the Lord in the…
For glory and for beauty - See Clarke's note on Exo 28:2.
We have here, 1. Particular orders about the vestments of the inferior priests. They were to have coats, and girdles,…
The tunics, sashes, and caps, for Aaron's -sons" (i.e. for the ordinary priests). Whether the tunics and sashes differed…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture