“You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘HOLY TO YAHWEH.’
Parallel Translations
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“You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘HOLY TO YAHWEH.’
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And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
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And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and engrave upon it, like the engravings of a signet: HOLY TO THE LORD.
Cross-references (14)
Passages linked to Exodus 28:36 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Leviticus 8:9 He set the turban on his head. He set the golden plate, the holy crown, on the front of the turban, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Zechariah 14:20 In that day there will be on the bells of the horses, “HOLY TO YAHWEH”; and the pots in Yahweh’s house will be like the bowls before the altar.
- Exodus 39:30 They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engravings of a signet: “HOLY TO YAHWEH”.
- Exodus 28:9 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel.
- Exodus 28:11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel. You shall make them to be enclosed in settings of gold.
- Leviticus 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahweh spoke of, saying, ‘I will show myself holy to those who come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ ” Aaron held his peace.
- Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘You shall be holy; for I, Yahweh your God, am holy.
- Psalms 93:5 Your statutes stand firm. Holiness adorns your house, Yahweh, forever more.
- Ezekiel 43:12 “This is the law of the house. On the top of the mountain the whole limit around it shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.
- Hebrews 7:26 For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
- Hebrews 12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord,
- 1 Peter 1:15-16 but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy; for I am holy.”
- 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
- Revelation 21:27 There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Holiness appertaineth to the Lord: for he is most…
Holiness appertaineth to the Lord: for he is most holy, and nothing unholy may appear before him.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Exo 28:36 And thou shalt make a plate [of]…
Exo 28:36 And thou shalt make a plate [of] pure gold, and grave upon it, [like] the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
Ver. 36. HOLINESS TO THE LORD.] Hence it was not lawful for the high priest, say the Jews, to put off his bonnet to whomsoever he met, were he never so great a man; lest the name and glory of God, whose person he sustained, should seem to submit to any man.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The plate of pure gold was like a half…
The plate of pure gold was like a half coronet, reaching, as the Jews say, from ear to ear.
Holiness to the Lord, to mind the priest of his special consecration to God, and of that singular holiness which was required of him, as at all times, so especially in his approaches to God. It might also represent Christ, who is called the Holy One of God, and who is a crowned Priest, or both King and Priest.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And thou shalt put it on a blue lace,....…
And thou shalt put it on a blue lace,.... The plate of gold:
that it may be upon the mitre; either the plate or the lace; the lace is the nearest antecedent, but it seems by what follows it should be the plate:
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upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be; the plate of gold; the mitre was of linen, a wrap of linen about the head, and was like a turban on it, in the top of it; it did not come down low upon the forehead, but left that bare for this plate of gold to be put upon it. Jarchi seems to understand all this of the lace, by comparing it with the following verse, and Exo 39:31 as if the plate was represented as in the lace, and the lace upon the plate and upon the mitre above; all which he thinks is to be reconciled by observing, that the plate had three holes, and in every hole was a blue lace, and each lace was divided into two parts, so that there were six in all, two laces at each end of the plate, and two in the middle, by which they were fastened upon the top of the mitre, by which it was kept from falling off; and of this middle lace, he thinks, the text is to be understood. The Targum of Jonathan observes, that this plate was put on a blue lace, to make atonement for the impudent.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On the golden plate fixed upon Aaron's forehead, like…
On the golden plate fixed upon Aaron's forehead, like an half coronet, reaching, as the Jews say, from ear to ear, must be engraven, Holiness to the Lord - Aaron must hereby be minded, that God is holy, and that his priests must be holy. The high priest must be consecrated to God, and so must all his ministrations. All that attend in God's house must have holiness to the Lord engraven upon their foreheads, that is, they must be holy, devoted to the Lord, and designing his glory in all they do. This must appear in their forehead, in an open profession of their relation to God, as those that are not ashamed to own it, and in a conversation answerable to it. It must likewise be engraven like the engravings of a signet, so deep, so durable; not painted, so as it may he washed off, but sincere and lasting.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 36. Thou shalt make a plate of pure…
Verse 36. Thou shalt make a plate of pure gold] The word ציץ tsits, which we render plate, means a flower, or any appearance of this kind, The Septuagint translate it by πεταλον, a leaf; hence we might be led to infer that this plate resembled a wreath of flowers or leaves; and as it is called, Ex 29:6, נזר nezer, a crown, and the author of the book of Wisdom 18:24, who was a Jew, and may be supposed to know well what it was, calls it διαδημα, it was probably of the form, not of the ancient diadem, but rather of the radiated crown worn by the ancient Roman emperors, which was a gold band that went round the head from the vertex to the occiput; but the position of the Jewish sacerdotal crown was different, as that went round the forehead, under which there was a blue lace or fillet, Ex 28:37, which was probably attached to the mitre or turban, and formed its lowest part or border.
HOLINESS TO THE LORD.] This we may consider as the grand badge of the sacerdotal office.
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1. The priest was to minister in holy things.
2. He was the representative of a holy God.
3. He was to offer sacrifices to make an atonement for and to put away SIN.
4. He was to teach the people the way of righteousness and true holiness.
5. As mediator, he was to obtain for them those Divine influences by which they should be made holy, and be prepared to dwell with holy spirits in the kingdom of glory.
6. In the sacerdotal office he was the type of that holy and just ONE who, in the fulness of time, was to come and put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
It is allowed on all hands that this inscription was, in the primitive Hebrew character, such as appears upon ancient shekels, and such as was used before the Babylonish captivity, and probably from the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. The קדש ליהוה Kodesh Laihovah, of the present Hebrew text, would in those ancient characters appear thus: -
which, in the modern Samaritan character, evidently derived from that above, is as follows: [Samaritan]. And the word [Samaritan] in this ancient and original character is the famous Tetragrammaton, or word of four letters, which, to the present day, the Jews will neither write nor pronounce. The Jews teach that these letters were embossed on the gold, and not engraven in it, and that the plate on which they were embossed was about two fingers broad, and that it occupied a space on the forehead between the hair and the eyebrows. But it is most likely that it was attached to the lower part of the mitre.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Exo 28:36. On the golden plate fixed upon Aaron’s…
Exo 28:36. On the golden plate fixed upon Aaron’s forehead, like a half coronet, reaching, as the Jews say, from ear to ear, must be engraved, Holiness to the Lord — Aaron must hereby be reminded, that God is holy, and that his priests must be holy. The high-priest must be consecrated to God, and so must all his ministrations. All that attend in God’s house must have holiness to the Lord engraven upon their foreheads, that is, they must be holy, devoted to the Lord, and designing his glory in all they do. This must appear in their forehead, in an open profession of their relation to God, as those that are not ashamed to own it, and in a conversation answerable to it. It must likewise be engraven like the engravings of a signet, so deep, so durable; not painted, so as it may be washed off, but sincere and lasting.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Plate; reaching from ear to ear, two fingers’ breadth,…
Plate; reaching from ear to ear, two fingers’ breadth, tied behind like a diadem, Wisdom xviii. 24. --- Holy, or "sanctity, belongeth to the Lord," and all who approach to Him, ought to be holy. (Calmet) --- Josephus represents the ornaments of the high priest’s head, like the triple crown of the pope. (Antiquities iii. 8.)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain plate--literally, a petal of a flower, which seems to…
plate--literally, a petal of a flower, which seems to have been the figure of this golden plate, which was tied with a ribbon of blue on the front of the mitre, so that every one facing him could read the inscription.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 36-38. A plate of pure gold — This was…
36-38. A plate of pure gold — This was the most notable feature of the mitre, or turban, and is, therefore, mentioned here before the blue lace and headdress, although in Exo_39:28; Exo_39:30-31, the mitre is first mentioned. This golden plate bore the inscription HOLINESS TO THE LORD, and, being attached by a blue lace so as to be upon the forefront of the mitre, it would appear as if set as a jewel upon Aaron’s forehead, and signifies that he, as high priest and atoning mediator in all matters of oblation and sacrifices, was set forth to bear the iniquity of the holy things. He, as the representative of a holy nation and consecrated people, sanctified unto God by remission of their sins and in the symbolism of all their holy gifts, was, while discharging the duties of his office, always to wear upon his forehead this symbol of the redemption and consecration of Israel. So intense was the conception of the holiness of Jehovah that even the holy things which the children of Israel consecrated were thought of as still containing some elements of iniquity, and this golden signet on Aaron’s forehead was a continual acknowledgment of this, and proclaimed the merciful provision by which the iniquity might be borne away and forgiven.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 36. a plate] Heb. ẓiẓ,—properly, it seems, a shining…
36. a plate] Heb. ẓiẓ,—properly, it seems, a shining thing (usu. a flower, Isa_40:7 al.), i.e., here, a burnished plate (in this sense only Exo_39:30, Lev_8:9 besides); LXX. πέταλον, a leaf, fig. a thin plate of metal. Cf. Polycrates ap. Eus. v. 24 (a πέταλον worn by St John, as priest). According to tradition, the ‘plate’ was 2 fingers broad.
HOLY TO YAHWEH] The high priest, in virtue of his office, was brought specially near to Jehovah, and was thus specially ‘holy’ to Him. Cf., in other connexions, Exo_30:37, Exo_31:15, Lev_27:23; Lev_27:30 Zec_14:10. Jos. (BJ. v. 5, 7), and Pseudo-Aristeas (ap. Swete, Introd. to O.T. in Greek, p. 536), say that the inscription was written in ‘sacred,’ or ‘holy,’ characters, by which they mean doubtless the older Hebrew characters, such as are found on old Heb. seals, as also on the Moabite stone, and in Phoen. inscriptions, before they had changed into the later ‘square’ characters.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (36) Thou shalt make a plate.—The plate is so…
(36) Thou shalt make a plate.—The plate is so much of the essence of the mitre that it is put forward first, as that whereto all the rest is subordinate. It was to be “of pure gold,” and “fastened on high upon the mitre” (Exo_39:31); so catching the eye even more than the breastplate, and drawing men’s special attention. But the plate itself was only the vehicle for an inscription, and thus men’s attention would be especially directed to that. It taught the great truth that religion culminates in “Holiness to Jehovah,” without which all else is worthless—forms, ceremonies, priestly attire, sacrifice, prayer, are mockeries. It required primarily the high priest himself to be holy; but it was a call also to the whole nation, whose representative the high priest was, that they should be “a holy nation,” “a kingdom of priests” (Exo_19:6), and should consecrate themselves heart and soul to Jehovah.
4. THE MITRE.
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(36-39) The head-dress of the high priest was to be of fine white linen (shêsh) and appears by the description of Josephus (Ant. Jud. iii. 7, § 3) to have been a turban, made of several thick swathes or folds in the usual way. It was to be adorned in front with a plate of pure gold bearing the inscription “Holiness to Jehovah,” which was to be attached to the linen fabric by a ribbon or “lace” of blue.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 36-38. THE MITRE. Josephus tells us that the…
Vers. 36-38. THE MITRE. Josephus tells us that the head-dress of the high priest was "not a conical cap, but a sort of crown, made of thick linen swathes" (Ant. Jud: 3:7, It was thus really a species of turban. The colour was white; and the only ornament on it was the gold plate, with its blue ribbon or fillet.
Thou shalt make a plate of pure gold. The plate, though a mere ornament of the mitre, was, at once, its most conspicuous and its most significant feature. Placed directly in front, right over the forehead, and probably of burnished gold, it would attract universal attention, and catch the eye even more than the breast-plate. Its position made it "the culminating point of the whole priestly attire" (Kalisch) and its inscription gave to that position extraordinary force and significance. For it taught that holiness to the Lord" is the very highest crown and truest excellence of religion that to which all ceremonial is meant to conduce that without which all the paraphernalia of worship must ever be inGod"s sight a mockery. It set this truth conspicuously before the eyes, and was apt to impress it upon the hearts of all. It taught the high priest himself not to rest upon outward forms, but to aim in his own person, and teach the people to aim continually, at internal holiness. The extreme importance of this, causes the putting forward at once of the plate and its inscription before any account of the "mitre" is given.
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Vers. 36-38. The Teachings of the Mitre.
The main lesson taught by all the priestly garments is intensified in the mitre, namely, the need of holiness. "Without holiness no one shall see God; Holiness becometh thine house for ever." The high priest was to be
I HOLY, OFFICIALLY. By his birth, of Levi and Aaron by his bringing up by his consecration by his investiture by his representative position as priestly head of his nation and type of Christ he was set apart from all others, dedicated to holy employments, assigned a holy character. Of these things he could not dispossess himself. Even a Caiaphas "prophesied, being high priest that same year.
II HOLY, PERSONALLY. To wear holy garments, to be employed about holy things, and yet to be impure in heart and life, is to be a "whited sepulchre," beautiful outwardly, but "within full of dead men"s bones and of all uncleanness". (Mat_23:27) Nothing can be a greater offence to God. A high priest, with "holiness to the Lord" written upon his brow, and unholiness working in his brain and nestling in his heart, was a moral contradiction, a paradox, a monstrosity. Such there may have been, and their official acts for the benefit of others God may have accepted and allowed, since otherwise the innocent would have suffered for the guilty; but their hatefulness in his sight must have been great, and their punishment will be proportionate. We may believe that such cases were few. Not many men can bear to be hypocrites. The holy attire, the holy offices, the profession of holiness upon the brow, must have helped to make the great majority holy, or at least harmless, in life true "examples to the flock" (1Pe_5:3) holy, not merely officially, but personally.
III A CAUSE OF HOLINESS IS OTHERS. The high priest, as the religious leader of the nation, had to help forward holiness in every possible way
(1) Ceremonially, by his official actions;
(2) Ministerially, by teachings and exhortations;
(3) Individually, by the force of example.
It was his mission to make the people "accepted before the Lord." The mediation which he offered not only purified from legal defilements, but, by virtue of his typical character, purged the conscience and cleansed the soul from sin. His exhortations and example had the natural force of one in authority, and must have been potent at all times. It was at his peril if he took life too easily, and rebuked sin too mildly, and was not "a faithful priest," as appears from the history of Eli. (1Sa_2:22-36 1Sa_3:13 1Sa_4:11-15) Unfaithful priests are, in truth, an abomination, and have need to tremble at the "terrors of the Lord." Those who have undertaken a holy office are doubly bound to holiness. If men "corrupt the covenant of Levi," God will "send a curse upon them, and curse their blessings". (Mal_2:2, Mal_2:8)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Holiness to the Lord.
Exo_28:36-38
Holiness to the Lord.
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Holiness to the Lord
This plate of pure gold was fastened by blue lace to the mitre, or turban, or tiara, or linen, which was upon the head of the high priest. He put it on with the robe of the ephod, the robe under the breastplate and the ephod--the robe of the ephod, which had, round the bottom, a bell and a pomegranate alternately--fruitfulness and music--showing the fruitfulness of the priesthood and the music of the priesthood before God, without which emblems the high priest might never enter into the holy of holies, lest he die. To teach man that no creature can ever stand before God but through priesthood, lest he die. Were we to stand before God but in the fruitfulness and music of the priesthood of Jesus Christ, we should die. The plate of pure gold upon his forehead, he went in before God to present the inscription graven there like the engraving of a signet, Holiness to the Lord, to take away the iniquity of the holy things of Israel, and to make those holy things, purged from their iniquity, acceptable to God. Consider the subject of holiness.
I. The word is used in three senses in the Bible.
1. Sometimes the word holy means that which is set apart, consecrated. In that sense the vessels of the Temple were holy.
2. Sometimes the word signifies the indwelling of the Spirit, with His gradually sanctifying processes. In this sense the church is holy.
3. There is a still higher sense in which man is perfectly holy. Christ perfects them that are sanctified.
II. The true definition of holiness is the likeness of God. But we cannot conceive of the likeness of God but through a medium, and that medium must be the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever traits we find characterizing the life of Jesus, these make up holiness.
1. The life of Christ was a separate life.
2. He always carried about an inner sanctuary in His own soul.
3. The life of Christ had a subdued tone.
4. It was a life consecrated to an object.
5. It was a life of praise.
III. Look upon holiness as an end to be obtained. Do not seek holiness as a means to happiness, but happiness as a means to holiness. Be more careful about the holiness of little things than of great things. (J. Vaughan, M. A.)
Christ our High Priest, bearing the iniquity of our holy things
The first thing that strikes us here is, that it is the head of the high priest that is thus adorned, the most honourable member of the body, the seat of the indwelling soul. Then, again, it is the forehead that is selected, which is the comeliness and glory of the head--the place on which the eye of the observer rests, and on which the eye of God would rest when meeting with the priest or the worshipper. On the forehead of the high priest, on the forefront of his mitre, was the ornament to be fastened. It consisted of a plate of pure gold, the purest and costliest of metals, to signify the purity that God demanded. On it there was to be engraved, like the engravings of a signet, distinct and deep, Holiness to the Lord,--still farther foreshadowing the awful holiness of God, and the no loss awful holiness which He required in the sin-bearer. Forming thus the most prominent part of his dress, and placed upon his forehead, it would be that on which the eye of God might be said first to rest, whether at the-brazen altar, or the altar of incense, or the mercy-seat, in all parts of his holy service. When standing before God, it was this peculiar adorning that presented itself, with its inscription, Holiness to the Lord. Thus, then, there was proclaimed to Israel a free forgiveness for the iniquities of their holy things. It was forgiveness through the holiness of another, as if God would teach them that while He required holiness in him who was to bear any sin, yet especial holiness was required when bearing the sins of our holy things. And then there was not merely the bare forgiveness, but there was the acceptance thus provided, both for themselves and their services, before the Lord. All this was to Israel the shadow of good things to come. The law, indeed, made nothing perfect, but it was the bringing in of the better hope, by which we draw nigh to God (Heb_7:19). This better hope has now been brought in. What was thus foreshadowed afar off by Aaron, as Israels high priest, has been fulfilled to us in Jesus of Nazareth, Gods own anointed Priest.
I. We learn how complete is the provision made by God for a sinners acceptance. This provision is entirely in Him who is our great High Priest. It is not in ourselves at all, but in Him alone. It pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell. He is the Fathers infinite treasure-house of all blessing, secured for, and set open to sinners. Nothing that a guilty soul can require, is awanting in Him. Out of Him, there is nothing; in Him, there is everything. He, of God, is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. In our text, however, the allusion is not to His fulness in general, but to His priesthood alone, as making provision for a sinners pardon and acceptance: and this in reference to the sins of our holy things--the sins committed in our more direct transactions with God. For every sin, and for every kind of sin, there is provision in Him on whom our sins were laid. For all these there is a special way of pardon ordained by God, and certain sins are minutely specified, in order to show us that no case has been overlooked or left without a special remedy.
II. Let us learn how perpetual and unchangeable this provision is. It is written here, concerning the high priest on earth, It shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord. In this we have a vivid type of Him, who is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; who hath an unchangeable priesthood; who ever liveth to make intercession for us. He who bears the iniquity of our holy things, is one who changes not; who is ever the same holy High Priest, and ever glorious in the Fathers eyes. We vary, but He varies not. Our feelings change, His alter not. Our soul fluctuates, ever rising and falling, ever ebbing and flowing, but He remaineth steadfast and true. We grow cold and faithless, He abideth faithful, He cannot deny Himself. His is a priesthood which endureth for ever, which never loses aught of its efficacy and value.
III. Learn how glorious and certain is this provision. It depends upon the holiness of the high priest. Not upon his grace, or mercy, or compassion, but upon his holiness. It is because there is such holiness in him to meet and satisfy the holiness of God that our forgiveness is so secure, and the way of our obtaining it so glorious. What an ample pardon, what a secure acceptance, must that be which is secured to us by the holiness of our great High Priest! for His holiness cannot change, neither can it pass away. His mercy might be worn out by our sins, and He might forget to be gracious, but He cannot cease to be holy.
IV. Learn how accessible and free is this provision. It is set open to all. Its benefits are wide and unrestricted Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. (H. Bonar, D. D.)
The mitre
1. Made of blue silk and fine linen (Exo_28:39), like (as it seems) to an half-coronet.
2. Beautified with a golden plate, on which was written Holiness to the Lord.
3. The use. Aaron must ever have it on his forehead while he bears the iniquity of their offerings, to make the people acceptable before the Lord (Exo_28:38).
I. The mitre and crown on the priests head signified--
1. The Deity of Christ our head, which as a crown or circle wants beginning and end.
2. The kingly office of Christ, with all that honour and crown of glory set on the head of our Redeemer, to whom all power is given in heaven and in earth.
II. The golden plate in which was written Holiness to the Lord, did not only distinguish it from the mitres of the ordinary priests, which wanted such a plate: but specially typified Jesus Christ our head, in whom was most conspicuous (as in a mans forehead), a most Divine and perfect holiness purer than the gold of that plate.
III. The use was significant, that as the high priest, having on this plate, with this inscription, got the iniquities of the people pardoned, which he bare before the Lord: So our High Priest, Jesus Christ, presenting before His Father, His most absolute holiness, gets a pardon for all our sins, which He bears upon Himself. And as their sins were pardoned in respect of the high priest, who represented Christ: So both theirs and ours are indeed and in truth pardoned, for the true and eternal High Priest, who is Christ Himself. (T. Taylor, D. D.)
Holiness to the Lord
Holiness to the Lord! Where is that inscription to be stamped now? The Jewish Tabernacle has expanded into that world-wide brotherhood, where whosoever doeth righteousness is accepted. Morning has risen into day. The ministry of Aaron is ended. All the outward glory and beauty of that Hebrew worship which the Lord commanded Moses has vanished into the eternal splendour of the gospel, and been fulfilled in Christ. What teaching has it left? What other than this?--that we are to engrave our Holiness to the Lord first on the heart, and then on all that the heart goes out into, through the brain and the hand; on the plates of gold our age of enterprise is drawing up from mines and beating into currency; on bales of merchandise and books of account; on the tools and bench of every handicraft; on your weights and measures; on pen and plough and pulpit; on the door-posts of your houses, and the utensils of your tables, and the walls of your chambers; on cradle and playthings and schoolbooks; on the locomotives of enterprise, and the bells of the horses, and the ships of navigation; on music-halls and libraries; on galleries of art, and the lyceum desk; on all of mans inventing and building, all of his using and enjoying, for all these are trusts in a stewardship, for which the Lord of the servants reckoneth. (Bp. F. D. Huntington.)
Material and shape of mitre
Elsewhere this ornament is called nezer, from a verb signifying to separate; and hence denoting a crown as a mark of separation or distinction. The same word is applied to the diadem of kings. Indeed, such turbans of fine linen, with an encircling or front ornament of gold or precious stones, seem to have been the usual diadems of ancient kings. Justin says that Alexander the Great took his diadem from his head to bind up the wounds of Lysimachus. This shows clearly that it was of linen. Probably, it had some distinguishing ornament like that of the high priest here.
1. Jahn says curiously enough that, in the time of Josephus, the shape of the mitre had become somewhat altered. It was circular, was covered with a piece of fine linen, and sat so closely on the upper part of the head that it would not fail off when the body was bent down: apparently it did not cover the whole of the head. It may be that there is mystical reference to the crown of gold worn by each of those who exulted before God in the acknowledgment that He had made them prince-priests unto Himself. Each cast his mike-coronet down before Him, who sat upon the throne, singing--
I bless Thee, gracious Father, for Thy pleasant gift to me, And earnestly I ask Thee, that it may always be In perfect consecration laid at Thy glorious feet, Touched with Thine altar-fire, and made an offering pure and sweet.
On the cultivation of holiness
Let me say a few words concerning the cultivation of holiness. Look upon holiness as an end to be obtained. Do not seek holiness as a means to happiness--but happiness as a means to holiness. In heaven itself, the bliss of that world of glory is to be most prized because the happiness of that world will be the attainment of spotless sanctity. Be sure you take your forgiveness--accept the peace which God freely offers--believe in the love of God; receive gladly and gratefully every token of that love; if it be only for this, that it is the means to holiness; it will make you holy. And you may argue it with God so; Lord, give me happiness that I may be holy, for I find that without happiness I cannot glorify Thee by holiness, make me happy that I may be holy. Another suggestion which I would make to you in the cultivation of holiness, is to be more careful about the holiness of little things than of great things. It is so easy to go to church, and have a very devout manner, and even at the time to feel devoutly, and then to go away into life, and to have so very little holiness; rather, such unholiness, in the common affairs of our common life. Now that which characterizes the dispensation on which we are entered, and will characterize it infinitely presently, is this--that there shall be holiness to the Lord, not in the sanctuary, but in the common-places of every-day life, out of doors and in doors; out of doors on that most familiar thing in the East, the bells on horses--the very harness of the horses is to be holiness; and in doors (the same passage in the last chapter of Zechariah), in doors, upon the most ordinary vessels that are used for domestic uses, the commonest thing that is in the house is to be Holiness to the Lord!--the very culinary vessels are to be Holiness to the Lord. (J. Vaughan, M. A.)
The mitre
The white linen is the emblem of purity; the head is the seat of thought and of intellect. Christ had a pure mind; all His thoughts were holy thoughts. And because He is so holy, He can bear His peoples sins (Isa_53:4). He who is our Great High Priest before God is pure without a stain. God sees Him as such, and He stands for us who are His people, and we are accepted in Him. His holiness is ours by imputation. Standing in Him we are, in the sight of God, holy as Christ is holy, and pure as Christ is pure. (G. Rodgers.)
Holiness to the Lord in common things
In an old book I was reading the other day the writer laughed at some commoner who had just been made a peer, because he had his coat of arms burned and painted even upon his shovels and wheelbarrows. Now, in my reckoning, that was a very fine action and full of significance. If a man is a true man he is a man of God, a prince of God; and he ought to put the stamp of his nobility on the commonest things with which he has to do. (Christian Journal.)
Holiness unto the Lord
Write on our garnered treasures, Write on our choicest pleasures, Upon things new and old, The precious stone and gold--Wife, husband, children, friends--On all that goodness lends; Go write on your good name--Upon your cherished fame--On every pleasant thing--On stores that Heaven doth fling Into your basket--write! Upon the smile of God, Upon His scourging rod--Write on your inmost heart, Write upon every part--To Him who claims the whole, Time, talent, body, soul--holiness unto the lord!
That Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things.
The iniquity of our holy things
I. A sad subject, The iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hallow.
1. They were holy things. Despite the iniquity, their offerings were hallowed and holy. This is a precious saving clause. Our prayers, our praises, our service of God, these are holy things, albeit that iniquity attaches to them. They are holy as to Gods ordinance, for He has ordained them for His glory. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me. When we do what God bids us, the act is holy, because done in obedience to the Divine ordinance. Such deeds are holy as to the Divine design: for the sacrifices which the Israelites brought were meant to set forth Christ and His glorious work, and therefore they were holy. The great Father teaches us much precious truth by every institution of the Tabernacle and the Temple, and the gospel Church, and therefore obedience to each ordinance is holy. These deeds were often holy in the intent of the worshipper.
2. But although holy things, there was iniquity upon all of them; and did we ever do anything yet that had not some spot of iniquity upon it? Is not our repentance, after all, but poor stuff compared with what it ought to be? Is not unbelief mixed with our faith? Hath not our love a measure of lukewarmness in it? No act of consecration, no act of self-sacrifice, no rapture of fellowship, no height of spirituality has been without its imperfection.
3. Furthermore, some of these sins are apparent: indeed, many of them are painfully before our own eyes. If the Lord sees iniquity in our holy things, what iniquities there must be in our unholy things! I have to complain that wandering thoughts will intrude in my prayers, my study of the Word, my sacred song, my choice meditation; indeed, even in ministering the Word among you, I find my mind roaming. I have to complain also--and I fear many here would have to complain even more than I do--of want of faith in prayer.
4. These are only a few of the iniquities of our holy things which we can see; but beside these there are many imperfections of our service which we do not notice because we are not spiritual enough to discern them; but God sees them. Bring me that microscope! I have just now put the wing of a butterfly under it. That is Gods work, and, as I enlarge it, I discover no imperfection, but more and more of marvellous beauty. That butterflys wing under the microscope becomes most wonderful, and I worship God as I gaze upon His handiwork. Take the butterfly away now and put your needle in its place. What? Why this is a rough bar of iron which has never been smoothed or polished. This is wretched workmanship. It does not seem fitted for delicate work. Such is mans manufacture, the best of it. When God puts your prayers and my sermons under His microscopic eye, they are not at all what we thought they were, but quite the reverse. This ought to humble us as we come before the presence of the All-seeing One.
5. These imperfections in our holy things are so grievous that they would prevent any one of our works, or offerings, or prayers being accepted before the thrice-holy God.
II. A glad subject. What was done in type has also been done in reality.
1. Consider, then, that God provided the high priest. It was ordained that he should be a man perfect in his person. In our Lord Jesus there is no defect open or secret. He is perfect, and so He can be high priest unto God. The man had to be chosen of God. Aaron was so. Christ is ordained of God, and by Divine authority He stands as high priest for us. This man had to be anointed for his work. Aaron was anointed with oil; but our Lord was anointed with the Holy Spirit.
2. This high priest was altogether given up to his people. He has a heart; his peoples names are on the breast-plate which covers it. He has shoulders: his peoples names are written on his Shoulder-pieces, and thus he lends them his power. Thus Christ has given up His thought, His judgment, His mind, His every faculty to His people. He is all ours. The high priest reserved nothing of himself; he gave all of himself to all his people.
3. The high priest bore the iniquity of the holy things. All the iniquity of our holy things our Lord Jesus has borne, and it is no longer imputed unto us. As He stood before God, though He bore the iniquity of the people, yet He exhibited to God no iniquity, but on His forehead was written, Holiness to Jehovah. Notice that He bore before God a holiness most precious; in token whereof, in type, the engraving was inscribed upon a plate of pure gold. The righteousness of Christ is more precious to God than all the mines of gold in the whole world. There was no iniquity in His holy things; His holiness was conspicuous and undeniable, it shone on the forefront of His mitre. That holiness of His was permanent. One thing more I want you to notice, and that is, that he always wore it, And it shall always be upon his forehead. Jesus is always Holiness to God on our behalf. Our holy work is now viewed with Divine favour. Will you not offer more and more of these holy things, since they are in very deed accepted in Christ? Now I have taught you the main doctrine of the type, I desire to bring forth one or two lessons.
1. The first is, see here a lesson of humility. Our good works, if we lay them up in store, and value them as jewels, will, like the manna in the wilderness, very soon breed worms and stink. There is enough rottenness in our best performances to make them offensive to an enlightened conscience. Oh, that this fact, that even our holy things are tainted, may he the death-warrant of our pride!
2. In the next place, learn the awful hazard of going unto God without our High Priest.
3. Learn how you must be dressed as a royal priesthood unto the Lord.
4. Lastly, let sinners gain a store of comfort here. If Gods own people have iniquity in their holy things, and yet they have Christ to bear it for them, how patient must He be who is our High Priest. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain THE DIADEM OF THE PRIEST.—Exo_28:36-38
THE DIADEM OF THE PRIEST.—Exo_28:36-38
The words on the priest’s mitre, Holiness to the Lord, signify that he who wore it was entirely devoted to God, and that it was his mission to elevate the people to the same sanctity. Thus is Christ pure, and thus does He seek to sanctify all who seek His aid. Consider the sanctity of the priest—
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I. As personal. The inscription on the priestly diadem signified:—
1. That the priest was altogether separated to God. The inscription was on his brow, declaring the giving up to God of his whole personality.
2. The priest was always separated to God. “It shall be always upon his forehead.” Thus the Israelites saw in their high priest the ideal of a true humanity—life altogether and always given up to God. In Christ we see the glorious actuality—an absolutely pure humanity. See Heb_7:25-27. All other men, even the greatest, the wisest, the best, have been marked by imperfection and sin, but in Christ we have a great High Priest of absolute sinlessness, and in Him we may safely and fully trust.
II. As official. It was the duty of the high priest to raise others to his own sanctity, Exo_28:38. He had to bear away the iniquity of the sacred things. The high priest was an atoning mediator of the whole nation, and in his intercession the sin of the people was blotted out. Thus Christ is a High Priest to take upon Himself and to bear away the condemnation of all sinful but penitent men. Christ declares in His teaching the holiness of God; in His own life He gives us the grandest illustration of that holiness; and in His ever-living advocacy, He seeks to elevate all His people to share His glory.
Lessons:—
1. Man at his best is a sinful creature. “The iniquity of the holy things.” Our best works, feelings, hours, are tainted, and mixed and imperfect. What of our ordinary works, feelings, hours? What of our worst?
2. That God will only accept us and our gifts when we and they are pure. The priest had to purify the givers and the gifts; for so long as these were infected by iniquity they were unacceptable to God. Here we see the need of a mediator. How presumptuous are those who venture to go into the presence of God on merely natural grounds, and offer Him their spotted selves, and spotted lives, gifts, prayers, services! All sacrifices, prayers, oblations, services, are an abomination to God if they are not perfectly sincere and pure; and how can these clean things come out of our erring, passionate, perverse nature?
3. That in Christ we have full redemption and sanctification. He can make us pure and our offerings. He can purge the iniquity of our holy things and our unholy. We need seek no other priest; we need add to Him no other priest; His royal power and eloquent advocacy save to the uttermost all who come unto God through Him.
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
REV. WILLIAM ADAMSON
Scripture-Secrets! Exo_28:1-43. “The Bible can never be exhausted. The most learned commentators and eloquent preachers have but crossed the threshold of the magnificent temple. As in Nature, so in Revelation: the materials of every steam-engine, telegraph, microscope, and other mechanical and scientific contrivances, have been lying for countless ages under the dust of the earth undisturbed until a comparatively recent date.… And what yet may be fashioned out of the materials of nature no sagacity can prognosticate. Our present conquests form the starting-points of more dazzling victories. So, in reference to Revelation: generations yet unborn will group around its pages, and gather from them more sublime and radiant truths than those which have flashed on our intellect and cheered our heart—from the harps of the Hebrew bards they will hear a more elevating melody than ever charmed our spirits, and in the living words of the Divine Man perceive a depth, a grandeur, and a significance of which no conception can be formed. The ancient prophets have yet more to relate. Isaiah will reveal glories surpassing imagination, and Ezekiel unfold splendours which would overpower our visual organs. Intellectual perception will be quickened so as to penetrate the clouds which intercept man’s vision of the truth. No NEW Revelation, however, will be granted; but from the present Bible will stream ‘a light above the brightness of the sun.’ Never need we fear an exhaustion of the truth. It is sempiternal as God, and perennial as the springs of immortality.”
“The Book of God! a well of streams divine!
But who would wish the riches of that mine
To make his own, his thirst to satisfy
From that pure well, must ear, eye, soul apply.”
—Mant.
Mitre-Medallion! Exo_28:36.
(1.) Dr. Kitto says that the mitre was a turban of fine linen, furnished in front with a plate of pure gold, on which were inscribed the words, “HOLINESS TO THE LORD,” and which was attached to the turban by a blue lace. The word translated, “plate,” signifies a flower, and is rendered petalon, i.e., a petal, by the Septuagint. This seems to show that the plate was wrought with flowered work, or was itself in the form of a flower or petal.
(2.) In the prophecies of Zechariah (Exo_14:20) it is foretold that in the coming millennial days there is to be inscribed upon the bells of the horses, “HOLINESS TO THE LORD.” Until the recent introduction of tram-cars there was little of such a custom in England, though in some continental cities almost every horse employed for draught purposes bears a bell round its neck. Russian and Canadian sleighs are always furnished with these bells.
(3.) Contrast the one inscription on the Messiah’s frontlet with this inscription everywhere visible in the latter days. It tells us that so efficacious will the intercessions of our Great High Priest in heaven for 2000 years prove, that every kind of traffic shall be carried on in a manner becoming the Gospel, and that, whatsoever men do, each and all of their works shall be done with a single eye to God’s glory, i.e., shall be “HOLINESS TO THE LORD.”
“And all the holy race of Abraham
Be clothed in priestly robes, spotless as snow.”
—Bickersteth.
Mitre-Moral! Exo_28:38. During Alexander the Great’s career of conquest, he was opposed by the Jews, who remained faithful in their allegiance to Darius the Persian. Having wreaked his vengeance on Tyre by giving it to the flames, and crucifying 2000 of its citizens along the seashore, he marched against Jerusalem. Rollin gives an interesting account of the event. Jaddus, the high priest, interceded with God to aid His people, and was answered in a dream that he must cause flowers to be strewn about the city, set open the city gates, and go forth with the priests in festal procession, wearing his pontifical robes. He accordingly arrayed himself, and leading the procession, marched forth to meet the “fiery scourge of God.” Alexander, struck by the sight of the high priest, on whose mitre and forehead a gold plate was fixed bearing the name of God, bowed low before the august name of JEHOVAH. All were surprised, and one of the conqueror’s favourite generals asked for an explanation. The conqueror having given it, entered Jerusalem, and offered up sacrifices to the God of the Hebrews. Thus the proud head of earth’s mightiest warrior bent before the mitre-motto, “Holiness to Jehovah.” And before Jesus, the great High Priest, on the forefront of whose earth and heaven life is inscribed this title, shall all the mighty ones of the world be at last constrained to bow.
“Exalted high at God’s right hand,
And Lord of all below;
Through Him is pardoning love dispensed,
And boundless blessings flow.”
—Barbauld.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain HOLINESS TO THE LORD.’ - Exo 28:36.
Exodus
THREE INSCRIPTIONS WITH ONE MEANING
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HOLINESS TO THE LORD.’ - Exo 28:36.
HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD.’ - Zec 14:20.
‘His name shall be in their foreheads.’ - Rev 22:4.
You will have perceived my purpose in putting these three widely separated texts together. They all speak of inscriptions, and they are all obviously connected with each other. The first of them comes from the ancient times of the institution of the ceremonial ritual, and describes a part of the high priest’s official dress. In his mitre was a thin plate of gold on which was written, ‘Holiness to the Lord.’ The second of them comes from almost the last portion recorded of the history of Israel in the Old Testament, and is from the words of the great Prophet of the Restoration-his ideal presentation of the Messianic period, in which he recognises as one feature, that the inscription on the mitre of the high priest shall be written on ‘the bells of the horses.’ And the last of them is from the closing vision of the celestial kingdom, the heavenly and perfected form of the Christian Church. John, probably remembering the high priest and his mitre, with its inscription upon the forehead, says: ‘His servants shall do Him priestly service’-for that is the meaning of the word inadequately translated ‘serve Him’-’and see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads.’
These three things, then-the high priest’s mitre, the horses’ bells, the foreheads of the perfected saints-present three aspects of the Christian thought of holiness. Take them one by one.
I. The high priest’s mitre.
The high priest was the official representative of the nation. He stood before God as the embodied and personified Israel. For the purposes of worship Israel was the high priest, and the high priest was Israel. And so, on his forehead, not to distinguish him from the rest of the people, but to include all the people in his consecration, shone a golden plate with the motto, ‘Holiness to the Lord.’ So, at the very beginning of Jewish ritual there stands a protest against all notions that make ‘saint’ the designation of any abnormal or exceptional sanctity, and confine the name to the members of any selected aristocracy of devoutness and goodness. All Christian men, ex officio, by the very fact of their Christianity, are saints, in the true sense of the word. And the representative of the whole of Israel stood there before God, with this inscription blazing on his forehead, as a witness that, whatsoever holiness may be, it belongs to every member of the true Israel.
And what is it? It is a very unfortunate thing-indicating superficiality of thought-that the modern popular notion of ‘holiness’ identifies it with purity, righteousness, moral perfection. Now that idea is in it, but is not the whole of it. For, not to spend time upon mere remarks on words, the meaning of the word thus rendered is in Hebrew, as well as in Greek and in our own English, one and the same. The root-meaning is ‘separated,’ ‘set apart,’ and the word expresses primarily, not moral character, but relation to God. That makes all the difference; and it incalculably deepens the conception, as well as puts us on the right track for understanding the only possible means by which there can ever be realised that moral perfection and excellence which has unfortunately monopolised the meaning of the word in most people’s minds. The first thought is ‘set apart to God.’ That is holiness, in its root and germ.
And how can we be set apart for God? You may devote a dead thing for certain uses easily enough. How can a man be separated and laid aside?
Well, there is only one way, brethren, and that is by self-surrender. ‘Yield yourselves to God’ is but the other side, or, rather, the practical shape, of the Old and the New Testament doctrine of holiness. A man becomes God’s when he says, ‘Lord, take me and mould me, and fill me and cleanse me, and do with me what Thou wilt.’ In that self-surrender, which is the tap-root of all holiness, the first and foremost thing to be offered is that most obstinate of all, the will that is in us. And when we yield our wills in submission both to commandments and providences, both to gifts and to withdrawals, both to gains and to losses, both to joys and to sorrows, then we begin to write upon our foreheads ‘Holiness to the Lord.’ And when we go on to yield our hearts to Him, by enshrining Him sole and sovereign in their innermost chamber, and turning to Him the whole current of our lives and desires, and hopes and confidences, which we are so apt to allow to run to waste and be sucked up in the desert sands of the world, then we write more of that inscription. And when we fill our minds with joyful submission to His truth, and occupy our thoughts with His mighty Name and His great revelation, and carry Him with us in the hidden corners of our consciousness, even whilst we are busy about daily work, then we add further letters to it. And when the submissive will, and the devoted heart, and the occupied thoughts are fully expressed in daily life and its various external duties, then the writing is complete. ‘Holiness to the Lord’ is self-surrender of will and heart and mind and everything. And that surrender is of the very essence of Christianity.
What is a saint? Some man or woman that has practised unheard-of austerities? Somebody that has lived an isolated and self-regarding life in convent or monastery or desert? No! a man or woman in the world who, moved by the mercies of God, yields self to God as ‘a living sacrifice.’
So the New Testament writers never hesitate to speak even of such very imperfect Christians as were found in abundance in churches like Corinth and Galatia as being all ‘saints,’ every man of them. That is not because the writers were minimising their defects, or idealising their persons, but because, if they are Christians at all, they are saints; seeing that no man is a Christian who has not been drawn by Christ’s great sacrifice for him to yield himself a sacrifice for Christ.
Of course that intrusive idea which has, in popular apprehension, so swallowed up the notion of holiness-viz. that of perfection of moral character or conduct-is included in this other, or rather is developed from it. For the true way to conquer self is to surrender self; and the more entire our giving up of ourselves, the more certainly shall we receive ourselves back again from His hands. ‘By the mercies of God, I beseech you, yield yourselves living sacrifices.’
II. I come to my next text-the horses’ bells.
Zechariah has a vision of the ideal Messianic times, and, of course, as must necessarily be the case, his picture is painted with colours laid upon his palette by his experience, and he depicts that distant future in the guise suggested to him by what he saw around him. So we have to disentangle from his words the sentiment which he expresses, and to recognise the symbolic way in which he puts it. His thought is this,-the inscription on the high priest’s mitre will be written on the bells which ornament the harness of the horses, which in Israel were never used as with us, but only either for war or for pomp and display, and the use of which was always regarded with a certain kind of doubt and suspicion. Even these shall be consecrated in that far-off day.
And then he goes on with variations on the same air, ‘In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, "Holiness unto the Lord,"‘ and adds that ‘the pots in the Lord’s house’-the humble vessels that were used for the most ordinary parts of the Temple services-’shall be like the bowls before the altar,’ into which the sacred blood of the offerings was poured. The most external and secular thing bearing upon religion shall be as sacred as the sacredest. But that is not all. ‘Yea! every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts, and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them,’ and put their offerings therein. That is to say, the coarse pottery vessels that were in every poverty-stricken house in the city shall be elevated to the rank of the sacred vessels of the Temple. Domestic life with all its secularities shall be hallowed. The kitchens of Jerusalem shall be as truly places of worship as is the inner shrine of the Most High.
On the whole, the prophet’s teaching is that, in the ideal state of man upon earth, there will be an entire abolition of the distinction between ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’; a distinction that has wrought infinite mischief in the world, and in the lives of Christian people.
Let me translate these words of our prophet into English equivalents. Every cup and tumbler in a poor man’s kitchen may be as sacred as the communion chalice that passes from lip to lip with the ‘blood of Jesus Christ’ in it. Every common piece of service that we do, down among the vulgarities and the secularities and the meannesses of daily life, may be lifted up to stand upon precisely the same level as the sacredest office that we undertake. The bells of the horses may jingle to the same tune as the trumpets of the priests sounded within the shrine, and on all, great and small, may be written, ‘Holiness to the Lord.’
But let us remember that that universally diffused sanctity will need to have a centre of diffusion, else there will be no diffusion, and that all life will become sacred when the man that lives it has ‘Holiness to the Lord’ written on his forehead, and not else. If that be the inscription on the driver’s heart, the horses that he drives will have it written on their bells, but they will not have it unless it be. Holy men make all things holy. ‘To the pure all things are pure,’ but unto them that are unclean and disobedient there is nothing pure. Hallow thyself, and all things are clean unto thee.
III. And so I come to my third text-the perfected saints’ foreheads.
The connection between the first and the last of these texts is as plain and close as between the first and the second. For John in his closing vision gives emphasis to the priestly idea as designating in its deepest relations the redeemed and perfected Christian Church. Therefore he says, as I have already explained, ‘His servants shall do Him priestly service, and His name shall be in their foreheads.’ The old official dress of the high priest comes into his mind, and he paints the future, just as Zechariah did, under the forms of the past, and sees before the throne the perfected saints, each man of them with that inscription clear and conspicuous.
But there is an advance in his words which I think it is not fanciful to note. It is only the name that is written in the perfected saint’s forehead. Not the ‘Holiness unto the Lord,’ but just the bare name. What does that mean? Well, it means the same as your writing your name in one of your books does, or as when a man puts his initials on the back of his oxen, or as the old practice of branding the master’s mark upon the slave did. It means absolute ownership.
But it means something more. The name is the manifested personality, the revealed God, or, as we say in an abstract way, the character of God. That Name is to be in the foreheads of His perfected people. How does it come to be there? Read also the clause before the text-’His servants shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads.’ That is to say, the perfected condition is not reached by surrender only, but by assimilation; and that assimilation comes by contemplation. The faces that are turned to Him, and behold Him, are smitten with the light and shine, and those that look upon them see ‘as it had been the face of an angel,’ as the Sanhedrim saw that of Stephen, when he beheld the Son of Man ‘standing at the right hand of God.’
My last text is but a picturesque way of saying what the writer of it says in plain words when he declares, ‘We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.’ The name is to be ‘in their foreheads,’ where every eye can see it. Alas! alas! it is so hard for us to live out our best selves, and to show to the world what is in us. Cowardice, sheepishness, and a hundred other reasons prevent it. In this poor imperfect state no emotion ever takes shape and visibility without losing more or less of its beauty. But yonder the obstructions to self-manifestation will be done away; and ‘when He shall be manifested, we also shall be manifested with Him in glory.’
‘Then shall the righteous blaze forth like the sun in My heavenly Father’s Kingdom.’ But the beginning of it all is ‘Holiness to the Lord’ written on our hearts; and the end of that is the vision which is impossible without holiness, and which leads on to the beholder’s perfect likeness to his Lord.
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues to tell Moses what the people must do.
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engrave on it, like the engraving on a signet
"write on it in the same way a person engraves on a seal." See how you translated similar words in Exodus 28:11
turban
This was a tall head covering made from cloth wrapped around the head several times. See how you translated this in Exodus 28:4.
It must be on Aaron's forehead
This can be stated in active form. AT: "Aaron must wear it on his forehead" (See: Active or Passive)
The turban must be always on his forehead
This can be stated in active form. AT: "Aaron must always wear the turban on his forehead" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
holy
Yahweh
Aaron
guilt
sacrifice
gift
Israel
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 28:36-38 Like all the other elements of the high…
28:36-38 Like all the other elements of the high priest’s clothing and activities, the medallion worn on the front of the turban was to remind the people that God is holy, and his holiness had implications for their entering his presence. God wished to dwell with his people, but his holiness would destroy them unless he took preventative steps. God determines the way into his presence; we do not. The central question of the Bible is how a sinful people can live in the presence of a holy God so that God can share his holy character with them. Ultimately, the answer is provided in Jesus Christ, the Holy One of God who is the perfect mediator (Luke 4:34; Heb 9:11-15). He did not die only to rescue us from the consequences of our sin, but so that God can live in us, reproducing his holy character in us (Eph 2:10; 4:22; Phil 1:27; 1 Pet 1:13-16).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.