Exodus 28:27

And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(27, 28) Two gold rings were also to be sewn on to the ephod, low down and in front, so as just to appear above the “curious girdle of the ephod,” and the lower rings of the breastplate were to be laced to these rings by a “lace of blue.” The breastplate was thus securely attached to the ephod, and showed above the “curious girdle” without covering it.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

28:15-30 The chief ornament of the high priest, was the breastplate, a rich piece of cloth, curiously worked. The name of each tribe was graven in a precious stone, fixed in the breastplate, to signify how precious, in God's sight, believers are, and how honourable. How small and poor soever the tribe was, it was as a precious stone in the breastplate of the high priest; thus are all the saints dear to Christ, however men esteem them. The high priest had the names of the tribes, both on his shoulders and on his breast, which reminds us of the power and the love with which our Lord Jesus pleads for those that are his. He not only bears them up in his arms with almighty strength, but he carries them in his bosom with tender affection. What comfort is this to us in all our addresses to God! The Urim and Thummim, by which the will of God was made known in doubtful cases, were put in this breastplate. Urim and Thummim signify light and integrity. There are many conjectures what these were; the most probable opinion seems to be, that they were the twelve precious stones in the high priest's breastplate. Now, Christ is our Oracle. By him God, in these last days, makes known himself and his mind to us, Heb 1:1,2; Joh 1:18. He is the true Light, the faithful Witness, the Truth itself, and from him we receive the Spirit of Truth, who leads into all truth.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

"And two rings of gold shalt thou make and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, low down in the front of it, near the joining, above the band for fastening it." It would seem that the shoulder pieces were continued down the front of the ephod as far as the band (see Exodus 28:8); the joining appears to have been the meeting of the extremities of the shoulder pieces with the band. These rings were attached to the shoulder pieces just above this joining.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

15-29. thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work—a very splendid and richly embroidered piece of brocade, a span square, and doubled, to enable it the better to bear the weight of the precious stones in it. There were twelve different stones, containing each the name of a tribe, and arranged in four rows, three in each. The Israelites had acquired a knowledge of the lapidary's art in Egypt, and the amount of their skill in cutting, polishing, and setting precious stones, may be judged of by the diamond forming one of the engraved ornaments on this breastplate. A ring was attached to each corner, through which the golden chains were passed to fasten this brilliant piece of jewelry at the top and bottom tightly on the breast of the ephod.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Two other rings, to answer the two rings in the breastplate, that by all these the breastplate might be the better fastened to the ephod.

On the two sides of the ephod underneath; in the lower part of the ephod, or in that part of it which is under the lowest part of the breastplate.

Toward the forepart thereof; towards the breast.

Over-against the other coupling thereof, i.e. over-against the ouches on the shoulder-pieces, where the upper part of the breastplate was fastened to the ephod.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And two other rings of gold thou shalt make,.... This is the third pair of rings ordered to be made, the two other pair were for the four ends or corners of the breastplate, but this pair was for the ephod:

and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod; one on the right and the other on the left:

underneath, towards the fore part thereof; underneath the ephod, yet towards the fore part of it; or rather on the fore part of it, though so as the rings could not be seen:

over against the other coupling thereof; either so as to answer to the other coupling of the breastplate to the shoulder pieces of the ephod above; or to the rings at the ends of the breastplate below, with which these were to be coupled with a lace of blue; and so the word "other" here supplied may be left out:

above the curious girdle of the ephod; just above that these rings in the ephod were, to answer to the rings in the lower ends of the breastplate.

Geneva Study Bible

And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

27. underneath, &c.] low down, in front of it.

close to its juncture (with the shoulder-straps), above the band of the ephod] The directions are not very clear: but the shoulder-straps seem to be continued down the front of the ephod, on its right and left sides, as far as the band (v. 8): the lower edge of the pouch was just above this band, and it was tied by the two pieces of blue lace to the rings in the shoulder-straps close to where these were sewn to the ephod.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 27. - Over against the other coupling thereof. Rather, "near its joining." The "joining" of the ephod is perhaps the place where the 'curious girdle" was woven on to it. Exodus 28:27

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Two golden rings were also to be put "upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, toward the fore-part thereof, near the joining above the girdle of it," and to fasten the choshen from its (lower) rings to the (lower) rings of the ephod with threads of hyacinth, that it might be over the girdle (above it), and not move away (יזּח Niphal of זחח, in Arabic removit), i.e., that it might keep its place above the girdle and against the ephod without shifting.