What is the meaning of Exodus 28:33? Make pomegranates • The instruction is literal: small, fruit-shaped ornaments were to be crafted for the high priest’s robe. • Pomegranates were a well-known symbol of fruitfulness and blessing (Deuteronomy 8:8; Song of Songs 4:13). Israel’s spies carried the fruit back from Canaan as proof of the land’s abundance (Numbers 13:23). • God uses tangible symbols to teach spiritual truth. Just as the pomegranate is packed with seeds, the priest who represents the people is to be marked by overflowing life and obedience (Genesis 1:28). • Temple architecture later echoed this pattern, with pomegranates adorning the tops of the pillars (1 Kings 7:18-20), showing the continuity of God’s design. of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn • These three colors reappear throughout the tabernacle—on curtains (Exodus 26:1) and the veil before the Most Holy Place (Exodus 26:31). – Blue points upward, reminding of the heavens and divine revelation (Numbers 15:38-39). – Purple speaks of royalty and kingship (Judges 8:26; John 19:2-3, where soldiers mock Jesus with a purple robe). – Scarlet evokes sacrifice and atonement (Leviticus 14:52; Hebrews 9:19-22). • By combining all three threads, God visually wove together heaven, royalty, and redemption in the person and work of the high priest. all the way around the lower hem • The hem is the garment’s outermost edge—the part that moves with every step. Covering it “all the way around” ensured the symbolism was constant and complete (Exodus 39:24-26). • In Scripture the hem can represent authority and holiness: cutting Saul’s robe shamed him (1 Samuel 24:4-5), and a desperate woman later touched “the fringe of His cloak” for healing (Matthew 9:20-22). • God wanted no gap in the reminder of fruitfulness and sacrifice. Each movement of the priest within the sanctuary displayed a continuous testimony of God’s covenant care. with gold bells between them • Gold, the metal of the sanctuary furniture (Exodus 25:11), stands for divine glory and incorruptibility. • The bells produced audible testimony: “The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the LORD and when he exits, so that he will not die” (Exodus 28:35). • Every step announced that atonement was being made, foreshadowing the once-for-all entrance of Christ into the heavenly sanctuary (Hebrews 9:7-12). • The alternation—pomegranate, bell, pomegranate—unites silent fruitfulness with sounding proclamation, a pattern the believer is still called to embody (Philippians 1:11; Romans 10:14-15). summary Exodus 28:33 describes real ornaments on the high priest’s robe, blending pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn with golden bells. The fruit shapes proclaim abundance and covenant life; the colors point to heaven, royalty, and sacrifice; the complete hem signals unbroken holiness; and the bells audibly affirm accepted ministry before God. Together they anticipate the perfect, life-giving, and constantly effective priesthood of Jesus Christ, whose work brings both fruit and proclamation into every step of our worship and service. |
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