Exodus 28 (KJV) - Bible Truth Library

Among the various and contradictory opinions respecting the form and substance of these mysterious appendages, the most probable seems to be that of Josephus, Philo, Bp. Patrick, Parkhurst, and the Jewish writers generally; who state, that they were no other than the twelve precious stones of the high priest's breastplate.

In support of this statement, it is observed, 1. That in the description of the high priest's breastplate, Exod. 39:8, et seq., the Urim and Thummim are not mentioned, but only the rows of stones; and on the contrary, in Lev. 8:8, the Urim and Thummim are expressly mentioned, but not a word is said of the four rows of stones.

As Moses has given such a particular description of every thing relative to the high priest's dress, these would certainly have been described had they been different from what was previously mentioned.

Lev. 8:8• ⁸And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. (Lev. 8:8)

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Deut. 33:8• ⁸And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; (Deut. 33:8)

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Judg. 1:1• ¹Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? (Judg. 1:1)

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Judg. 20:18,23,27‑28• ¹⁸And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first.
²³(And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until even, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.)
²⁷And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
²⁸And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the Lord said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand. (Judg. 20:18,23,27‑28)

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1 Sam. 23:9‑12• ⁹And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
¹⁰Then said David, O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.
¹¹Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.
¹²Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up. (1 Sam. 23:9‑12)

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1 Sam. 28:6• ⁶And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. (1 Sam. 28:6)

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1 Sam. 30:7‑8• ⁷And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
⁸And David inquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. (1 Sam. 30:7‑8)

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Ezra 2:63• ⁶³And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim. (Ezra 2:63)

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Neh. 7:65• ⁶⁵And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim. (Neh. 7:65)

bear the judgment.

Zech. 6:13• ¹³Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zech. 6:13)

upon his heart.

2 Cor. 6:11‑12• ¹¹O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.
¹²Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. (2 Cor. 6:11‑12)

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2 Cor. 7:3• ³I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you. (2 Cor. 7:3)

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2 Cor. 12:15• ¹⁵And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. (2 Cor. 12:15)

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Phil. 1:7‑8• ⁷Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
⁸For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. (Phil. 1:7‑8)

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Heb. 2:17• ¹⁷Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. (Heb. 2:17)

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Heb. 4:15• ¹⁵For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Heb. 4:15)

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Heb. 9:12,24• ¹²Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
²⁴For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: (Heb. 9:12,24)

• They therefore looked for answers through the Urim and Thummim that were in the breastplate; for the wisdom of our conduct is to be according to this position before God. (“Exodus 28” by J.N. Darby)

• The Urim and Thummim were there-light and perfection. The high priest bore the judgment of the children of Israel in their present ways and as to their present relationship upon his heart before Jehovah, and this according to the light and perfection of God. This we need, to get blessing. (“Exodus 28” by J.N. Darby)

J. N. Darby Translation

And thou shalt put into the breastplate of judgment the Urimg and the Thummimh, that they may be upon Aaron’s heart when he goeth in before Jehovah; and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before Jehovah continually.

JND Translation Notes

Light, or Lights.

Perfection, or Perfections.