Exodus 28:35

28:35 The robe ¹  is to be on Aaron as he ministers, ²  and his sound will be heard ³  when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he leaves, so that he does not die.

Exodus 29:5

29:5 and take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, ⁴  the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece; you are to fasten the ephod on him by using the skillfully woven waistband. ⁵ 

Exodus 39:23

39:23 There was an opening in the center of the robe, like the opening of a collar, with an edge all around the opening so that it could not be torn.

Exodus 39:26

39:26 There was ⁶  a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe, to be used in ministering, ⁷  just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

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¹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the robe) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn The form is a Piel infinitive construct with the lamed (ל) preposition: “to minister” or “to serve.” It may be taken epexegetically here, “while serving,” although S. R. Driver takes it as a purpose, “in order that he may minister” (Exodus, 308). The point then would be that he dare not enter into the Holy Place without wearing it.

³ sn God would hear the bells and be reminded that this priest was in his presence representing the nation and that the priest had followed the rules of the sanctuary by wearing the appropriate robes with their attachments.

⁴ tn The Hiphil of לָבַשׁ (lavash, “to clothe”) will take double accusatives; so the sign of the accusative is with Aaron, and then with the articles of clothing. The translation will have to treat Aaron as the direct object and the articles as indirect objects, because Aaron receives the prominence in the verse – you will clothe Aaron.

⁵ tn The verb used in this last clause is a denominative verb from the word for ephod. And so “ephod the ephod on him” means “fasten as an ephod the ephod on him” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 316).

⁶ tn The words “there was” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁷ tn The infinitive “to minister” is present; “to be used” is supplied from the context.