Bible Strands
Exodus 28:30
And place the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece of judgment, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the LORD. Aaron will continually carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God commands Moses to insert the Urim and Thummim into the high priest’s breastpiece so Aaron carries them over his heart when entering the Holy Place. This instruction occurs amid the detailed regulations for constructing the priestly vestments.
The words — The directive employs נָתַתָּ (nata'ta), meaning "you will put," and חֹשֶׁן מִשְׁפָּט (choschen mishpat), translated as "breastpiece of judgment." These terms anchor the physical object to its function of bearing divine discernment.
The thread — This placement establishes the mechanism later cited in Numbers 27:21 for seeking counsel and in Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65 for determining priestly eligibility. The same objects mark the boundary between authorized and disqualified priestly service.
Why it lands — The text requires the priest to physically carry the means of divine judgment before entering God’s presence. It establishes that access to holy space depends on bearing the designated instruments of discernment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.
Cross-references
- Ezra 2:63 The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim.
- Nehemiah 7:65 The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim.
- Numbers 27:21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.”
- Deuteronomy 33:8 Concerning Levi he said: “Give Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one, whom You tested at Massah and contested at the waters of Meribah.
- Leviticus 8:8 Then he put the breastpiece on him and placed the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece.
- 1 Samuel 28:6 He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.
- 1 Samuel 30:7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him,
- Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin.
- Judges 1:1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?”
- 1 Samuel 23:9 When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”