Bible Strands
Exodus 28:43
Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God commands Moses to prescribe linen undergarments for Aaron and his sons before they enter the sacred space. The instruction addresses the priestly line regarding their conduct when approaching the Tent of Meeting and the altar.
The words — וְהָיוּ (ve./ha.Yu) means "and they will be," establishing the garment as a continuous requirement. עַל (ʿal) means "on," specifying that the clothing must remain on the priests during ministry.
The thread — The requirement to cover bare flesh while ministering echoes the prohibition against ascending the altar on steps (Exodus 20:26) and parallels the lamp-tending duties outside the veil (Exodus 27:21). The principle of bearing guilt for violating commandments appears in Leviticus 5:17.
Why it lands — The text commands the priests to wear the specified garments without fail to avoid incurring guilt and death. It establishes this practice as a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants, demanding strict adherence to the prescribed ritual boundaries.
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 they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.
Cross-references
- Exodus 27:21 In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations to come.
- Exodus 20:26 And you must not go up to My altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.’
- Leviticus 5:17 If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.
- Leviticus 5:1 “If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity.
- Leviticus 17:7 They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons to which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come.’
- Leviticus 22:9 The priests must keep My charge, lest they bear the guilt and die because they profane it. I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
- Numbers 18:22 No longer may the Israelites come near to the Tent of Meeting, or they will incur guilt and die.
- Leviticus 20:19 You must not have sexual relations with the sister of your mother or your father, for it is exposing one’s own kin; both shall bear their iniquity.
- Numbers 9:13 But if a man who is ceremonially clean and is not on a journey still fails to observe the Passover, he must be cut off from his people, because he did not present the LORD’s offering at its appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin.
- Matthew 22:12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless.