Exodus 28 describes the garments God commanded for Aaron and his sons, the priests who would serve in the tabernacle. This study guide gives you a full set of observation, interpretation and application questions, with leader’s notes, for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal reading. Each section can be used on its own, so you can pick the questions that fit your time.
Exodus 28 at a Glance
The chapter moves in a clear order. It opens with God calling Aaron and his sons to priestly service and telling Moses to have skilled craftsmen make holy garments “for glory and for beauty.” Next come the ephod with its two onyx stones engraved with the tribes’ names, and the breastplate of judgment set with twelve stones, also bearing those names over Aaron’s heart. The robe with its bells and pomegranates follows, then the gold plate inscribed “Holy to Yahweh” on the turban, and finally the linen garments for the other sons and the linen breeches that keep them covered before God.
As you read, notice how the passage repeatedly ties the clothing to people. The names of Israel are carried on Aaron’s shoulders and heart, so the priest represents the whole community before the Lord.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask the group to point to the words on the page and to answer from the text alone. Let silence sit for a moment before moving on.
Exodus 28:2
You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
(WEB)
This verse states the purpose of the garments: glory and beauty for the one who serves God. Reading it first sets the tone for the whole chapter and reminds the group why the details matter.
Exodus 28:9-12
9 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel: 10 six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel: you shall make them to be enclosed in settings of gold. 12 You shall put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial.
(WEB)
The engraved names and the memorial stones make the priest’s role as representative visible. Reading this passage aloud helps the group hear the repeated word “memorial” and the picture of carrying the nation.
Exodus 28:21
The stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.
(WEB)
The twelve stones tie each tribe to the breastplate. Reading this verse allows the group to picture the whole community held together in one place of service before the Lord.
Exodus 28:29-30
29 Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment on his heart, when he goes in to the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. 30 You shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before the LORD continually.
(WEB)
These verses place the names and the judgment over Aaron’s heart as he enters the holy place. Reading them aloud invites reflection on how the priest carries people into God’s presence.
Exodus 28:36-38
36 “You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘HOLY TO YAHWEH.’ 37 You shall put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be on the sash; on the front of the sash it shall be. 38 It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall make holy in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.
(WEB)
The inscription “Holy to Yahweh” and the statement that the offerings are accepted before the Lord are central to the chapter’s message. Reading them closes the reading section on a note of holiness and acceptance.
Memory Verse for Exodus 28
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you care about every detail of how your people draw near to you. We confess that we often rush into worship or service without thinking about the honor you deserve. Help us carry the people we love before you the way Aaron carried the names of Israel. Teach us to live as those who belong to you, marked by holiness that comes from your grace. Keep us faithful in the small things and the great things, so that our lives bring you glory and beauty. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our great High Priest. Amen.
