The Breastpouch of Judgment (Exodus 28:13-30).
This Breastpouch of Judgment was so-called (Exodus 28:5; Exodus 28:29-30) because it had within it the Urim and the Thummim by which decisions were reached before Yahweh. It was like a 23 centimetre (nine inch) bag, was foursquare, and also contained on it twelve semiprecious stones, in four rows of three, on which were the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. It would be attached to the ephod when Aaron was preparing to go in to the Holy Place before Yahweh.
This double emphasis on the names of the twelve tribes stresses how important this was seen to be. As we have already pointed out, when Aaron entered the Holy Place the whole of Israel was seen as entering with him. He was their representative in the fullest sense. Every Israelite (and the foreigners who had united with them and become members of different tribes) would see themselves as entering with Aaron.
“And you shall make catches of gold, and two chains of pure gold. You shall make them like ropes, of intertwined work, and you will put the intertwined chains on the catches. And you shall make a breastpouch of judgment, the work of the skilful workman. You shall make it like the work of the ephod. You shall make it of gold, of bluey-violet, and purpley-red, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. It shall be foursquare and double. Its length shall be a span and its breadth shall be a span.”
This breastpouch was to be made of the same materials as the ephod and the curtains. There was no idea of contrasting colours or artistic beauty, except for the skilful workmanship, possibly due to the limitations of their resources. It was to be doubled to form a pouch to contain the Urim and Thummim, and was to be foursquare, indicating its perfection, and about half a cubit (say, 23 centimetres or nine inches). It would be fastened to the shoulderstraps of the ephod by two golden chains which were intertwined like golden ropes, and connected to the pouch by the catches.
The word for ‘breastspouch' is ‘choshen' and is etymologically obscure. There is little agreement about its meaning apart from the fact that the context makes it reasonably clear. It was hung on the breast and was in the form of a foursquare pouch.
“And you shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones; a row of sardius, chrysolite and beryl shall be the first row; and the second row a garnet, a lapis lazuli, and an onyx; and the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; and the fourth row a turquoise, a sardonyx and a jasper. They shall be enclosed in gold in their settings. And the stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve according to their names. Like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name. They shall be for the twelve tribes.”
We have named the stones in terms of those which it would be possible for ancient engravers to engrave. (Such stones as emerald, sapphire and diamond would have been impossible for them to even scratch with the tools they had). All are contained in gold settings, marking their great holiness, They are of great value because God's people were of great value (Malachi 3:17), and each contains the name of one of the tribes of Israel, engraved on them like a signet ring is engraved.
“ Four rows.” Therefore four rows of three, making twelve in all. Four regularly indicates ‘worldwideness'. Three represents completeness. Thus the priest was seen as representing the whole of his world, with the twelve indicating the twelve tribes, that is, all Israel.
“And you shall make on the breastpouch chains, like ropes, of intertwined work of pure gold. And you shall make on the breastpouch two rings of gold and shall put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpouch, and you shall put the two intertwined chains of gold on the two rings at the edge of the breastpouch, and the other two ends of the two intertwined chains you shall put on the two catches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, on its front part.”
This describes the way in which the pouch is attached by golden chains of interwoven gold cords to the shoulder straps of the ephod by means of catches. All are of pure gold.
“And you shall make two rings of gold, and you shall put them on the two ends of the breastpouch, on the edge of it which is towards the inward side of the ephod (or ‘which is on the edge of it on the inside of the ephod'). And you shall make two rings of gold, and shall put them on the two shoulderpieces of the ephod underneath, in its forepart, close by its coupling above the skilfully woven band of the ephod. And they shall bind the breastpouch by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be on the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpouch be not loosed from the ephod.”
This is describing the attaching of the lower section of the breastpouch to the ephod and to the band around the ephod. The attachment is by bluey-violet cord put through golden rings which are attached to the ephod in the one case and the shoulderpieces of the ephod in the other. This may suggest that the shoulderpieces come very low and that the ephod is worn low down, or that the shoulderpieces are not just attached to the top of the ephod but continue on down, attached to the ephod and interwoven with it, even as far as the lower band. (Just as the band itself is of one weaving with the ephod).
One purpose behind all this is to ensure that the breastpouch does not hang loose. It is to be attached as part of the whole.
“And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel on the breastpouch of judgment on his heart when he goes in to the Holy Place, for a memorial before Yahweh continually. And you shall put in the breastpouch of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron's heart when he goes in before Yahweh, and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before Yahweh continually.”
There is a twofold purpose for the breastpouch. One is that it enables Aaron to carry on his heart, that is on his whole intellectual and emotional being, the names of the twelve tribes before Yahweh for a continual memorial, concerned for them, feeling for them, praying for them. And secondly that it may contain the instruments by which judgment can be found on His people's behalf through the Urim and Thummim. The Urim and Thummim were instruments of judgment on behalf of Yahweh, and their ever being in the pouch meant that concern for the true judgment of the people was ever before Yahweh and ever a concern of Aaron's.
There is no certainty about what the Urim and Thummim consisted of, but they were clearly some way by which the divine will could be found (see Deuteronomy 33:8; Deuteronomy 33:10; Numbers 27:21). There is no certainty about the etymology of the words themselves. It would appear that they probably worked by a series of questions being put which required a particular simple response, and a positive or non-positive answer was received, leading up by further questions to a final answer. While positive answers are known there is no example of a negative answer being given, but there is one of a refusal to answer (1 Samuel 28:6). However, the paucity of information might mean that in fact a negative answer could be given.
So it could be that one simply represented the positive and the other the negative or neutral; or that different answers were temporarily written on each of them in some way and they were then selected by some method; or that they were tossed down on a surface and the answer came from the way they turned up or down. Or the answer may have been found by drawing one ‘blind' from the pouch, indicating ‘yes' or ‘no answer' or ‘no', or by casting them on the surface as suggested above with the answer given by how they fell.
See for an example 2 Samuel 2:1 where the first question received the answer ‘yes' or ‘go up' to the question whether David was to go up to a city of Judah, and the second said ‘to Hebron' in some way (possibly by saying ‘shall I go to Hebron?'). Compare also 1 Samuel 23:9-12 where the ephod, presumably with the breastpouch containing the Urim and Thummim, was brought to David and questioned; and 1 Samuel 14:36-42 where they were probably used at Saul's behest. See also Joshua 7:14-18 where Joshua may have used them.
So the ephod with the breastpouch, both containing engraved jewels, and the pouch containing the Urim and Thummim, were worn by Aaron to bring the nation before Yahweh continually. By their jewels they depicted them as precious to God, by the engraved names as personally within God's cognisance, and through the Urim and Thummim they were a constant ‘reminder' of the need for justice for God's people. Furthermore they were actually sometimes the means by which it was obtained. They were crucial to the nation and worn by Aaron as representing them all before Yahweh.