Word | American Tract Society - Definition |
BREASTPLATE | A piece of embroidery, about ten inches square, Ex 28:15-30, of very rich work, which the high priest wore on his breast. It was made of two pieces of the same rich embroidered stuff of which the ephod was made, having a front and a lining, and forming a kind of purse or bag, in which, according to the rabbins, the Urim and Thummim were enclosed. The front of it was set with twelve precious stones, on each of which was engraved the name of one of the tribes. They were placed in four rows, and divided from each other by the little golden squares or partitions in which they were set. At each corner was a gold ring answering to a ring upon the ephod, these four pairs of rings serving to hold the breastplate in its place on the front of the ephod, by means of four blue ribands, one at each corner. |