Exodus 28:2

Summary

The verse instructs the making of bigdei-qodesh ("garments of holiness", H0899B/H6944G) for Aaron, described as brother of the addressee, with the stated purpose of kavod ("glory", H3519) and tif'aret ("beauty", H8597). The sentence continues a narrative sequence introduced by the vav on the verb.

Key words

• 'a.Si.ta ("you will make", H6213H) — qal sequential perfect, second person masculine singular; continues a preceding command chain, so it functions as an ongoing instruction rather than an isolated one.
• vig.dei- ("garments of", H0899B) — masculine plural noun in construct state, linked directly to the following noun to form the phrase "garments of holiness."
• Ko.desh ("holiness", H6944G) — masculine singular noun; as the construct's absolute term, it qualifies the garments abstractly rather than as a mere adjective "holy."
• 'a.Chi. ("brother", H0251G) — masculine singular noun in construct, bound to the suffix kha ("your", H9021), producing "your brother," which specifies Aaron's relation to the addressee (Moses, per the wider narrative context implied by the sequential verb).
• kha.Vod ("glory", H3519) and tif.'A.ret ("beauty", H8597) — two nouns joined by le ("for", H9005) each time and by ve ("and", H9002) between them, presenting two coordinated purposes for the garments.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built as a construct chain: bigdei-qodesh ("garments of holiness") functions as one unit, where qodesh modifies bigdei not as a simple adjective but as a noun in construct relation, a common way in Biblical Hebrew to express qualities through genitive-like pairing. This construct differs from an adjectival construction and gives the phrase a more categorical sense — "garments belonging to holiness" — than "holy garments" might suggest in isolation.

The purpose clause is doubled: le-khavod u-le-tif'aret ("for glory and for beauty"), each noun preceded by its own preposition le, which grammatically separates and equally weights the two purposes rather than treating "glory and beauty" as a single merged idea. The recipient of the garments, Aharon 'achikha ("Aaron your brother"), uses a construct noun ('achi) plus suffix (kha) to mark the relational identity precisely as "brother" bound to "you," not merely naming Aaron independently.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders bigdei-qodesh ("garments of holiness") as στολὴν ἁγίαν ("holy garment," singular), differing from the Hebrew plural bigdei. The Vulgate similarly gives vestem sanctam ("holy garment," singular), also diverging from the Hebrew plural construct form. For the purpose clause, the LXX reads εἰς τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν ("for honor and glory"), and the Vulgate in gloriam et decorem ("for glory and adornment"), both offering renderings that differ somewhat in nuance from the Hebrew pairing kavod ("glory") and tif'aret ("beauty").