Exodus 28:11

11 opere sculptoris et celatura gemmarii sculpes eos nominibus filiorum Israhel inclusos auro atque circumdatos

Exodus 28:11 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 28:11

With the work of an engraver in stone
Not in common but precious stones: Moses was not to do this himself, as it could not be supposed he should, but he was to employ an engraver, whose business it was, and one that was capable of doing it in a professional manner:

[like] the engravings of a signet shall thou engrave the two stones
with the names of the children of Israel:
as in signets or seals, by which impressions are made on wax, the letters or figures are cut deep, that they might on the wax stand out; so it seems the letters of the names of the children of Israel were cut in these stones: this shows that engraving on precious stones is very old, and the ancients indeed are said to excel in this art:

thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold;
in beazils or sockets, such as precious stones in rings are set in; these with the stones in them served as buttons to fasten together the hinder and fore part of the ephod on the shoulder pieces of it.

Exodus 28:11 In-Context

9 sumesque duos lapides onychinos et sculpes in eis nomina filiorum Israhel
10 sex nomina in lapide uno et sex reliqua in altero iuxta ordinem nativitatis eorum
11 opere sculptoris et celatura gemmarii sculpes eos nominibus filiorum Israhel inclusos auro atque circumdatos
12 et pones in utroque latere superumeralis memoriale filiis Israhel portabitque Aaron nomina eorum coram Domino super utrumque umerum ob recordationem
13 facies et uncinos ex auro
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.