And thou shall put the stones upon the shoulders of the
ephod,
&c.] That is, the shoulder pieces of it; these stones were
put there, the names of the twelve sons of Israel being engraven
on them, and they, set in rims or sockets of gold, and serving
for buttons to the shoulder pieces: but chiefly the design of
them was
for stones of memorial unto the children of
Israel:
not to put the Israelites in mind of the merits of their
ancestors, as the Targum of Jonathan; for none of their works
were meritorious, and some were not good, and not worthy of
remembrance; but rather to put Aaron or the high priest in mind
to pray and make intercession for the twelve tribes, whose names
were on the stones; or rather to put God himself in remembrance
of his promises made unto them, and that they were his dear,
special, and peculiar people; just as the rainbow was to be a
memorial to the Lord of the covenant he made with all flesh, and
which is to be understood after the manner of men:
and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his
two shoulders
for a memorial;
signifying his presentation of them to the Lord when he appeared
before him on the mercy seat; his intercession for them, and his
patient bearing all their infirmities and weaknesses; in which he
was a type of Christ, who presents all his people to his divine
Father, makes intercession for them, and bears all their burdens,
the care and government of them being upon his shoulders, (
Isaiah 9:6 ) (
Luke 15:5 ) .