Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.
Parallel translations
- WEB It shall be square and folded double; a span shall be its length of it, and a span its width.
- BSB It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.
- NKJV It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width.
- NASB It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width.
- NLT Make the chestpiece of a single piece of cloth folded to form a pouch nine inches square.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The breastplate was to be square and folded double, a span (about nine inches) on each side. Its pouch-like shape would hold the Urim and Thummim.
Overview
The doubled, square cloth formed a pocket sturdy enough to bear twelve gemstones and the sacred lots. Its precise measurements reflect the orderliness God required in worship. The careful design shows that the means of seeking God's guidance was given by God, not devised by men.
Cross-references & the web
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 28:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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