Messianic Message
of the
Stones of Memorial
and the

Breast-piece

Do the names of the sons of Israel worn on the priestly ephod, tell of Israel's greatest Son?

Images of the priestly ephod from the Old Testament Tabernacle Experience on display April 19th - 30th, 2023 at 1851 East Sunnyside Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah:

Priest and Levite robes

Above, the vestments of the High Priest (~Presiding Bishop) in contrast to temple clothing of a lesser Levite Priest, or Levite (~Teacher, Deacon). The High Priest wears the Ephod (right) on which is placed the Breast-piece of judgment concealing Urim and Thummim. On the shoulders of the Ephod rest the Stones of Memorial.

I was delighted to see that someone had gone to the trouble of trying to write on the stones in pre-exilic Hebrew, a form of ancient writing in use prior to the Babylonian Captivity. Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Lehi would have been able to read the Phoenician-like writing on these stones. I approached, and tried to discern each name. I pondered on the list of names - how it was that the list began and ended with a name that included the Hebrew word for “son”, “ben”. Then something wonderful occurred to me!

Stone of Memorial - Left Shoulder

Names of the Sons of Israel on the Memorial Stone of the left shoulder (Shemot (Ex.) 28:9):

English

Hebrew

More Ancient Hebrew

Interpretation

Reuben (son of Leah)

ראובן

*

Behold a Son

Simeon (son of Leah)

שמעון

Hearing hear him

Levi (son of Leah)

לוי

I join him

Judah (son of Leah)

יהודה

He will be praised

Dan (son of Bilhah)

דן

 He is a judge

Naphtali (son of Bilhah)

נפתלי

Naphtali 6

He struggled for me

*In the Church sponsored exhibit above, the name Reuben should be spelled with a resh not a dalet.

Stone of Memorial - Right Shoulder

Names of the Sons of Israel on the Memorial Stone of the right shoulder (Shemot (Ex.) 28:10):

English

Hebrew

More Ancient Hebrew

Interpretation

Gad (son of Zilpah) 

גד

He comes with a troop

Asher (son of Zilpah) 

אשר

Be straight - Be happy

Issachar (son of Leah)

יששכר

*

He will recompense

Zebulun (son of Leah mother of Dinah)

זבולן

He has endowed a dwelling-place on high

Joseph (son of Rachel) 

יוסף  

He will increase

Benjamin (son of Rachel) 

בנימן

Son of the right hand

*In the Church sponsored exhibit above, the last two letters of the name Issachar should be kaph, resh (not bet).

Breast-piece

Names of the sons of Israel on the Breast-piece (read right to left, top to bottom). The order varies according to tradition:

 

לוי

Levi

I join him 

 

שמעון

Simeon

Hearing hear him

 

ראובן

Reuben

Behold a Son

 

Naphtali 6 

נפתלי 

Naphtali

He struggled for me

 

דן

Dan

He is a judge

 

יהודה 

Judah

He will be praised

 

יששכר

Issachar 

He will recompense

 

אשר

Asher

Be straight - Be happy

 

גד

Gad

He comes with a troop 

 

בנימן

Benjamin

Son of the right hand

 

יוסף

Joseph

He will increase

 

זבולן

Zebulun

He has endowed a dwelling-place on high 

 

Interested in an American example of Pre-exilic Hebrew? See the Bat Creek, Tennessee mound tablet inscription.

Vincent Coon וִינְסֶנט כּוּן © Copyright 2023


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