Engraving

Engraving in scripture is a craft applied to two opposite ends. At Sinai it appears once in service of an idol, and many times in service of the holy garments of the priest. The same skill cuts a calf and cuts the words HOLY TO YAHWEH; the difference lies entirely in what is being made and for whom.

The Graving Tool in Idolatry

The lone occurrence of engraving in the construction of an idol falls at Sinai. Aaron takes the people's gold, "and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it [into] a molten calf: and they said, These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt" (Ex 32:4). The same craftsmanship that will adorn the priest is here turned to making a rival object of worship.

Engraving on the Shoulder Stones of the Ephod

The first sanctuary use is the pair of onyx stones set on the shoulders of the ephod. The command is precise: "you will take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you will engrave the two stones, according to the names of the sons of Israel" (Ex 28:9-11). The execution matches the command: "And they wrought the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold, engraved with the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel" (Ex 39:6). The repeated comparison is to a signet — the personal seal that stamps an owner's name on documents and goods.

Engraving on the Twelve Stones of the Breastplate

A second engraving belongs to the breastplate of judgment, where twelve named stones are arranged in four rows. "And the stones will be according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, they will be for the twelve tribes" (Ex 28:21). The execution again matches: "And he made the breastplate, the work of the skillful workman ... And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row; and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jaspar: they were enclosed in enclosings of gold in their settings. And the stones were according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, every one according to his name, for the twelve tribes" (Ex 39:8-14). The high priest enters the holy place carrying every tribe by name, in stone, on his chest.

The Engraved Plate of the Holy Crown

The crown of the high priest is a plate of pure gold engraved with two words. Command: "And you will make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO YAHWEH" (Ex 28:36). Execution: "And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it a writing, like the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO YAHWEH" (Ex 39:30). The same signet-grade craft that names the tribes on the breastplate names Yahweh's claim on the head of the priest who wears them.