28:1–4 Although all the Israelites are to be the Lord’s servants, he sets aside one family to serve him as priests at his tabernacle: Aaron and his four sons (v. 1). Others from the tribe of Levi can help transport and guard the tabernacle (Num. 3:5–4:49), but only Aaron’s family may serve as priests, a point the text emphasizes three times (Ex. 28:1, 3, 4).

This chapter describes the special uniforms that distinguish the priests. The introductory verses make five general points. First, the garments are ritually holy (28:2, 4). Just as a surgeon needs sterilized clothing in order to work in a sterile operating room, the priests need ritually holy clothing in order to work in the ritually holy tabernacle. The clothing must be appropriate for the space.

Second, just as putting on a wedding ring helps moves a groom into the married state, donning the appropriate clothing helps move a priest into a ritually holy state: these are “garments to consecrate him for my priesthood” (v. 3).

Third, the garments will be for “glory and for beauty” (28:2, 40). These two words are in many cases translated “honor” since the type of glory or beauty in mind marks its bearer as worthy of honor and respect.668 The idea is that the garments will help set apart Aaron and the priests as the Lord’s special servants, who are thus to be shown honor and dignity by the Israelites. As the chapter goes on to explain, the priests’ uniforms will be made of the same sorts of material as the tabernacle itself, and the high priest’s uniform in particular will match the tabernacle’s design. Just as the Israelites are to respect the Lord’s tabernacle, so too should they respect his servants who are dressed like his tabernacle and serve in his courts.

Fourth, just as the tabernacle’s ornate features require special skill to make (31:1–11), so will the priests’ garments, which will be made by those whom the Lord has “filled with a spirit of skill” (28:3; cf. 35:10).

Finally, the high priest’s garments will consist of several distinct pieces: “A breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash” (28:4). (Undergarments are not mentioned here but assumed, cf. vv. 42–43; the golden crown is also assumed as belonging with the turban, cf. vv. 36–37.) Most of the chapter will focus on describing each piece in detail.

28:5–14 Artists’ renditions of the priests’ garments are easily found online. Comparing them shows that, just as various aspects of the tabernacle are debated, so also are the priests’ garments. (The text sometimes lacks clarifying detail unnecessary for the original audience, who understood its technical language and had Moses to guide them if questions remained.) Areas of debate will be noted in the comments that follow.

The priests’ garments will be made with the same materials already gathered and used in the tabernacle: “Gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen” (v. 5; cf. 25:3–4, 11; 26:1). As such, the priests’ garments match the holiness of the tabernacle. As chapter 29 makes clear, the pieces of his uniform are to be put on in the following order: undergarments, coat, sash, robe, ephod, breastpiece, turban, golden crown (vv. 5–6). In this chapter, however, the list begins with the ephod and the breastpiece, testifying to their importance. As discussed below, the Lord gives the breastpiece for making his will clear to the Israelites. And, since the breastpiece is attached to the ephod, the ephod is described first.

The ephod is an ornate vest made of the same royal materials as the tabernacle’s first covering and curtains: a combination of fine twined linen and colorful yarns (28:6; cf. at 25:4 and 26:1, 31, 36; for “skillfully worked” cf. comment on 26:1–6). Gold threads woven into it (39:3) further enhance its beauty and value. A later passage notes how the gold threads are woven throughout, perhaps giving the garment a golden sheen (39:3).669 Its shape is debated. While some commentators believe it to cover the torso,670 many see it more as an apron covering the waist.671 They also debate how the shoulder pieces join it together and to which part of the ephod they are attached.672 It seems clear that it ties around the body with a band of cloth attached to the ephod and made of the same material (28:8).

Each shoulder piece bears an onyx stone enclosed in “settings of gold filigree”—that is, artistic gold settings—and engraved with the names of the Israelite tribes in their birth order (vv. 9–11), six on one stone (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali) and six on the other (Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin). Aaron will bear these stones on his shoulders when he goes in before the Lord for the sake of “remembrance,” a word repeated to underscore the stones’ purpose (v. 12).

The language of “remembrance” does not mean the Lord might forget his people—an impossible act for him (cf. Isa. 49:15–16)! Rather, such language refers to the Lord’s showing his people that they are in the forefront of his thoughts, which he does by granting them favor (Gen. 8:1; 19:29) and by being faithful to his covenant promises (Gen. 9:15, 16; Ex. 2:24). As Palmer beautifully summarizes, “To evoke Yahweh’s remembrance is to call upon his blessing, provision, and care.”673 The high priest evokes such remembrance every time he wears his uniform into the tabernacle. He is a visual, walking prayer, bringing the Israelites by name before the Lord and asking him to bless them, provide for them, and care for them. Moreover, by bearing their names on his shoulders, he shows he does his priestly work as their representative. “It is as if all Israel is brought before the presence of Yahweh to participate in ritual service through the sacral apparel of the man who embodies their worship.”674 In short the stones are a request that the Lord show his favor on his faithful worshipers.675

The ephod’s description concludes by noting that two chains of pure gold, ropelike in appearance, are attached to the stones’ settings (28:13–14). These will be connected to the breastpiece, which is now described.

28:15–30 The breastpiece is a square pouch when doubled and made of the same material as the ephod (v. 15; cf. v. 6). Its length and breadth is a “span” (v. 16), a measurement nowhere specified. One text makes clear it is less than a cubit (cf. 1 Sam. 17:4), and another compares it to a measurement made with the hand (Isa. 40:12); most commentators therefore assume it to be about half a cubit, that is, 9 inches (23 cm; cf. note 625 within comment on 25:10–16 for the cubit). The breastpiece features twelve stones, set in four rows of three, each bearing the name of an Israelite tribe (Ex. 28:17–21).676 Commentators debate the identity of many of the stones but agree they are precious, which again speaks to the ornate and royal character of the high priest’s uniform.677

The breastpiece attaches firmly to the ephod by golden chains and blue cords (vv. 22–28). While debate surrounds the details, the breastpiece features four golden rings. Two attach to the golden settings of the shoulder pieces via the ropelike chains of gold mentioned in verse 14, and two attach via blue cords to two other golden rings on the ephod somewhere below the golden shoulder settings. As a result, the breastpiece will “not come loose from the ephod” (v. 28), which is important given its twofold function.

First, like the stones of remembrance on the shoulder pieces, the breastpiece stones are to “bring [the Israelites] to regular remembrance before the Lord” (v. 29), asking him to bless and care for his people (cf. v. 12). The stones are compared to “signets” (v. 21), that is, the stamp signet seals used in the ancient Near East to represent the owner when sealing important documents with wax or clay.678 Thus the inscribed stones communicate that the high priest is representing Israel in all he does. He seeks favor and blessing for Israel’s tribes as he performs his duties and brings their names for “remembrance” before the Lord.

Second, this remembrance is linked in its function as a “breastpiece of judgment” (vv. 29–30) by which the high priest can ask the Lord on Israel’s behalf to make his judgment or decision about a certain matter clear. (“Breastpiece of decision” is in fact another possible translation of the phrase; cf. note 679) The “Urim and Thummim” used for this are apparently a system of lots by which the Lord’s guidance on various matters may be sought; for example, “Is it time to break camp and move on?” (cf. Num. 27:21), or “Is this person guilty of a certain wrong that has been done?” (cf. 1 Sam. 14:41–42).679

Together the breastpiece’s two functions serve as a way for the high priest wearing it to pray during his priestly duties: “Just as the Israelites are on my heart and in my thoughts, O Lord, may they be on your heart and in your thoughts!680 May you bless them, provide for them, care for them, and would you do this especially as they seek your guidance and will!”

28:31–35 The ephod is to be worn over a robe of woven blue material with a woven binding around the neck so it cannot be torn (Ex. 28:31–32). In Israel tearing one’s garment is a visible sign of mourning (Gen. 37:34; 2 Sam. 1:11), comparable to wearing black in many societies today. The high priest is forbidden from performing such mourning rituals (Lev. 21:10). In Israel mourning rites and ritual impurity go together (Lev. 21:1, 3, 4), perhaps because such rites are done near corpses, which are ritually defiling. Moreover, the Lord has set the high priest apart into the most holy of states through anointing (cf. Ex. 29:7). That anointing marks him as belonging to the Lord in the same way a wedding ring marks one person as belonging to another. For him to defile his ritually holy status would be comparable to the disrespect one would show by stomping one’s wedding ring into the ground.

The robe’s hem is decorated with alternating pomegranates and golden bells (28:33–34). The pomegranates are made of the same blue, purple and scarlet yarns as the ephod, underscoring the costly and royal nature of the high priest’s uniform and increasing its beauty. As for the golden bells, their sound is perhaps a respectful way for Aaron to “clock in” and “clock out” of his priestly duties (v. 35). To change the metaphor, just as we show respect by knocking before entering a home and saying “goodbye” when we leave, the golden bells sound as Aaron enters and leaves the Lord’s home.681 Of course, the Lord is fully aware of when Aaron comes and goes, but the bells remind Aaron himself to show the necessary respect to the Lord—and thus avoid the lethal consequences of failing to do so (v. 35).

28:36–38 On his head the high priest wears a fine linen “turban” (vv. 37, 39), a term built on a root suggesting it to be a headwrap of some sort (the root is tsanaf, which means to wind, roll, or “whirl” in Isa. 22:18). In one text it is parallel to a standard word for “crown” (Ezek. 21:26), suggesting it has royal overtones. Attached to the front of the turban by a blue cord is a “plate of pure gold” (Ex. 28:36), also referred to as a “crown” (29:6; 39:30), another word with royal overtones (2 Sam. 1:10; 2 Kings 11:12). Clearly the high priest is the most exalted of the Lord’s royal servants.

The plate is inscribed with the words “Holy to the Lord.” This phrase refers elsewhere to a person, property, day, or festival set apart as belonging to the Lord in a special way (Ex. 12:14; 13:12; 31:15; Lev. 27:14, 21). In this case the high priest is stamped, as it were, as the Lord’s special property. And because he wears this plate as Israel’s representative Israel as a whole is identified as belonging to the Lord in a special way. Indeed, the plate’s phrase—“holy to the Lord”—recalls Exodus 19:5, where the Lord says of Israel, “You shall be to me a treasured possession among all peoples” (AT).

At the same time our text focuses on a different function of the plate. By wearing it “Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts . . . that they682 may be accepted before the Lord” (28:38). Several of these words and phrases require comment. The word translated “accepted” could also be translated “favorably accepted.” It refers to the Lord’s being well pleased with the offerer and offering, as made clear from passages that compare these words to the Lord’s pleasure or that contrast them with his displeasure (cf. Pss. 30:5; 51:16–17; Jer. 14:10–12; Hos. 8:13). In sacrificial contexts offerers can be assured of the Lord’s favor if they present their offerings properly and with a sincere heart of faith. The “holy things” include various sacrifices and food offerings the Israelites might present to the Lord (Num. 18:8–19).

But what if the sacrificial animal has some blemish unknown to the offerer, or another unknown problem occurs with the offering? Normally it would be disqualified and the favorable acceptance the offerer desired would be denied, much as an expired ticket denies entry into an event (cf. Lev. 22:18–20). To avoid this the “holy to the Lord” plate allows the priest to “bear any guilt from the holy things,” that is, to bear it away and make it null and void (cf. Lev. 16:21–22).683 Exactly how the plate achieved this is not explained. Is its phrase a way to say that the Israelites intended to present holy gifts and that therefore they should be treated as such? Or is the high priest’s holiness a substitute for any lack of holiness in the gifts? We do not know. What is clear is that the sacrifice or offering will still count so that the Israelites will receive the Lord’s favorable acceptance. This will take place because of the high priest’s intercessory role.

28:39 One of the first garments the high priest puts on is a fine linen checkered684 coat (or “tunic”). This garment would cover the body sufficiently (cf. Gen. 3:21; the regular priests wear similar coats as their main clothing, Ex. 28:40). A linen sash is tied around it at the waist (cf. Lev. 8:7). It is beautifully embroidered with the costly blue, purple, and scarlet yarns used for other pieces of the high priest’s uniform and the tabernacle fabrics (Ex. 39:29). For the turban cf. comment on 28:36–38.

28:40 The text now turns to the regular priests’ uniforms. Like the high priest, they also wear linen coats and sashes and some form of headdress (“caps”; cf. Lev. 8:13), and, like the high priest, their garments are “for glory and beauty” (or “glory and honor”), setting them apart as the Lord’s special servants and therefore to be shown honor and dignity by the Israelites (cf. comment on 28:1–4). But, unlike the high priest, they have no ephod, breastpiece, or robe, and their headdress (a “cap” instead of a “turban”) has no golden plate. Their simpler uniforms still identify them as priests while also marking their lower rank, much as a regular soldier’s simpler uniform makes clear he holds a lower rank than the more elaborately dressed general.

28:41 A marriage ceremony usually involves rituals that, when taken together, transition a person from one state (singleness) to another (marriage). Similarly, Aaron and his sons will go through an ordination ceremony with rituals that, when taken together, will transfer them from one state (lay Israelites) to another (ritually holy priests). The ceremony is described in the next chapter and carried out in Leviticus 8, but the main sequence is summarized here: they are first clothed in priestly garb (as bride and groom are clothed in wedding attire), then anointed with holy oil, and then ordained over a seven-day period, at the end of which they are ritually holy and may serve as priests (cf. ch. 29 for details). The point made here is that their clothing is a foundational part of this process.

28:42–43 The clothing put on first—the undergarments—are saved for last, perhaps because they are hidden and are not “for glory and for beauty,” as the other garments are (cf. v. 40).685 Still, the undergarments are important for covering the priests’ nakedness and thus protecting them from fatally exposing themselves before the Lord. (Cf. comment on 20:22–26, where it is suggested that exposing oneself in worship, even accidentally, is an insult to the Lord.686)

29:1–3 Having described the ordination clothing of Aaron and his sons, the text now describes the ordination ceremony.687 It begins with its purpose: to set Aaron and his sons into a ritually holy state so that they might serve the Lord as priests (v. 1a). It then identifies the appropriate materials to gather: a bull and two rams for sacrifices and various unleavened breads to be offered on the altar as well as eaten (vv. 1b–3).688 These will be taken to the “entrance of the tent of meeting” (v. 4), that is, to the area in front of the tent’s entryway (cf. note 618 within the Response section on 24:12–25:9). This ensures the ceremony will take place before the Lord.

29:4–9 Attention now turns to Aaron and his sons, who are also to be at the tent’s entrance. The ceremony’s purpose is to move Aaron and his sons into the highest state of ritual purity: holiness. Therefore the first step will be for them to go through a rite frequently associated with ritual purification: washing with water (29:4; cf. 30:18–21; Lev. 14:9; 15:5–8, etc.).

Next they are to be dressed in their priestly uniforms. In the ancient Near East special clothing indicated that a person had entered into a specific state (such as mourning; 2 Sam. 14:2) or had a specific role (such as a ruler; Gen. 41:42). The same is true today, as with a soldier’s uniform, a bride’s wedding dress, or a mourner’s black clothing. The priests’ special clothing therefore identifies them as being set apart by the Lord into a specific state (ritual holiness) in order to carry out a specific role (to approach his holy altar and minister in his holy tabernacle; Ex. 28:3, 40–43; 39:41). As noted above, it also signals to the Israelites the dignity and honor due to those who bear such a weighty responsibility (Ex. 28:2; cf. 1 Tim. 5:17).

The high priest is to be dressed first (Ex. 29:5–6; cf. 28:5–39 for description of the clothing). He will then be anointed on the head with “anointing oil” (29:7), which consists of olive oil and spices (30:23–25). It is made for tabernacle use and thus especially holy; whatever it touches becomes consecrated (set apart as ritually holy; 30:25–30). By pouring it on Aaron’s head Moses will both consecrate him for the ordination ceremony and set him apart as the priests’ leader (Lev. 21:10; cf. 1 Sam. 10:1).

The text then briefly describes how the regular priests are to be dressed (Ex. 29:8–9)689 and highlights again the clothing’s function: to set apart Aaron and his family as the Lord’s priests (v. 9). Everything will now be in place to offer the ordination ceremony’s three main sacrifices: the purification offering (vv. 10–14), the burnt offering (vv. 15–18), and the ordination offering (vv. 19–28; as noted below, this is a type of peace offering).

29:10–14 The first offering to be presented is the sin offering, called by many commentators the “purification offering,” a term I will use here.690 This offering normally precedes burnt or peace offerings (cf. Lev. 8:14 and 8:18; Lev. 9:8 and 9:12; etc.). The order is logical, since cleansing sin and impurity (purification offering) naturally precedes expressions of general worship or atonement (burnt offering) or expressions of covenant fellowship (peace offering/ordination offering).

The sacrificial procedure here generally follows the description of the high priestly purification offering in Leviticus 4:3–12. First, Aaron and his sons are to “lay their hands on the head of the bull” (Ex. 29:10), indicating that it is being sacrificed on their behalf (cf. Lev. 1:4). Priests are as sinful and impure as other Israelites and equally in need of atonement (cf. Heb. 5:1–3). After slaughtering the bull Moses will perform a special blood rite (Ex. 29:11–12). Sin and impurity defile the Lord’s dwelling place (cf. Lev. 16:16, 19). As Ndjerareou notes, “People’s sins pollute their surroundings, and so it was not just the people who needed this annual rite of atonement, but also any objects connected with them.”691 Moses will therefore take the sacrificial blood, the most powerful cleansing agent available (cf. Lev. 16:19), and go to the burnt-offering altar (which perhaps represents the tabernacle as a whole). He will place some of the blood on the altar’s horns, thus purifying it (cf. Lev. 4:5–7) and perhaps the entire tabernacle as well. He will pour out the rest at the altar’s base, perhaps as a means of proper disposal. Next, all the animal’s fat portions are to be burned on the altar (Ex. 29:13). While many moderns look negatively at fat, it represents the best portion and is therefore to be given totally to the Lord, the one worthy of our highest honor and praise (Lev. 3:16–17).692 The remaining portions are to be burned outside the camp (Ex. 29:14). While priests would normally eat portions of the people’s purification offerings (Lev. 6:24–30), they are forbidden from eating their own, perhaps because it is inappropriate for them to benefit from their own sin.

29:15–18 Moses will next present a burnt offering for Aaron and his sons. A burnt offering is the only offering entirely burned on the altar and thus the most costly. It can atone for the offerers’ general sinfulness (Lev. 1:4) and serve as a way for them to acknowledge the Lord as the one worthy of all praise (Ps. 66:13–20). It may functioned in both ways here, and its overall goal is clear: to be a “pleasing aroma . . . to the Lord,” that is, for the Lord to be pleased with the offerer and favorably accept the smoke as representing a legitimate sacrifice presented with heartfelt worship (cf. Gen. 8:21; Ezek. 20:41; for further details on the burnt offering cf. Lev. 1:3–9).693

29:19–21 After the hand-laying rite and bull slaughtering, Moses will again perform a special blood rite. Just as blood is placed on the extremities of the altar to make it holy (Ex. 29:12), it will also be placed on the extremities of Aaron and his sons—from top to bottom—to make the whole of their bodies holy (v. 20; cf. comment on 29:10–14). The blood will be placed on their extremities on the right, the favored side (cf. Gen. 48:13–20; 1 Sam. 11:2).

After throwing the rest of the blood against the altar, Moses will take some of it and the anointing oil for another ritual.694 These liquids are used also for cleansing and consecration (cf. Ex. 29:7, 12). Up to this point the oil will have been put on Aaron (v. 7) and the blood on Aaron and his sons (v. 20). Now Moses will take both liquids and sprinkle Aaron, his sons, and their garments, making them all holy (v. 21). In context this means not making them holy for the first time (cf. vv. 7, 20) but deepening their holiness, much like a second coat of paint deepens the color of the first.

29:22–25 Next Moses will perform a wave offering. Waving an item before the Lord appears to be a way of dedicating it to him (cf. Num. 8:15–16). Moses will do this on the priests’ behalf, using some of the animal’s best portions: the fat (cf. Ex. 29:13) and the right thigh (cf. 1 Sam. 9:24).695 He will also present various unleavened breads made of the finest flour (cf. Ex. 29:2). In this way the priests will be dedicating the very best to the Lord and thereby acknowledging his greatness. For verse 25 cf. comment on 29:15–18.

29:26–28 Moses will receive the breast of the offering, perhaps because he is part of the priestly family (cf. Lev. 7:31) or because a portion normally goes to the supervising priest (his role here; cf. Lev. 7:32). Either way, he will present it as a wave offering according to the Lord’s command (Ex. 29:26; cf. Lev. 7:29–30). By setting apart as holy the right thigh and the breast in this ordination offering (which, as noted above, is a type of peace offering; cf. comment on 29:19–28) a model has now been set for Israelites to bring a peace offering: the right thigh and the breast will be set apart as holy to the Lord, who will in turn assign it to his priests, his holy servants (vv. 27–28; cf. Lev. 7:28–36, esp. vv. 34–36).

29:29–30 A brief aside now explains that the high priesthood is to pass to Aaron’s descendants. Presumably it will pass to the eldest surviving son (cf. Num. 20:26–28), who will don the high priestly uniform, be anointed with oil on the head, and then go through a seven-day ordination ceremony.

29:31–34 The text now turns to the ram of the ordination offering. Its meat is to be prepared in a holy place and then eaten, along with any remaining breads, by Aaron and his sons at the entrance to the tent of meeting, that is, the area of the courtyard in front of the tent (Ex. 29:31–32). The idea is straightforward: holy meat must be eaten by holy people in a holy place. This also explains why an “outsider”—that is, a layman, outside the priestly family (cf. Num. 16:40)—may not eat it, since lay Israelites are not ritually holy (Ex. 29:33; cf. Lev. 22:10). The food’s holiness might also explain why any that is left over must be burned, which would reduce the risk of its being somehow defiled (Ex. 29:34; cf. 12:10).

29:35 A summary verse makes clear that the above procedures—presumably the sacrifices in particular—are to be repeated every day for seven days (cf. v. 36; Lev. 8:31–35). Seven days represents a full amount of time (cf. comment on 1:1–5), meaning that the consecration is thorough and complete.

29:36–42 The ordination ceremony will bring not only Aaron’s family into a holy state but the altar of burnt offering as well (v. 36).696 For seven days the purification offering will cleanse the altar of sin and impurity, and the anointing oil will set it apart as holy—indeed, as “most holy” (v. 37).697 Little wonder that Aaron and his sons must be consecrated: only holy people can interact with an object so holy (cf. 30:26–29).

A functioning altar is of primary importance. As noted earlier (cf. comment on 27:1–8), altars link earth to heaven. They serve as the interface between the Israelites and the Lord, translating their physical offerings into prayers of forgiveness, petition, and worship. A tabernacle with no functioning altar would be like a body with no heart.

Having mentioned the tabernacle’s main altar, the text now describes the daily offering made there (29:38–42). It may be described as follows:

First commanded in Exodus 29:38–42 (cf. Lev. 6:8–13), the Israelites were to present a continual burnt offering of two lambs each day, one in the morning and the other in the evening. The finest ingredients are called for, whether for the animals (year-old lambs without blemish) or for the grain and drink offerings accompanying them (the finest flour,698 oil from [beaten] olives,699 and [wine]). This was an offering fit for the King. . . .

Burnt offerings had many purposes, including atonement (Lev. 1:4) and to “serve as an exclamation point to an offeror’s prayers,” whether prayers of praise and thanksgiving (Lev. 22:18–20; Num. 6:13–20; Ps. 66:13–16) or prayers “asking the Lord for help in grave situations, such as war (1 Sam. 7:9; 13:8–12) or suffering (Ps. 20:1–5 [2–6]).” The Israelites’ day was thus bordered, morning and evening, with a collective prayer: “You, O Lord our King, dwell in our midst and are worthy of our most costly praise! Look on us with favor! Forgive our sin! Receive our praises and give ear to our cries for help!”700

29:43–46 Verse 42 ends with the Lord’s noting that this offering must be made before the tent, “where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.” This leads him to stress the tent’s overall purpose: to be a place where he can dwell among his people.

He begins by giving a preview of what is to come in the events described in chapter 40, in which his presence will come down on the tent in a cloud of glory in front of all the Israelites, clearly setting it apart as his holy dwelling (29:43; cf. 40:34–35). He then underscores that he will set apart as holy the tent, its altar, and Aaron and his sons to serve as priests (29:44) and that he will do so with one overarching goal in mind: “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God” (v. 45). The last part of that sentence could be rendered woodenly, “And I will be to them for a God.” As noted earlier (cf. note 154 within comment on 6:1–8), the language “to be to person x for role y” is highly relational and similar to descriptions of adoption (cf. Ex. 2:10; 2 Sam. 7:14; Jer. 31:9) and marriage (cf. Gen. 20:12; 24:67; Num. 36:11), thus referring to a very close relationship. The Lord does not simply want to live in Israel’s midst; his goal has always been relationship (cf. Ex. 6:7; 19:5; Deut. 4:20; 7:6; 26:18; 2 Sam. 7:23–24). And to make that clear he emphasizes it one last time, noting that his presence among them will demonstrate the fact that he has redeemed them with this goal in mind: to dwell in their midst (Ex. 29:46). As noted above, the Lord always redeems for the sake of relationship.