The Clothing of the Levitical Priesthood
28:6-43 and 39:1-31
The clothing of the priesthood, when on duty in the Tabernacle, is described in great detail in the several next sections. Only Aaron and his successors as high priest wore the ephod, breastpiece, robe and turban. His sons wore tunics, sashes and headbands (28:40). However, both the high priest and lesser priests wore white linen undergarments (29:42-43).618 When performing his high priestly duties he wore seven pieces of clothing. First, he wore white linen undergarments; secondly, he wore a blue robe; thirdly he wore the ephod; fourthly he wore his breastpiece; fifthly the Urim and the Thummim were held within the pouch on the breastpiece; sixthly he wore a white linen turban on his head, and lastly a golden plate was fastened to the turban.
On the Day of Atonement, the high priest dressed very simply in his white linen undergarments, white linen tunic, white linen sash and white linen turban to emphasize his purity as he came before God to offer the sacrifices on behalf of himself and the nation. But it is very interesting that no shoes or sandals were mentioned. Therefore, it may be inferred that all the priests went barefoot in spite of the exposure in severe weather. This was confirmed by the command of God when Moses approached Him at the burning bush when ADONAI said: Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground (Exodus 3:5).
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