It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened. The two shoulder pieces of the ephod create the connection points where the high priest carries the names of all Israel. The attachment at the corners creates a garment that drapes over the shoulders — the priest literally carries his people on his shoulders. Isaiah 9:6 says the government will be on his shoulders — the messianic prince whose governance rests on his shoulders echoes the high priest whose people rest on his shoulders in the names of the twelve tribes. The structural necessity of the shoulder pieces is also their theological significance: the priesthood is about carrying the people before God.

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