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Exodus 29:6
And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.

Exodus 28:24
And thou shalt put the two wreathenchains of gold in the two ringswhich are on the ends of the breastplate.

Exodus 28:9,11
And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: …

Holiness

Exodus 39:30
And they made the plate of the holy crownof pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing,like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

Leviticus 8:9
And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre,even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Leviticus 10:3
Then Moses said unto Aaron, Thisis it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

and engrave on it as on a seal:
Engraving as on a seal suggests permanence and authority. Seals in ancient times were used to authenticate documents and signify ownership or approval. This engraving method implies that the message is unchangeable and carries divine authority. The seal represents God's unchanging nature and His eternal covenant with His people. The act of engraving also connects to the permanence of God's laws and commandments, as seen in the engraving of the Ten Commandments on stone tablets.

HOLY TO THE LORD.
This phrase declares the consecration and dedication of the high priest to God. "Holy" means set apart for a sacred purpose, indicating that the high priest is devoted entirely to the service of God. This concept of holiness is central to the Levitical priesthood and the broader covenant relationship between God and Israel. The phrase also foreshadows the ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ, who is perfectly holy and set apart for the redemption of humanity. In the New Testament, believers are called to be holy, reflecting this same dedication to God (1 Peter 1:15-16).

God began with a clear, concrete command. He told Moses exactly what to do—no guesswork, no improvisation. Much like the detailed instructions for the tabernacle (Exodus 25:9; 25:40), this reminder underscores three truths:

• The Lord alone defines acceptable worship (Leviticus 10:1–3).

• Obedience is the mark of love for God (John 14:15).

• Even seemingly small details matter when they come from the mouth of the Holy One (Matthew 5:18).

By specifying a “plate,” the Lord ensured a visible symbol would sit on the high priest’s forehead (Exodus 28:38), constantly proclaiming the priest’s—and Israel’s—relationship to Him.

Gold speaks of value, permanence, and purity. Scripture often links gold with divine glory: the Most Holy Place’s furniture (Exodus 25:11), Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6:20–22), and even the streets of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:18, 21). Because the high priest represented the nation before God, nothing inferior could rest on his head. Peter draws a parallel for believers today: “the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold” (1 Peter 1:7). The purity of the metal mirrors the purity God requires of His people (Psalm 24:3–4).

Engraving is permanent; sealing denotes ownership and authority (Esther 8:8). Once stamped, the message cannot be altered—an apt picture of God’s unchanging character (Malachi 3:6). The Lord’s people are likewise “sealed” with His Spirit (Ephesians 1:13–14), marked out for Him alone (2 Timothy 2:19). This seal on the priest’s forehead communicated both God’s claim over Israel and Israel’s secure standing before Him.

The inscription, placed where all could see, announced that the high priest—and by extension the nation—belonged entirely to God. Holiness means being set apart, distinct from everything common (Leviticus 11:44–45). The phrase anticipates Peter’s call: “You are a chosen people… a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9). When the priest entered the sanctuary, the shining words declared that any sacrifice he offered was acceptable only because God Himself had set the offerer apart (Hebrews 2:17). Holiness is not optional; it is the believer’s identity (Romans 12:1).

Exodus 28:36 weaves doctrine into a single golden plate: God commands precise obedience, demands pure materials that reflect His own purity, engraves His unchangeable claim, and proclaims the unambiguous status of His people—“Holy to the Lord.” The verse calls every follower of Christ to display the same visible, uncompromising devotion in a world that desperately needs to see what belonging to the Holy One truly looks like.

(36-39) The head-dress of the high priest was to be of fine white linen (shesh) and appears by the description of Josephus (Ant. Jud.iii. 7, ? 3) to have been a turban, made of several thick swathes or folds in the usual way. It was to be adorned in front with a plate of pure gold bearing the inscription "Holiness to Jehovah," which was to be attached to the linen fabric by a ribbon or "lace" of blue.

(36)Thou shalt make a plate.--The plate is so much of the essence of the mitre that it is put forward first, as that whereto all the rest is subordinate. It was to be "of pure gold," and "fastened on high upon the mitre" (Exodus 39:31); so catching the eye even more than the breastplate, and drawing men's special attention. But the plate itself was only the vehicle for an inscription, and thus men's attention would be especially directed to that. It taught the great truth that religion culminates in "Holiness to Jehovah," without which all else is worthless--forms, ceremonies, priestly attire, sacrifice, prayer, are mockeries. It required primarily the high priest himself to be holy; but it was a call also to the whole nation, whose representative the high priest was, that they should be "a holy nation," "a kingdom of priests" (Exodus 19:6), and should consecrate themselves heart and soul to Jehovah.