Leviticus 8:9

the mitre turban as R.V. mg. Heb. miẓnéphethin Lev. here and Leviticus 16:4 (the linen mitre) only: in Exod. (in the cognate passages) Exodus 28:4; Exodus 28:37; Exodus 28:39; Exodus 29:6; Exodus 39:28; Exodus 39:31. It was made of fine linen; tradition describes it as 24 ft. long, so it was probably wound round the head like a turban. Besides the passages quoted, where it denotes the headdress of the high priest, it occurs only in Ezekiel 21:26 (Heb. 31). (mitreR.V., diademA.V.). Another word (ẓânîph) from the same root occurs Isaiah 62:3 (Ḳ"ri), translated -diadem," in parallelism with the common Heb. word for -crown"; and in Zechariah 3:5 with reference to the high priest Joshua. It is strange that ẓânîphshould be used in the Zechariah passage to denote a mitre for the high priest, if miẓnéphethwere already the technical term used for that portion of his attire.

Josephus (Ant.iii. 7. 6) says that the high priest's mitre was like that of all the other priests, but another word is used (see Leviticus 8:13) for the head-dress of Aaron's sons. He describes fully another mitre with a triple golden crown. This was probably an ornament added in later times. Alexander Balas sent a purple robe and a crown of gold to Jonathan which he wore at the Feast of Tabernacles b.c. 153 (1Ma 10:20). This may be the crown described by Josephus.

upon the mitre, in front In A.V. -upon his forefront," -his" refers to the mitre and in modern English would be -its."

the golden plate, the holy crown The golden plate is described Exodus 28:36-37. The Heb. word (ẓîẓ), translated -plate," implies something bright and glittering, and is elsewhere used of a flower. The plate was fastened by its lace of blue to the turban (Exodus 28:37; Exodus 39:31) and would appear as an ornament or diadem in the headgear of the high priest. It is called -the holy crown" in Exodus 29:6, and here both names are given to it. The same combination occurs in Exodus 39:30 where the English -the plate of the holy crown of pure gold" conveys the impression that the -plate" and the -crown" are different instead of synonymous.