Exodus 25:12-22

12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put [them] in its four corners; and two rings [shall be] in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.

13 And thou shalt make staffs [of] shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

14 And thou shalt put the staffs into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.

15 The staffs shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.

16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.

17 And thou shalt make a mercy-seat [of] pure gold: two cubits and a half [shall be] its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.

18 And thou shalt make two cherubim [of] gold, [of] beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy-seat.

19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: [even] of the mercy-seat shall ye make the cherubim on its two ends.

20 And the cherubim shall stretch forth [their] wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, and their faces [shall look] one to another; towards the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

21 And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which [are] upon the ark of the testimony, of all [things] which I will give thee in commandment to the children of Israel.

Exodus 25:12-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 25

In this chapter an order is given for a freewill offering towards various things for the worship and service of God, and the materials to be offered, which would be useful and acceptable, are mentioned particularly, Ex 25:1-7, as also another order to build a sanctuary for God, after a model that he would give, Ex 25:8,9, and, an ark to put in the law on tables of stone, the fashion of which, and the various things belonging to it, are described, Ex 25:10-16, and a mercy seat with cherubim on it to be set over the ark, where the Lord promises to meet Moses and commune with him, Ex 25:17-22 and a table with various appurtenances to it to place the shewbread on, Ex 25:23-30 and a candlestick of gold, whose parts are described, and all the instruments relative to it, Ex 25:31-40.