Exodus 25:10

The Ark

10 “Have them make an ark^[a] of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.^[b]

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Exodus 25:10 in Other Translations

KJV

10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

ESV

10 "They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.

NLT

10 “Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

MSG

10 "First let them make a Chest using acacia wood: make it three and three-quarters feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide and deep

CSB

10 "They are to make an ark of acacia wood, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

Exodus 25:10 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 25:10

And they shall make an ark of shittim wood
A chest or coffer to put things into, and into this were to be put the two tables of stone on which the law was written, and it was to be made of the wood before mentioned, ( Exodus 25:5 ) this was a very eminent type of Christ, with whom the name of an ark, chest, or coffer where treasure lies, agrees; for the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and the riches of grace, even all the fulness of it, lie in him; and all the epithets of this ark are suitable to him, as when it is called the ark of God, the ark of his strength, the glory of God, the face of God, Jehovah, and God himself, the holy ark, and ark of the covenant: and its being made of "shittim wood", which is an incorruptible wood, a wood that rots not, by which the Septuagint version here, and in ( Exodus 25:5 ) and elsewhere render it, may denote the duration of Christ in his person, and the natures united in it; in his divine nature, from everlasting to everlasting, he is God; in his human nature he saw no corruption, and though he died he lived again, and lives for evermore; in his offices, as Mediator, Redeemer, Saviour, prophet, priest, and King, he abideth for ever; and in his grace and the fulness of it, which, like himself, is the same today, yesterday, and forever:

two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a
half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof;
if this cubit was a common cubit, consisting of a foot and a half or eighteen inches, then the length of this ark was forty five inches, and its breadth and height twenty seven each; according to Dr. Cumberland {k}, the Egyptian and Jewish cubit was above twenty one inches, and then the ark must be fifty three inches long or more, and thirty two and three quarters broad and high, or more: and Josephus ^F12 says, the length of it was five spans, and the breadth and height of it three spans each.

FOOTNOTES:

F11 Of Scripture Weights and Measures, ch. 2. p. 34, 56.
F12 Antiqu. l. 3. c. 6. sect. 5.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Exodus 25:10 In-Context

8 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.

9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

10 “Have them make an ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.

11 Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.

12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other.

Cross References 1

1. Deuteronomy 10:1-5; 1 Kings 6:19; Hebrews 9:4

Footnotes 2

[a]. That is, a chest
[b]. That is, about 3 3/4 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide and high or about 1.1 meters long and 68 centimeters wide and high; similarly in verse 17