Exodus 40:20

20 He took the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant and placed them inside the Ark. Then he attached the carrying poles to the Ark, and he set the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—on top of it.

Exodus 40:20 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 40:20

And he took and put the testimony into the ark
The ten commands, called the "testimony", because they testified and declared what was the will of God with respect to things to be done, or not done. The Targum of Jonathan says, he put the broken pieces of the tables into it; but what became of them, or were done with them, we nowhere read; and it does not appear that any other, but those that Moses hewed by the order of God, were put into the ark; see ( Deuteronomy 10:1-5 )

and set the staves on the ark;
that it might be ready to be carried whenever a remove was necessary:

and put the mercy seat above upon the ark;
together with the cherubim.

Exodus 40:20 In-Context

18 Moses erected the Tabernacle by setting down its bases, inserting the frames, attaching the crossbars, and setting up the posts.

19 Then he spread the coverings over the Tabernacle framework and put on the protective layers, just as the LORD had commanded him.

20 He took the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant and placed them inside the Ark. Then he attached the carrying poles to the Ark, and he set the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—on top of it.

21 Then he brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Tabernacle and hung the inner curtain to shield it from view, just as the LORD had commanded him.

22 Next Moses placed the table in the Tabernacle, along the north side of the Holy Place, just outside the inner curtain.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew He placed the Testimony; see note on 25:16 .