Exodus 40:20

20 He took the covenant and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark, and set the mercy seat above the ark;

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 set up the tabernacle; he laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars;

19 and he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent over it; as the Lord had commanded Moses.

20 He took the covenant and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark, and set the mercy seat above the ark;

21 and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the curtain for screening, and screened the ark of the covenant; as the Lord had commanded Moses.

22 He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain,

Footnotes

• [a]. Or [treaty], or [testimony]; Heb [eduth]
• [b]. Or [the cover]