Exodus 25:17-27

17 And thou shalt make a propitiatory of cleanest gold; that is, a table covering the ark [that is, a place of purchasing mercy]; the length thereof shall hold two cubits and an half, [and] the breadth shall hold one cubit and an half. (And thou shalt make the mercy seat, that is, a lid to cover the Ark, out of pure gold; its length shall be two and a half cubits, and its breadth shall be one and a half cubits.)
18 Also thou shalt make on ever either side of God's answering place, two cherubims of gold, and beaten out with an hammer; (And thou shalt make for each end of the propitiatory, or the mercy seat, two gold cherubim, beaten out with a hammer;)
19 one cherub be on one side of God's answering place, and the tother in the tother side; cover they ever either side of the propitiatory, (one cherub shall be at one end of the lid, and the other cherub shall be at the other end of the lid; and the cherubim shall be made so that they form one piece with the propitiatory,)
20 and hold they forth the(ir) wings, and cover they God's answering place; and behold they themselves together, while their faces be turned in to the propitiatory, (and their wings shall be spread out, and they shall cover the lid; and they shall face each other, but their faces shall be turned down toward the propitiatory,)
21 with which the ark of the Lord shall be covered, in which ark thou shalt put the witnessing, that is, the (tablets of the) law, that I shall give to thee.
22 From thence I shall command, and I shall speak to thee above the propitiatory, that is, from the midst of [the] two cherubims, that shall be on the ark of witnessing, all things which I shall command by thee to the sons of Israel. (From there I shall command, and I shall speak to thee from above the propitiatory, that is, from the midst of the two cherubim, who shall be over the Ark of the Witnessing, all the things which I shall command by thee to the Israelites.)
23 Also thou shalt make a board of the wood of shittim, having two cubits of length, and one cubit of broadness, and one cubit and an half in height. (And thou shalt make a table out of shittim wood, two cubits in length, one cubit in breadth, and one and a half cubits in height.)
24 And thou shalt overgild the board with most pure gold, and thou shalt make to it a golden brink about; (And thou shalt gild the table with pure gold, and thou shalt put a gold band all around it;)
25 and thou shalt make to that brink a crown raised betwixt four fingers high, and thou shalt make on that another little golden crown. (and thou shalt make a gold rim four fingers high around that band, and thou shalt put another gold band around the rim.)
26 And thou shalt make ready four golden rings, and thou shalt put them in [the] four corners of the same board, by all the feet thereof. (And thou shalt make four gold rings, and thou shalt fasten them to the four corners of the table, by its legs.)
27 Under the crown shall be (the) golden rings, that the bars be put through them, and so the table may be borne. (And the gold rings shall be fastened near the rim, for the bars to be put through, so that the table can be carried.)

Exodus 25:17-27 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.