Exodus 25:22

22 inde praecipiam et loquar ad te supra propitiatorio scilicet ac medio duorum cherubin qui erunt super arcam testimonii cuncta quae mandabo per te filiis Israhel

Exodus 25:22 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 25:22

And there I will meet with thee
With Moses, and so with the high priest in later times, when he should enter into the holy of holies, and with the people of God as represented by him, when he should go in and inquire for them of the Lord:

and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between
the two cherubim;
converse with him and them about whatsoever they should apply unto him for, these being the symbols of the divine presence: hence the Lord is frequently described as "dwelling between the cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony"; that is, which cherubim are upon it, being on the mercy seat, which was the cover of it; or rather "which is upon" F19, which mercy seat is upon the ark of the testimony, as it properly was; and here the Lord promises to commune

of all things which I shall give thee in commandment unto the children
of Israel:
what they shall do, respecting those things which by Moses, or the high priest, they should inquire the mind and will of God about: this may signify that the way to communion with God lies through Christ, the mercy seat and propitiation, through his blood and righteousness, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh; and the encouragement to it is from him, our great high priest, and from his propitiatory sacrifice; and the enjoyment of it is through him; our fellowship is with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ; God speaks to us by him, and reveals himself in him.


FOOTNOTES:

F19 (le rva) "quod est", Vatablus.

Exodus 25:22 In-Context

20 utrumque latus propitiatorii tegant expandentes alas et operientes oraculum respiciantque se mutuo versis vultibus in propitiatorium quo operienda est arca
21 in qua pones testimonium quod dabo tibi
22 inde praecipiam et loquar ad te supra propitiatorio scilicet ac medio duorum cherubin qui erunt super arcam testimonii cuncta quae mandabo per te filiis Israhel
23 facies et mensam de lignis setthim habentem duos cubitos longitudinis et in latitudine cubitum et in altitudine cubitum ac semissem
24 et inaurabis eam auro purissimo faciesque illi labium aureum per circuitum
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.