Exodus 25:22

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.)

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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Exodus 25:22 In-Context

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;)