Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.
- KJV And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
- BSB Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, in order to carry it.
- NKJV You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them.
- NASB You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The poles were to be inserted into the rings on the ark's sides for carrying. The ark was to be borne, not dragged or touched directly.
Overview
Placing the poles through the side rings ensured the ark could be transported reverently on the shoulders of the Levites. This method protected the holiness of God's throne, as later episodes tragically showed when it was mishandled. The design reflects the seriousness with which God's presence was to be treated. It teaches that nearness to God is a gift to be received with reverence and obedience.
Cross-references & the web
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 25:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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