And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I will give you.
- BSB Set the mercy seat atop the ark, and put the Testimony that I will give you into the ark.
- NKJV You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.
- NASB Then you shall put the atoning cover on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you.
- NLT Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top of the Ark.
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 mercy seat was to be set on the ark, with the testimony placed inside. The law within and the mercy seat above together form the heart of the covenant.
Overview
This verse joins the two great elements: God's holy law within the ark and the mercy seat covering it. Together they declare that God upholds His righteous standard while providing atonement to cover transgression. The arrangement is a profound picture of justice and mercy meeting. It points directly to Christ, who fulfills the law and is Himself the mercy that covers our sin before God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Exod 26:34And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.
- Rom 10:4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
- Exod 25:16–17And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 25:21 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.