Place the altar in front of the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony—before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you.
- KJV And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.
- NKJV And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.
- NASB You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the atoning cover that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you.
- NLT Place the incense altar just outside the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant, in front of the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that covers the tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. I will meet with you there.
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 incense altar was placed before the veil, near the ark and mercy seat where God met His people. Prayer and worship were directed toward God's atoning presence.
Overview
Positioned just outside the veil, the incense altar stood as close as possible to the ark and the mercy seat. This placement linked the ascending incense to the place of atonement and God's meeting with Israel. It foreshadows Christ, whose intercession rises before the true mercy seat, having opened the way through the veil by His flesh (Hebrews 10:19-20).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Exod 25:21–22Set the mercy seat atop the ark, and put the Testimony that I will give you into the ark.
- Heb 9:3–5Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,
- Heb 4:16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
- Exod 40:26Moses placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil,
- Exod 29:42–43For the generations to come, this burnt offering shall be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet you to speak with you.
- Exod 40:3Put the ark of the Testimony in it and screen off the ark with the veil.
- Exod 26:31–35Make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
- Exod 40:5Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony, and hang the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.
- Lev 16:13He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die.
- Num 17:4Place the staffs in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I meet with you.
- Matt 27:51At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.
- 1 Chr 28:11Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, storehouses, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the mercy seat.
- Exod 30:36Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
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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 30:6 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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