The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering,
Parallel translations
- WEB the ark, and its poles, the mercy seat, the veil of the screen;
- BSB the ark with its poles and mercy seat, and the veil to shield it;
- NKJV the ark and its poles, with the mercy seat, and the veil of the covering;
- NASB the ark and its poles, the atoning cover, and the covering curtain;
- NLT the Ark and its carrying poles; the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement; the inner curtain to shield 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 ark, its poles, the mercy seat, and the veil are to be made for the Most Holy Place.
Overview
These were the holiest furnishings: the ark holding the covenant, the mercy seat where atonement was made, and the veil separating God's presence. The mercy seat was the focal point of Israel's atonement on the Day of Atonement. It points to Christ, the true place of mercy, whose death tore the veil so we may draw near (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 10:19-20).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Exod 25:10–22And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
- Exod 26:31–33And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
- Exod 37:1–9And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:
- Exod 26:7And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.
- Exod 36:35–36And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 35:12 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.