Put the ark of the Testimony in it and screen off the ark with the veil.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall put the ark of the testimony in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.
- KJV And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.
- NKJV You shall put in it the ark of the Testimony, and partition off the ark with the veil.
- NASB You shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen off the ark with the veil.
- NLT Place the Ark of the Covenant inside, and install the inner curtain to enclose the Ark within the Most Holy Place.
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
Moses was to place the ark of the testimony inside and screen it with the veil. The holiest object was to be set and shielded first.
Overview
The ark, containing the covenant law, was positioned in the Most Holy Place and hidden behind the veil, for God's holy presence could not be casually approached. The veil guarded the way, teaching the seriousness of sin's separation from God. Its later tearing in Christ shows that He has opened the once-closed way into God's presence (Hebrews 10:19-20).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Exod 35:12the ark with its poles and mercy seat, and the veil to shield it;
- Num 4:5Whenever the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons are to go in, take down the veil of the curtain, and cover the ark of the Testimony with it.
- Rev 11:19Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.
- Exod 25:22And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony; I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.
- Lev 16:14And he is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat.
- Exod 40:20–21Moses took the Testimony and placed it in the ark, attaching the poles to the ark; and he set the mercy seat atop the ark.
- Exod 26:31Make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
- Exod 36:35–36Next, he made the veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
- Exod 37:1–9Bezalel went on to construct the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.
- Exod 26:33–34And hang the veil from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the veil. So the veil will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
- Exod 25:10And they are to construct an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.
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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 40:3 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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