You shall put in it the ark of the Testimony, and partition 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.
- BSB Put the ark of the Testimony in it and screen 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, and its poles, the mercy seat, the veil of the screen;
- Num 4:5When the camp moves forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the Testimony with it,
- Rev 11:19God’s temple that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant was seen in his temple. Lightnings, sounds, thunders, an earthquake, and great hail followed.
- Exod 25:22There I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the testimony, all that I command you for the children of Israel.
- Lev 16:14He shall take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
- Exod 40:20–21He took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark.
- Exod 26:31“You shall make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cherubim. The work of the skillful workman shall it be made.
- Exod 36:35–36He made the veil of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim. He made it the work of a skillful workman.
- Exod 37:1–9Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Its length was two and a half cubits, and its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.
- Exod 26:33–34You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil: and the veil shall separate the holy place from the most holy for you.
- Exod 25:10“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.
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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
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.