Amplified Bible
Exodus 25:17
17“You shall make a mercy seat (cover) of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.
Exodus 25:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
- New International Version (NIV)“Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width.
Context of Exodus 25:17
15The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it [so that the ark itself need not be touched]. 16You shall put into the ark the Testimony (Ten Commandments) which I will give you. “You shall make a mercy seat (cover) of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. 18You shall make two cherubim (winged angelic figures) of [solid] hammered gold at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19Make one cherub at each end, making the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends.
Read all of Exodus 25Exodus 25:17 word by word
וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ כַפֹּ֖רֶת זָהָ֣ב טָה֑וֹר אַמָּתַ֤יִם וָחֵ֙צִי֙ אָרְכָּ֔הּ וְאַמָּ֥ה וָחֵ֖צִי רָחְבָּֽהּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 25:17
- Exodus 26:34You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony in the Holy of Holies.
- Exodus 37:6Bezalel made the mercy seat of pure gold; it was two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide.
- Exodus 40:20He took the Testimony [the stones inscribed with the Ten Commandments] and put it into the ark [of the covenant], and placed the poles [through the rings] on the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark.
- Leviticus 16:12He shall take a censer full of burning coals from the [bronze] altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil [into the Most Holy Place],
- 1 Chronicles 28:11Then David gave to his son Solomon the plan for the porch of the temple, its buildings, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner rooms, and for the place for the [ark and its] mercy seat;
- Romans 3:25whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving] sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion].
- Hebrews 4:16Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].
- Hebrews 9:5and above the ark were the [golden] cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but we cannot now go into detail about these things.
- 1 John 2:2And He [that same Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins [the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature—our worldliness, our lifestyle]; and not for ours alone, but also for [the sins of all believers throughout] the whole world.
Commentaries on Exodus 25:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17A mercy-seat - כפרת capporeth, from כפר caphar, to cover or overspread; because by an act of pardon sins are represented as being covered, so that they no longer appear in the eye of Divine justice to displease, irritate, and call for punishment; and the person of the offender is covered or protected from the stroke of the broken law. In the Greek version of the Septuagint the word , hilasterion, is used, which signifies a propitiatory, and is the name…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17-22Verses 17-22 A mercy seat of pure gold - (Compare Exodus 37:6-9.) In external form, the mercy-seat was a plate of gold with the cherubim standing on it, the whole beaten out of one solid piece of metal Exodus 37:7; it was placed upon the ark and so took the place of a cover. “mercy” seat expresses well the distinct significance and recognized designation of the Hebrew name. Exodus 25:18-20 The cherubim of the mercy-seat were human figures, each having two…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-22Verses 10-22 The ark was a chest, overlaid with gold, in which the two tables of the law were to be kept. These tables are called the testimony; God in them testified his will. This law was a testimony to the Israelites, to direct them in their duty, and would be a testimony against them, if they transgressed. This ark was placed in the holy of holies; the blood of the sacrifices was sprinkled, and the incense burned, before it, by the high priest; and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17The Hebrew word translated as mercy seat means "a covering." The cover of the covenant box was where God "covered over" sin (see Leviticus 16:14–16).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold--to serve as a lid, covering it exactly. It was "the propitiatory cover," as the term may be rendered, denoting that Christ, our great propitiation [1Jo 2:2; 4:10], has fully answered all the demands of the law, covers our transgressions, and comes between us and the curse of a violated law.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 25:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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