English Standard Version
Exodus 25:17
17"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.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“Then make the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold. It must be 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.
Context of Exodus 25:17
15The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you. "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. 18And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. 19Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on 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 Most Holy Place.
- Exodus 37:6And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.
- Exodus 40:20He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark.
- Leviticus 16:12And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil
- 1 Chronicles 28:11Then David gave Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule of the temple, and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat;
- Romans 3:25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
- Hebrews 4:16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
- Hebrews 9:5Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
- 1 John 2:2He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries