Read & Study the Bible Online - Bible Portal
Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 25:10-22

The first thing which is here ordered to be made is the ark with its appurtenances, the furniture of the most holy place, and the special token of God's presence, for which the tabernacle was erected to be the receptacle. I. The ark itself was a chest, or coffer, in which the two tables of the law, written with the finger of God, were to be honourably deposited, and carefully kept. The dimensions of it are exactly ordered; if the Jewish cubit was, as some learned men compute, three inches... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 25:22

And there I will meet with thee ,.... With Moses, and so with the high priest in later times, when he should enter into the holy of holies, and with the people of God as represented by him, when he should go in and inquire for them of the Lord: and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim ; converse with him and them about whatsoever they should apply unto him for, these being the symbols of the divine presence: hence the Lord is frequently... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 25:22

And there I will meet with thee - That is, over the mercy-seat, between the cherubim. In this place God chose to give the most especial manifestations of himself; here the Divine glory was to be seen; and here Moses was to come in order to consult Jehovah, relative to the management of the people. Ainsworth has remarked that the rabbins say, "The heart of man may be likened to God's sanctuary; for as, in the sanctuary, the shechinah or Divine glory dwelt, because there were the ark, the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 25:10-22

The symbolism of the ark of the covenant. The symbolical meaning of the ark of the covenant may be considered, either I. SEPARATELY , AS TO ITS PARTS . These were II. COLLECTIVELY , AS TO THE BEARING OF THE SEVERAL PARTS ONE UPON ANOTHER . The teaching of the ark in this respect was, primarily, that of David in the eighty-fifth psalm: "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." Mercy without justice is a weak... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 25:10-40

What must be found with every soul that is God's dwelling-place I. THE ARK ( Exodus 25:10-22 ). The place where the Lord meets and communes with us. 1 . It contained the testimony. The light of the meeting-place with God is the word concerning righteousness and sin. There is no communion with God if that be left out. The law which searches and condemns us must be honoured as God's testimony. 2 . Between God and the law we have broken is the mercy seat, sin's glorious... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 25:10-40

The ark, the table, and the candlestick. The instructions for the making of these essential parts of the tabernacle furniture occupy the remainder of the chapter. The directions for making the altar of incense are postponed to Exodus 30:1-10 . The reason seems to be that the uses of this altar could not be described without reference to commands which were to be given respecting the altar of burnt-offering—to which the altar of incense stood in a certain relation of dependence—and to the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 25:22

And there I will meet with thee . The whole of the foregoing description has been subordinate to this. In all the arrange-meats for the tabernacle God was, primarily and mainly, providing a fit place where he might manifest himself to Moses and his successors. The theocracy was to be a government by God in reality, and not in name only. There was to be constant "communing" between God and the earthly ruler of the nation, and therefore a place of communing. Compare Exodus 29:42-45 . The... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Exodus 25:17-22

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 25:18-20The cherubim of the mercy-seat were human figures, each having two wings. They must have been of small size, proportioned... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Exodus 25:18-22

Exodus 25:18-22. The cherubim ( cherubim is the plural of cherub, not cherubims) were fixed to the mercy-seat, and of a piece with it, and spread their wings over it. It is supposed these were designed to represent the holy angels, (who always attend the Shechinah, or divine majesty,) not by any effigies of an angel, but some emblem of the angelical nature, probably one or more of those four faces spoken of Ezekiel 1:10. Whatever the faces were, they looked one toward another, ... read more

Group of Brands