Exodus 25:16

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 25:16

And thou shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give thee. Which was the principal use of it: by the "testimony" is meant the law, written on two tables of stone; so called, because it was a testification of the mind and will of God, what he would have done or omitted; and as the Israelites had declared their approbation of it, and assent unto it, and had promised obedience to it, therefore, should they transgress it, it would be a testimony against them: now this was put into the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 25:16

The testimony - The two tables of stone which were not yet given; these tables were called עדת eduth , from עד forward, onward, to bear witness to or of a person or thing. Not only the tables of stone, but all the contents of the ark, Aaron's rod, the pot of manna, the holy anointing oil, etc., bore testimony to the Messiah in his prophetic, sacerdotal, and regal offices. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 25:16

Verse 16 16.And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony. The title of “the testimony, ” which is often given to the law, indicates that something more is contained in it than the rule of a just and holy life; viz., the compact whereby God bound Himself to His people, and His people to Himself; therefore the words “the table of the covenant,” are afterwards used instead of “the testimony.” Thus the word עדת, (127) gneduth, in this passage, and similar ones, is equivalent to a contract, which... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 25:10-22

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 25:16

The testimony which I will give thee, is undoubtedly the Decalogue, or in other words, the two tables of stone, written with the finger of God, and forming his testimony against sin. (Compare Deuteronomy 31:26 , Deuteronomy 31:27 .) The main intention of the ark was to be a repository in which the two tables should be laid up. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Exodus 25:10-16

(compare Exodus 37:1-5). The ark is uniformly designated in Exodus the ark of the testimony. Elsewhere it is called the testimony, the ark of the covenant (most frequently in Deuteronomy and the other books of the Old Testament), the ark of the lord, the ark of god, the ark of the strength of the lord, and the holy ark.The ark of the covenant was the central point of the sanctuary. It was designed to contain the testimony Exodus 25:16; Exodus 40:20; Deuteronomy 31:26, that is, the tables of the... read more

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