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.

EXODUS 25:17KJV
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Exodus 25:17 (KJV)

What does Exodus 25:17 mean?

Exodus 25:17 instructs that a "mercy seat" made of pure gold should be constructed, with specific dimensions: two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. This verse gives precise directions for making a key part of the Ark of the Covenant, which was central to Israel's worship.

In this passage, God is speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, giving detailed instructions for building the tabernacle and its furnishings. The "mercy seat" was the cover for the Ark, symbolizing God's presence and mercy among the Israelites. The exact measurements and the use of pure gold highlight the importance and sacredness of this object in Israel's worship life.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 25:17

  • "Mercy seat" (כַּפֹּרֶת, kapporet): This word refers to the cover or lid of the Ark of the Covenant. It is often understood as the place where God's presence would appear and where atonement was made.
  • "Pure" (טָהוֹר, tahor): This word means clean or unalloyed, emphasizing that the gold used was of the highest quality, set apart for a holy purpose.
  • "Cubit" (אַמָּה, ammah): This is an ancient unit of measurement, roughly the length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, often estimated at about 18 inches (45 cm). The use of cubits gives us a sense of the actual size of the mercy seat.

Why Exodus 25:17 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the mercy seat was not just any cover, but a specially crafted, sacred object made to exact specifications, showing the seriousness of approaching God.
  • The focus on pure gold and precise measurements underlines the value and holiness of what was being built, setting it apart from ordinary objects.
  • Understanding the mercy seat's role helps make sense of later passages where it becomes the place of atonement and God's meeting point with Moses and the people.

Where else these words appear

“seat” Hebrew H3727 · used in 22 verses

  • Exodus 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
  • Exodus 31:7 The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,
  • Exodus 40:20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:

“pure” Hebrew H2889 · used in 87 verses

  • Genesis 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
  • Exodus 39:30 And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
  • Deuteronomy 12:15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

“breadth” Hebrew H7341 · used in 89 verses

  • Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
  • 1 Kings 7:2 He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.
  • Ezekiel 41:3 Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door, two cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits.

“length” Hebrew H753 · used in 90 verses

  • Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
  • 1 Kings 6:20 And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
  • Ezekiel 40:36 The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.