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:

EXODUS 40:20KJV
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Exodus 40:20 (KJV)

What does Exodus 40:20 mean?

Exodus 40:20 describes how Moses placed the tablets of the testimony—the stone tablets with the commandments—inside the ark, attached the carrying poles to the ark, and set the mercy seat (the cover) on top of the ark. This verse records the careful assembly of the most sacred object in the tabernacle, following God’s instructions.

In this scene, Moses is setting up the tabernacle as God commanded, with special attention to the ark, which symbolized God’s presence among the Israelites. The “testimony” refers to the covenant tablets, the “ark” is the sacred chest, the “staves” are the poles for carrying it, and the “mercy seat” is the gold cover placed above. This verse highlights the reverence and precision with which Israel’s most holy objects were handled.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 40:20

  • “Testimony” (עֵדֻת, ʿedut): This word refers to the tablets containing the commandments, seen as God’s witness or covenant with Israel. Calling them the “testimony” emphasizes their role as a sign of the relationship between God and the people.
  • “Ark” (אָרוֹן, aron): This is the chest designed to hold the testimony. Its repeated mention in the verse underscores its central importance in Israel’s worship.
  • “Mercy seat” (כַּפֹּרֶת, kapporet): This is the gold cover placed above the ark. The word carries the idea of a place of atonement or covering, which later becomes significant in Israel’s rituals for seeking forgiveness.

Why Exodus 40:20 matters

  • Exodus 40:20 clarifies that the tablets were placed inside the ark, not just near it, showing the ark’s role as the container of God’s covenant with Israel.
  • The verse shows Moses’ careful obedience to God’s instructions, highlighting the importance of following divine directions exactly in matters of worship.
  • By mentioning the mercy seat being set “above upon the ark,” the verse connects the physical arrangement to later practices where the mercy seat is seen as the place of God’s presence and forgiveness.

Where else these words appear

“seat” Hebrew H3727 · used in 22 verses

  • Exodus 25:17 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 30:6 And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.
  • Exodus 39:35 The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat,

“staves” Hebrew H905 · used in 50 verses

  • Genesis 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
  • Exodus 37:4 And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.
  • Numbers 11:14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

“testimony” Hebrew H5715 · used in 57 verses

  • Exodus 16:34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
  • Exodus 40:21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
  • 1 Chronicles 29:19 And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.

“above” Hebrew H4605 · used in 134 verses

  • Genesis 6:16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
  • Numbers 4:35 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation:
  • 2 Chronicles 16:12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.