Exodus 30:6
in Exodus 30Place the altar in front of the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony—before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Exodus 30
Commentary
7 notes on this verseBefore the mercy-seat that is over the testimony - These words in the original are supposed to be a repetition, by mistake, of the preceding clause; the word הפרכת happarocheth, the veil, being corrupted by interchanging two letters into הכפרת haccapporeth, the mercy-seat; and this, as Dr. Kennicott observes, places the altar of incense before the mercy-seat, and consequently In the holy of holies! Now this could not be, as the altar of incense was attended every day, and the holy of holies entered only once in the year.
This site's exposition
put it before the vail
on Exodus 30:6-8
The altar stands outside the vail and its smoke goes over it, so the incense reaches where the priest may not. Burning it is tied to the lamps rather than given an hour of its own, once when the lamps are dressed and once when they are lit, which makes the light and the incense one daily duty. Luke 1:9-10 has Zacharias at this altar while the whole multitude prayed outside at the hour of incense, and Revelation 5:8 calls the odours the prayers of saints.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
The ark of the covenant, which was inside the veil, … very suitably symbolizes the nature of [Christ's] humanity. The urn [containing] manna symbolizes the fullness of his divinity. The staff of Aaron symbolizes the indestructible power of his priesthood, [and] the tablets of the …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
This altar typified the mediation of Christ: the brazen altar in the court was a type of Christ dying on earth; the golden altar in the sanctuary was a type of Christ interceding in heaven. This altar was before the mercy- seat, for Christ always appears in the presence of God for us; and his intercession is unto God of a sweet smelling savour.
Thou shalt put it before the vail,....
That Aaron was to burn sweet incense upon this altar, every morning and every evening, about half a pound at a time, which was intended, not only to take away the ill smell of the flesh that was burnt daily on the brazen altar, but for the honour of God, and to show the acceptableness of his people's services to him, and the pleasure which they should take in ministering to him,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
In the style of the sacred writers, incense was a symbol or emblem of prayer (Ps 141:2; From the uniform combination of the two services, it is evident that the incense was an emblem of the prayers of sincere worshippers ascending to heaven in the cloud of perfume; and, accordingly, the priest who officiated at this altar typified the intercessory office of Christ (Lu 1:10;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְנָתַתָּ֤ה | venatatah | and you will put | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֹתוֹ֙ | ʾoto | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לִפְנֵ֣י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הַפָּרֹ֔כֶת | haparokhet | the curtain | H6532 → | 25 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֖ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | [is] on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֲרֹ֣ן | ʾaron | [the] ark of | H727 → | 202 times |
| הָעֵדֻ֑ת | haedut | the testimony | H5715 → | 59 times |
| לִפְנֵ֣י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הַכַּפֹּ֗רֶת | hakaporet | the atonement cover | H3727 → | 27 times |
| אֲשֶׁר֙ | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | [is] on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָ֣עֵדֻ֔ת | haedut | the testimony | H5715 → | 59 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֛ר | ʾasher | where | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אִוָּעֵ֥ד | ʾivaed | I will meet | H3259 → | 29 times |
| לְךָ֖ | lekha | <to> <the> you | ||
| שָֽׁמָּה׃ | shamah | there <towards> | H8033 → | 834 times |
וְנָתַתָּ֤הand you will put
venatatahH5414 →2011 times
אֹתוֹ֙<obj.> it
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
הַפָּרֹ֔כֶתthe curtain
haparokhetH6532 →25 times
אֲשֶׁ֖רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
עַל־[is] on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
אֲרֹ֣ן[the] ark of
ʾaronH727 →202 times
הָעֵדֻ֑תthe testimony
haedutH5715 →59 times
לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
הַכַּפֹּ֗רֶתthe atonement cover
hakaporetH3727 →27 times
אֲשֶׁר֙which
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
עַל־[is] on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָ֣עֵדֻ֔תthe testimony
haedutH5715 →59 times
אֲשֶׁ֛רwhere
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אִוָּעֵ֥דI will meet
ʾivaedH3259 →29 times
לְךָ֖<to> <the> you
lekha
שָֽׁמָּה׃there <towards>
shamahH8033 →834 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Chronicles 28:11Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, storehouses, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the mercy seat.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 28:19
“All this,” said David, “all the details of this plan, the LORD has made clear to me in writing by His hand upon me.”
- 1 Kings 6:3
The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple was twenty cubits long, extending across the width of the temple and projecting out ten cubits in front of the temple.
- Exodus 25:40
See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
- Exodus 25:17–22
And you are to construct a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.
- 1 Chronicles 28:19
Through
Exodus 40:26Moses placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil,
it leads to
- Exodus 40:5
Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony, and hang the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.
- Exodus 40:5
Through
Leviticus 16:13He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die.
it leads to
- Exodus 25:21
Set the mercy seat atop the ark, and put the Testimony that I will give you into the ark.
- Exodus 30:7–8
And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.
- Exodus 25:21
Through
Numbers 17:4Place the staffs in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I meet with you.
it leads to
- Exodus 30:36
Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
- Exodus 30:36
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Exodus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services; Bede, Homilies on the Gospels 2.25; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.