Exodus 37:6
in Exodus 37He constructed a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he made a mercy-seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
KJV
And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
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This verse in Exodus 37
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
he made the mercy seat of pure gold
on Exodus 37:6-9
The mercy seat is solid gold rather than wood overlaid with gold, and it is the one piece of furniture given a length and a breadth with no height, here and at the command in 25:17. The cherubims are beaten out of that same piece, so the guards and the seat are a single object, and their faces are turned inward and down toward it. Cherubims stood at the east of Eden in Genesis 3:24 keeping the way, and here they look at the place where blood is put. The Septuagint renders mercy seat with the Greek hilasterion, the word Romans 3:25 uses of Christ, and Hebrews 9:5 calls these the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
made the mercy seat of pure gold--To construct a figure, whether the body of a beast or a man, with two extended wings, measuring from two to three feet from tip to tip, with the hammer, out of a solid piece of gold, was what few, if any, artisans of the present day could accomplish.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
He made the mercy-seat - See this described Exo 25:17 (note).
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּ֥עַשׂ | vaiyaas | and he made | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| כַּפֹּ֖רֶת | kaporet | an atonement cover of | H3727 → | 27 times |
| זָהָ֣ב | zahav | gold | H2091 → | 389 times |
| טָה֑וֹר | tahor | pure | H2889 → | 94 times |
| אַמָּתַ֤יִם | ʾamatayim | [was] two cubits | H520 → | 247 times |
| וָחֵ֙צִי֙ | vachetzi | and a half | H2677 → | 125 times |
| אָרְכָּ֔הּ | ʾarekah | length its | H753 → | 95 times |
| וְאַמָּ֥ה | veamah | and [was] a cubit | H520 → | 247 times |
| וָחֵ֖צִי | vachetzi | and a half | H2677 → | 125 times |
| רָחְבָּֽהּ׃ | rachebah | breadth its | H7341 → | 101 times |
וַיַּ֥עַשׂand he made
vaiyaasH6213 →2628 times
כַּפֹּ֖רֶתan atonement cover of
kaporetH3727 →27 times
זָהָ֣בgold
zahavH2091 →389 times
טָה֑וֹרpure
tahorH2889 →94 times
אַמָּתַ֤יִם[was] two cubits
ʾamatayimH520 →247 times
וָחֵ֙צִי֙and a half
vachetziH2677 →125 times
אָרְכָּ֔הּlength its
ʾarekahH753 →95 times
וְאַמָּ֥הand [was] a cubit
veamahH520 →247 times
וָחֵ֖צִיand a half
vachetziH2677 →125 times
רָחְבָּֽהּ׃breadth its
rachebahH7341 →101 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
Titus 2:14He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
it leads to
- Hebrews 9:14
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!
- Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.
- 1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
- 1 Peter 1:18
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,
- Titus 3:8
This saying is trustworthy. And I want you to emphasize these things, so that those who have believed God will take care to devote themselves to good deeds. These things are excellent and profitable…
- Hebrews 9:14
Through
Romans 3:25God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.
it leads to
- Romans 3:23–24
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
- 1 Peter 1:18–20
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,
- 1 John 4:10
And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
- Romans 3:23–24
About Exodus

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Sir Robert Anderson, Types in Hebrews.
