Exodus 40:20
in Exodus 40Moses took the Testimony and placed it in the ark, attaching the poles to the ark; and he set the mercy seat atop the ark.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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:
KJV
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:
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This verse in Exodus 40
Commentary
4 notes on this verseAnd put the testimony into the ark - That is, the two tables on which the ten commandments had been written. See Exo 25:16. The ark, the golden table with the shew-bread, the golden candlestick, and the golden altar of incense, were all in the tabernacle, within the veil or curtains, which served as a door, Exo 40:22, Exo 40:24, Exo 40:26. And the altar of burnt-offering was by the door, Exo 40:
This site's exposition
Moses took the Testimony and placed it in the ark
on Exodus 40:20-21
The Testimony placed in the ark is the second pair of tablets, cut at 34:1 after Moses broke the first at 32:19. The tablets written at 34:28 now lie under the mercy seat.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And he took and put the testimony into the ark,.... The ten commands, called the "testimony", because they testified and declared what was the will of God with respect to things to be done, or not done.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The testimony - i. e. the tables of stone with the Ten Commandments engraved on them Exo 25:16; Exo 31:18. Nothing else is said to have been put into the ark. These were found there by themselves in the time of Solomon 1Ki 8:9; 2Ch 5:10. The pot of manna was “laid up before the testimony” Exo 16:34; Aaron’s rod was also placed “before the testimony” Num 17:10; and the book of the law was put at “the side of the ark” Deu 31:26. The expression “before the testimony” appears to mean the space immediately in front of the ark. Most interpreters hold that the pot of manna and Aaron’s rod were at first placed between the ark and the veil, and afterward within the ark Heb 9:4. It is very probable that the pot and the rod had been put into the ark before it was taken by the Philistines, but that they were not sent back with the ark and the tables. 1Sa 4:11; 1Sa 6:11.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
The meaning of this is that he took the Tablets from the wooden ark in Moses’ tent which they were in, and brought them to the Tabernacle. 96 Verse.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקַּ֞ח | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| וַיִּתֵּ֤ן | vaiyiten | and he put | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָעֵדֻת֙ | haedut | the testimony | H5715 → | 59 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָ֣אָרֹ֔ן | haaron | the ark | H727 → | 202 times |
| וַיָּ֥שֶׂם | vaiyasem | and he put | H7760 → | 584 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַבַּדִּ֖ים | habadim | the poles | H905 → | 200 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָאָרֹ֑ן | haaron | the ark | H727 → | 202 times |
| וַיִּתֵּ֧ן | vaiyiten | and he put | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַכַּפֹּ֛רֶת | hakaporet | the atonement cover | H3727 → | 27 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָאָרֹ֖ן | haaron | the ark | H727 → | 202 times |
| מִלְמָֽעְלָה׃ | milmaelah | from to above <towards> | H4605 → | 140 times |
וַיִּקַּ֞חand he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
וַיִּתֵּ֤ןand he put
vaiyitenH5414 →2011 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָעֵדֻת֙the testimony
haedutH5715 →59 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָ֣אָרֹ֔ןthe ark
haaronH727 →202 times
וַיָּ֥שֶׂםand he put
vaiyasemH7760 →584 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַבַּדִּ֖יםthe poles
habadimH905 →200 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָאָרֹ֑ןthe ark
haaronH727 →202 times
וַיִּתֵּ֧ןand he put
vaiyitenH5414 →2011 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַכַּפֹּ֛רֶתthe atonement cover
hakaporetH3727 →27 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָאָרֹ֖ןthe ark
haaronH727 →202 times
מִלְמָֽעְלָה׃from to above <towards>
milmaelahH4605 →140 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
Psalms 40:8I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”
it leads to
- Romans 7:22
For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.
- John 4:34
Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
- Jeremiah 15:16
Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.
- Psalms 119:24
Your testimonies are indeed my delight; they are my counselors.
- Psalms 119:16
I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
- Romans 7:22
Through
Exodus 31:18When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 4:13
He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to follow—the Ten Commandments that He wrote on two tablets of stone.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 32:15–16
Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.
- Deuteronomy 4:13
Through
1 Kings 8:9There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after they had come out…
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.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 25:21
Where this verse is studied
About Exodus
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Sir Robert Anderson, Types in Hebrews.