Exodus 25:21

Exo 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

Ver. 21. Above upon the ark.] The ark covering the law within it, the mercy seat upon it, and over them two cherubims covering one another, did typify Christ covering the curses of the law, in whom is the ground of all mercy; "which things the angels desire to pry into," {1Pe 1:12} as into the pattern of God’s deep wisdoms. {Eph 3:10}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21. Cf. Exo_40:20.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood,.... As the sanctuary or tabernacle was an house for God to dwell in, he would have the proper furniture of an house, as a table, candlestick, &c. This table was to be in the same place with the ark and mercy seat; they were set in the holy of holies, where there were nothing else; but this in the holy place, on the north side of it, Exo 26:35 its principal use was to set the shewbread on, as after mentioned, and was typical of Christ, and communion with him, both in this life, and that to come. There is the table of the Lord, to which his people are now admitted, where he sits down with them, and they with him, to have fellowship with him in the ministration of the word and ordinances, of which he is the sum and substance; and this is very desirable and delightful, and an instance of his condescending grace, Sol 1:12, and he will have a table in his kingdom hereafter, where his saints shall eat and drink with him, in which their chief happiness will consist, Luk 22:30 This table may be considered as typical of Christ himself, for he is both table and provisions and everything to his people; and of him in both his natures; in his human nature, it being made of shittim wood, incorruptible; for though Christ died in, that nature, yet he saw no corruption, he rose again and lives for evermore; in his divine nature, by the gold it was covered with:

two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof; it was two Jewish square cubits in length, which are about six English square feet and above half, viz. ninety four inches, according to Bishop Cumberland (t). It was neither so long nor so broad as the ark by half a cubit, but was of the same height with it, being about thirty two inches high and three quarters, according to the Jewish and Egyptian cubit, which was about twenty one inches and more and was a proper height for a table; and this measure, no doubt, takes in the thickness of the table, and the height of the seat, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra observe.

(t) Ut supra. (Of Scripture Weights and Measures, ch. 2. p. 34, 36.)

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Or, after thou shalt have put in the ark; for the ark was not to be opened after the covering was put upon it. The Hebrew particle vau oft signifies after that, as Jer 43:13; 51:60.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Thou shalt put the mercy seat above the ark. Rather, "upon the ark shalt cover the ark with it." This had not been expressed previously, though the dimensions (ver. 17), compared with those of the ark (ver. 10), would naturally have suggested the idea. In the ark thou shalt put the testimony. This is a mere repetition of verse 16, marking the special importance which attached to the provision.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

ואל הארן תתן את העדות AND IN THE ARK THOU SHALT PUT THE TESTIMONY — I do not know why this is repeated for it has already been commanded, (v. 16) “and thou shalt put the Testimony in the ark”. One may say that it intends to tell us that whilst the ark is still by itself — i. e. without the cover — he should first put the Testimony into it, and only afterwards should he put the cover on it for the first time. Thus indeed do we find: that when he (Moses) erected the Tabernacle it is stated, (Exodus 40:20) “and he [took and] put the Testimony into the ark”, and afterwards it says, “and he put the cover upon the ark above it” (cf. Talmud Yerushalmi Shekalim 6:1).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

AND IN THE ARK THOU SHALT PUT THE TESTIMONY THAT I SHALL GIVE THEE. “I do not know why this is repeated, for it has already been stated [in Verse 16], And thou shalt put into the ark the Testimony which I shall give thee? One may answer that it intends to teach us that while the ark was still by itself, without its cover, he should first place the Testimony into it and then place the cover on it [for the first time]. Thus we find also when Moses set up the Tabernacle that Scripture says, And he put the Testimony into the ark, and after that it says, and he put the cover of the ark above.” This is Rashi’s language.But if this be a command [as Rashi has it], the sense thereof would rather seem to be that after he puts the cover on the ark as G-d had commanded, [he should then remove the cover and] put the Testimony into the ark, for the term “ark” applies also when there is a cover on it. Moreover, one can also ask why did Scripture repeat the phrase from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the Testimony, when it is known already from the preceding verses that the cherubim are upon the ark of Testimony? And what need is there to explain this again, seeing that He has already stated, from above the ark-cover, from between the two cherubim? But the explanation thereof is as follows: Because He had commanded that the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high, but had not said why they should be made altogether, and what function they should serve in the Tabernacle, and why they should be in that form, therefore He now said, and thou shalt put the ark-cover with the cherubim, for they are all one, above upon the ark, because in the ark thou shalt put the Testimony that I shall give thee, so that there be for Me a Throne of Glory, for there will I meet with thee and I will cause My Glory to dwell upon them, and I will speak with thee from above the ark-cover, from between the two cherubim because it is upon the ark of the testimony. It is thus identical with the Divine Chariot which the prophet Ezekiel saw, of which he said, This is the living creature that I saw under the G-d of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim. This is why He is called He Who sitteth upon the cherubim, for they spread out their wings on high in order to teach us that they are the Chariot who carry the Glory, just as it is said, and gold for the pattern of the chariot, even the cherubim, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Eternal, as I have mentioned.In the opinion of our Rabbis the cherubim had the forms of a human being, the word being of the Aramaic language which calls a lad ravya. In that case the letter kaf in the word k’rubim (cherubim) is not part of the root of the word, but merely serves in a comparative function [meaning “as lads”], the name indicating their substance. If you will further contemplate as to why their faces were turned one to another, and why they were of beaten work, you will be able to know that it was proper for them that they be spreading out their wings on high, for they are the throne of the Supreme One, sheltering the Testimony which is the writing of G-d. This is the meaning of the expression, the pattern of the chariot, for the cherubim which Ezekiel saw carrying the Glory are the pattern of the cherubim [on high], these being the Glory and the tipheret (beauty); and the cherubim which were in the Tabernacle and in the Sanctuary were of a likeness to them, for one higher than the high watcheth, and there are higher than they. And this is the meaning of and I knew [and not “and I saw”], for Ezekiel saw one and knew the other [on high]. This is why he said “they” [and I knew that ‘they’ were cherubim]. The student learned in the mysteries of the Cabala will understand.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.