Exodus 25:16

25:16 You are to put into the ark the testimony ¹  that I will give to you.

Exodus 40:21

40:21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung ²  the protecting curtain, ³  and shielded the ark of the testimony from view, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹ sn The “testimony” is the Decalogue (Exod 24:12; 31:18; Deut 4:13; 9:9; 1 Kgs 8:9); the word identifies it as the witness or affirmation of God’s commandments belonging to his covenant with Israel. It expressed God’s will and man’s duty. In other cultures important documents were put at the feet of the gods in the temples.

² tn Heb “set up,” if it includes more than the curtain.

³ tn Or “shielding” (NIV); Heb “the veil of the covering” (cf. KJV).