Exodus 25:17

25:17 “You are to make an atonement lid ¹  of pure gold; ²  its length is to be three feet nine inches, and its width is to be two feet three inches.

Exodus 25:23

The Table for the Bread of the Presence

25:23 ³ “You are to make a table of acacia wood; its length is to be three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches.

Exodus 26:16

26:16 Each ⁴  frame is to be fifteen feet long, and each frame is to be two feet three inches wide,

Exodus 30:2

30:2 Its length is to be a foot and a half ⁵  and its width a foot and a half; it will be square. Its height is to be three feet, ⁶  with its horns of one piece with it. ⁷ 

Exodus 36:21

36:21 The length of each ⁸  frame was fifteen feet, the width of each ⁹  frame was two and a quarter feet,

Exodus 37:6

37:6 He made ¹⁰  an atonement lid of pure gold; its length was three feet nine inches, and its width was two feet three inches.

Exodus 37:10

The Making of the Table

37:10 He made the table of acacia wood; its length was three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches.

Exodus 39:9

39:9 It was square – they made the breastpiece doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide when doubled.

¹ tn The noun is כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet), translated “atonement lid” or “atonement plate.” The traditional translation “mercy-seat” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) came from Tyndale in 1530 and was also used by Luther in 1523. The noun is formed from the word “to make atonement.” The item that the Israelites should make would be more than just a lid for the ark. It would be the place where atonement was signified. The translation of “covering” is probably incorrect, for it derives from a rare use of the verb, if the same verb at all (the evidence shows “cover” is from another root with the same letters as this). The value of this place was that Yahweh sat enthroned above it, and so the ark essentially was the “footstool.” Blood was applied to the lid of the box, for that was the place of atonement (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 269-270).

² tn After verbs of making or producing, the accusative (like “gold” here) may be used to express the material from which something is made (see GKC 371 §117.hh).

³ sn The Table of the Bread of the Presence (Tyndale’s translation, “Shewbread,” was used in KJV and influenced ASV, NAB) was to be a standing acknowledgment that Yahweh was the giver of daily bread. It was called the “presence-bread” because it was set out in his presence. The theology of this is that God provides, and the practice of this is that the people must provide for constant thanks. So if the ark speaks of communion through atonement, the table speaks of dedicatory gratitude.

⁵ tn Heb “the frame.”

⁷ tn Heb “a cubit.”

⁸ tn Heb “two cubits.”

⁹ tn Heb “its horns from it.”

⁹ tn Heb “the frame.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “the one.”

¹¹ tn Heb “and he made.”