Exodus 26:34

26:34 You are to put the atonement lid on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place.

Exodus 30:26

30:26 “With it you are to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony,

Exodus 40:3

40:3 You are to place the ark of the testimony in it and shield the ark with the special curtain.

Exodus 25:10

The Ark of the Covenant

25:10 ¹ “They are to make an ark ²  of acacia wood – its length is to be three feet nine inches, its width two feet three inches, and its height two feet three inches. ³ 

Exodus 40:5

40:5 You are to put ⁴  the gold altar for incense in front of the ark of the testimony and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.

Exodus 40:21

40:21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung ⁵  the protecting curtain, ⁶  and shielded the ark of the testimony from view, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Exodus 26:33

26:33 You are to hang this curtain under the clasps and bring the ark of the testimony in there behind the curtain. ⁷  The curtain will make a division for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. ⁸ 

[25:10]  ¹ sn This section begins with the ark, the most sacred and important object of Israel’s worship. Verses 10-15 provide the instructions for it, v. 16 has the placement of the Law in it, vv. 17-21 cover the mercy lid, and v. 22 the meeting above it. The point of this item in the tabernacle is to underscore the focus: the covenant people must always have God’s holy standard before them as they draw near to worship. A study of this would focus on God’s nature (he is a God of order, precision, and perfection), on the usefulness of this item for worship, and on the typology intended.

[25:10]  ² tn The word “ark” has long been used by English translations to render אָרוֹן (’aron), the word used for the wooden “box,” or “chest,” made by Noah in which to escape the flood and by the Israelites to furnish the tabernacle.

[25:10]  ³ tn The size is two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. The size in feet and inches is estimated on the assumption that the cubit is 18 inches (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 267).

[40:5]  ¹ tn Heb “give” (also four additional times in vv. 6-8).

[40:21]  ¹ tn Heb “set up,” if it includes more than the curtain.

[40:21]  ² tn Or “shielding” (NIV); Heb “the veil of the covering” (cf. KJV).

[26:33]  ¹ tn The traditional expression is “within the veil,” literally “into the house (or area) of the (special) curtain.”

[26:33]  ² tn Or “the Holy of Holies.”