Keluaran 25:17-22

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. 25:18 You are to make two cherubim ³  of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid. 25:19 Make ⁴  one cherub on one end ⁵  and one cherub on the other end; from the atonement lid ⁶  you are to make the cherubim on the two ends. 25:20 The cherubim are to be spreading their wings upward, overshadowing ⁷  the atonement lid with their wings, and the cherubim are to face each other, ⁸  looking ⁹  toward the atonement lid. 25:21 You are to put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and in the ark you are to put the testimony I am giving you. 25:22 I will meet with you there, ¹⁰  and ¹¹  from above the atonement lid, from between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you for the Israelites.

Keluaran 40:20-21

40:20 He took the testimony and put it in the ark, attached the poles to the ark, and then put the atonement lid on the ark. 40:21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung ¹²  the protecting curtain, ¹³  and shielded the ark of the testimony from view, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Keluaran 40:1

Setting Up the Sanctuary

40:1 ¹⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁵ 

Kisah Para Rasul 6:1-2

The Appointment of the First Seven Deacons

6:1 Now in those ¹⁶  days, when the disciples were growing in number, ¹⁷  a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews ¹⁸  against the native Hebraic Jews, ¹⁹  because their widows ²⁰  were being overlooked ²¹  in the daily distribution of food. ²²  6:2 So the twelve ²³  called ²⁴  the whole group ²⁵  of the disciples together and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to wait on tables. ²⁶ 

Kisah Para Rasul 5:7

5:7 After an interval of about three hours, ²⁷  his wife came in, but she did not know ²⁸  what had happened.

Ibrani 9:5

9:5 And above the ark ²⁹  were the cherubim ³⁰  of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Now is not the time to speak of these things in detail.

[25:17]  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).

[25:17]  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).

[25:18]  ³ tn The evidence suggests that the cherubim were composite angelic creatures that always indicated the nearness of God. So here images of them were to be crafted and put on each end of the ark of the covenant to signify that they were there. Ezekiel 1 describes four cherubim as each having human faces, four wings, and parts of different animals for their bodies. Traditions of them appear in the other cultures as well. They serve to guard the holy places and to bear the throne of God. Here they were to be beaten out as part of the lid.

[25:19]  ⁴ tn The text now shifts to use an imperative with the vav (ו) conjunction.

[25:19]  ⁵ tn The use of זֶה (zeh) repeated here expresses the reciprocal ideas of “the one” and “the other” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 26, §132).

[25:19]  ⁶ sn The angels were to form one piece with the lid and not be separated. This could be translated “of one piece with” the lid, but it is likely the angels were simply fastened to it permanently.

[25:20]  ⁷ tn The verb means “overshadowing, screening” in the sense of guarding (see 1 Kgs 8:7; 1 Chr 28:18; see also the account in Gen 3:24). The cherubim then signify two things here: by their outstretched wings they form the throne of God who sits above the ark (with the Law under his feet), and by their overshadowing and guarding they signify this as the place of atonement where people must find propitiation to commune with God. Until then they are barred from his presence. See U. Cassuto, Exodus, 330-35.

[25:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “their faces a man to his brother.”

[25:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “the faces of the cherubim will be” (“the cherubim” was moved to the preceding clause for smoother English).

[25:22]  ¹⁰ sn Here then is the main point of the ark of the covenant, and the main point of all worship – meeting with God through atonement. The text makes it clear that here God would meet with Moses (“you” is singular) and then he would speak to the people – he is the mediator of the covenant. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 272) makes the point that the verb here is not the word that means “to meet by chance” (as in Exod 3:18), but “to meet” by appointment for a purpose (וְנוֹעַדְתִּי, vÿno’adti). The parallel in the NT is Jesus Christ and his work. The theology is that the Law condemns people as guilty of sin, but the sacrifice of Christ makes atonement. So he is the “place of propitiation (Rom 3:25) who gains communion with the Father for sinners. A major point that could be made from this section is this: At the center of worship must be the atoning work of Christ – a perpetual reminder of God’s righteous standard (the testimony in the ark) and God’s gracious provision (the atonement lid).

[25:22]  ¹¹ tn The verb is placed here in the text: “and I will speak”; it has been moved in this translation to be closer to the direct object clause.

[40:21]  ¹² tn Heb “set up,” if it includes more than the curtain.

[40:21]  ¹³ tn Or “shielding” (NIV); Heb “the veil of the covering” (cf. KJV).

[40:1]  ¹⁴ sn All of Exod 39:32-40:38 could be taken as a unit. The first section (39:32-43) shows that the Israelites had carefully and accurately completed the preparation and brought everything they had made to Moses: The work of the Lord builds on the faithful obedience of the people. In the second section are the instruction and the implementation (40:1-33): The work of the Lord progresses through the unifying of the work. The last part (40:34-38) may take the most attention: When the work was completed, the glory filled the tabernacle: By his glorious presence, the Lord blesses and directs his people in their worship.

[40:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

[6:1]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “these.” The translation uses “those” for stylistic reasons.

[6:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “were multiplying.”

[6:1]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.

[6:1]  sn The Greek-speaking Jews were the Hellenists, Jews who to a greater or lesser extent had adopted Greek thought, customs, and lifestyle, as well as the Greek language. The city of Alexandria in Egypt was a focal point for them, but they were scattered throughout the Roman Empire.

[6:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “against the Hebrews,” but as with “Hellenists” this needs further explanation for the modern reader.

[6:1]  ²⁰ sn The care of widows is a major biblical theme: Deut 10:18; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12-13; 27:19; Isa 1:17-23; Jer 7:6; Mal 3:5.

[6:1]  ²¹ tn Or “neglected.”

[6:1]  ²² tn Grk “in the daily serving.”

[6:1]  sn The daily distribution of food. The early church saw it as a responsibility to meet the basic needs of people in their group.

[6:2]  ²³ sn The twelve refers to the twelve apostles.

[6:2]  ²⁴ tn Grk “calling the whole group…together, said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενοι (proskalesamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[6:2]  ²⁵ tn Or “the multitude.”

[6:2]  ²⁶ tn Grk “to serve tables.”

[5:7]  ²⁷ tn Grk “It happened that after an interval of about three hours.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[5:7]  ²⁸ tn Grk “came in, not knowing.” The participle has been translated with concessive or adversative force: “although she did not know.” In English, the adversative conjunction (“but”) conveys this nuance more smoothly.

[9:5]  ²⁹ tn Grk “above it”; in the translation the referent (the ark) has been specified for clarity.

[9:5]  ³⁰ sn The cherubim (pl.) were an order of angels mentioned repeatedly in the OT but only here in the NT. They were associated with God’s presence, glory, and holiness. Their images that sat on top of the ark of the covenant are described in Exod 25:18-20.