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The Ark of the Covenant
Typology · Doctrinal study

The Ark of the Covenant: The Mercy Seat

How a gold-covered chest behind the veil pictured the Christ in whom God dwells, the law is kept, and mercy meets sinners.

Theologica Editorial13 min read
The Account

A Chest of Wood and Gold

When God gave Moses the plans for the tabernacle, the first piece He described was not the altar or the candlestick. It was the ark (Exodus 25:10). Bezaleel made it of shittim wood, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide and high (Exodus 37:1), about forty-five inches by twenty-seven by twenty-seven. It was overlaid with pure gold within and without, with a crown of gold around the top and rings of gold for the staves that carried it (Exodus 25:11–15).

On top lay the mercy seat, a lid of pure gold. Two cherubims of beaten gold rose from its two ends, their wings stretched over it and their faces turned toward it (Exodus 25:17–20). Then God told Moses what the ark was for:

“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. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”EXODUS 25:21–22 · KJV

The Hebrew word for the ark, aron, simply means a chest or box. It is the same word used for Joseph's coffin in Egypt (Genesis 50:26). It is a different word from the ark Noah built, which is tebah (see Noah).

Its Names

Scripture gives the ark several names. It is the ark of the testimony (Exodus 25:22; Numbers 4:5), because it held the testimony, the tables of the law. It is the ark of the covenant of the LORD (1 Chronicles 28:18). At the Jordan it is the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth (Joshua 3:11). It is simply the ark of the LORD (1 Samuel 6:19) and the ark of God (1 Samuel 4:11). It belonged to the LORD, who dwelleth between the cherubims (1 Samuel 4:4).

What It Held

“And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.”HEBREWS 9:3–5 · KJV
  • The golden pot of manna. God told Moses to keep an omer of manna for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you (Exodus 16:32–34). Manna hoarded overnight bred worms, and stank (Exodus 16:20), yet this omer was kept for generations.
  • Aaron's rod that budded. When the heads of the other tribes challenged Aaron's priesthood, God told each tribe to lay a rod before Him. Overnight, Aaron's dead rod was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds (Numbers 17:8). God had it kept for a token against the rebels (Numbers 17:10).
  • The tables of the covenant. The two tables of stone were written with the finger of God (Exodus 31:18). Moses broke the first pair at the foot of the mountain. God wrote the ten commandments again on a second pair, and Moses put them in the ark (Deuteronomy 10:1–5).

By the time Solomon brought the ark into the temple, there was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone (1 Kings 8:9). Scripture does not say what became of the pot and the rod.

How firm is each one?

The New Testament names the mercy seat itself. Paul calls Christ a propitiation, using the same Greek word Hebrews uses for the mercyseat (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:5). Hebrews names the tabernacle and its service, with the ark inside, as a figure for the time then present (Hebrews 9:9). John says God's glory came to dwell in the Word made flesh (John 1:14), and Jesus applies the manna to Himself (John 6:32–35). We state those plainly. The New Testament does not name the rod, the cherubim, the shape of the chest, the angels at the tomb, or the crossing of the Jordan as pictures of Christ. We present them as pictures that point to Christ, and we build no doctrine on them.

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Further reading

For Deeper Study

  • The Apostolic Preaching of the CrossAmazon Leon MorrisAn evangelical Anglican scholar's careful study of the New Testament words for the cross, including *hilastērion* and the mercy seat. He answers the claim that the cross only expiates sin and does not turn away wrath. Technical in places.
  • Exploring Hebrews: An Expository CommentaryAmazon John PhillipsA warm, outlined exposition for teachers and students, helpful on Hebrews 9 and the furniture of the tabernacle.
  • The Tabernacle: Shadows of the MessiahAmazon David M. LevyA clear guide to the tabernacle and its furnishings, the ark and mercy seat among them, by a longtime leader of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, written from a dispensational view.
  • Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.

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The Tabernacle

God dwelling among His people in the tabernacle points to the Word made flesh who dwelt among us, and to the way He opened into God's presence.

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