The Meaning of Exodus 25:17 Explained

Exodus 25:17

KJV: And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

YLT: 'And thou hast made a mercy-seat of pure gold, two cubits and a half its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth;

Darby: And thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

ASV: And thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half'shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And thou shalt make  a mercy seat  [of] pure  gold:  two cubits  and a half  [shall be] the length  thereof, and a cubit  and a half  the breadth  thereof. 

What does Exodus 25:17 Mean?

Study Notes

mercy
See "Propitiation." .
propitiation
Lit. a propitiatory sacrifice, through faith by his blood; (Greek - ἱλαστήριον , "place of propitiation)." The word occurs, 1 John 2:2 ; 1 John 4:10 as the trans. of hilasmos, "that which propitiates," "a propitiatory sacrifice." Hilasterion is used by the Septuagint, and Hebrews 9:5 for "mercy-seat." The mercy-seat was sprinkled with atoning blood in the day of atonement Leviticus 16:14 in token that the righteous sentence of the law had been (typically) carried out, so that what must else have been a judgment-seat could righteously be a mercy-seat; Hebrews 9:11-15 ; Hebrews 4:14-16 , a place of communion Exodus 25:21 ; Exodus 25:22 .
In fulfilment of the type, Christ is Himself the hilasmos, "that which propitiates," and the hilasterion, "the place of propitiation" --the mercy-seat sprinkled with His own blood-- the token that in our stead He so honoured the law by enduring its righteous sentence that God, who ever foresaw the cross, is vindicated in having "passed over" sins from Adam to Moses Romans 5:13 and the sins of believers under the old covenant (See Scofield " Exodus 29:33 ") and just in justifying sinners under the covenant. There is no thought in propitiation of placating a vengeful God, but of doing right by His holy law and so making it possible for Him righteously to show mercy.
remission passing over of sins done aforetime, i.e. since Adam. Cf. Hebrews 9:15 .

Context Summary

Exodus 25:10-22 - The Ark And The Mercy-Seat
The Tabernacle was full of symbolical teaching of which the full meaning is unfolded in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where we are distinctly told that the Holy Spirit inspired the plan of the various parts. See Hebrews 9:8. Well would it be for us, if we built our lives as Moses the Tabernacle, only on the divine plan. Note Exodus 25:9; Exodus 25:40; Exodus 26:30; Exodus 27:8; Hebrews 8:5. The Ark was the symbol of the Covenant between Jehovah and His people.
The golden slab, known as the mercy-seat, supplied the meeting-place between God and man. It was there that the high priest sprinkled the blood of atonement once a year. It is alluded to by the apostles, Paul and John, as the "propitiation." We might insert Mercy-Seat in each passage. See Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2. Angel forms bent on either side, with their faces downward. See 1 Peter 1:12. The tables of the Law lay written beneath, because the divine righteousness underlies all God's dealings with men. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 25

1  What the Israelites were to offer for the building of the tabernacle
10  The dimensions of the ark
17  The mercy seat, with the cherubim
23  The table of show bread, with the furniture thereof
31  The golden candlestick, with the instruments thereof

What do the individual words in Exodus 25:17 mean?

And You shall make a mercy seat of gold pure two cubits and a half [shall be] its length and a cubit and a half its width
וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ כַפֹּ֖רֶת זָהָ֣ב טָה֑וֹר אַמָּתַ֤יִם וָחֵ֙צִי֙ אָרְכָּ֔הּ וְאַמָּ֥ה וָחֵ֖צִי רָחְבָּֽהּ

וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ  And  You  shall  make 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
כַפֹּ֖רֶת  a  mercy  seat 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: כַּפֹּרֶת  
Sense: mercy-seat, place of atonement.
זָהָ֣ב  of  gold 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זָהָב  
Sense: gold.
טָה֑וֹר  pure 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: טָהֹור  
Sense: pure, clean.
אַמָּתַ֤יִם  two  cubits 
Parse: Noun, fd
Root: אַמָּה 
Sense: cubit—a measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 8 in (.
וָחֵ֙צִי֙  and  a  half 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֲצִי 
Sense: half.
אָרְכָּ֔הּ  [shall  be]  its  length 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אֹרֶךְ  
Sense: length.
וְאַמָּ֥ה  and  a  cubit 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַמָּה 
Sense: cubit—a measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 8 in (.
וָחֵ֖צִי  and  a  half 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֲצִי 
Sense: half.
רָחְבָּֽהּ  its  width 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: רֹחַב  
Sense: breadth, width, expanse.