Bible chapter guide

Exodus 25

God asks for an offering of gold, silver, bronze, yarn, wood, oil and spices to make him a sanctuary so that he may dwell among them, 'according to the pattern'. The instructions begin with the ark and its mercy seat with two cherubim, the table and the lampstand.

Summary written for the Labs; read the chapter itself for the full text.

What happens in this chapter

Moses is on the mountain, and the first thing God asks for is an offering: gold, silver, bronze, dyed yarn, skins, acacia wood, oil, spices and stones, given by anyone whose heart moves them. The purpose is put in one line: they are to make a sanctuary so that God can live among them, built exactly to the pattern he shows. Then the instructions start at the centre and work outwards: the ark with its gold cover and two cherubim, the table for the bread of the Presence, and the lampstand of beaten gold with its almond-blossom cups.

What the lab shows, and where to look

The Tabernacle lab builds these three objects to the cubit measurements in this chapter. Open the ark first and turn it: the poles run along its long sides, and the cherubim's pose is marked as an artistic choice, since Exodus gives no description of them. Then go to the table and the lampstand, which stand opposite each other in the holy place. Each object opens a card showing which details come from the text and which are reconstruction.

Questions people ask

How big was the ark of the covenant?

Two and a half cubits long and one and a half wide and high (Exodus 25:10). With a cubit of about 45 cm that is roughly 1.1 m by 0.7 m by 0.7 m: a chest you could carry between two people on poles, not a large piece of furniture. The measurements are in the text; the metric figure depends on the length of the cubit, which the text does not give.

Textually stated

What did the cherubim on the ark look like?

Exodus says only that they were of one piece with the gold cover, faced each other, looked down towards the cover and spread their wings over it (25:18–20). It says nothing about their bodies or faces. Every picture of them, including the lab's, is an artist's choice, which is why the lab draws them faceless and labels the pose as artistic.

Artistic

Why did God ask for a tent?

The chapter gives the reason itself: "that I may dwell among them" (25:8). Israel was on the move, so the sanctuary had to be something that could be taken down and carried. The New Testament later picks up the same picture when John says the Word "dwelt among us", literally "pitched his tent" (John 1:14); that link is a reading of John, not something Exodus says.

Textually stated

See it in the Labs

Places

Mount Sinai

Also in this chapter

The Tabernacle's pattern Menorah (Lampstand)Table of Showbread Ark of the Covenant Rams' Skins Dyed Red Mercy Seat and Cherubim The two great cherubim The ten lampstands The ten tables

How sure can we be?

Textually stated
The tabernacle was built according to a pattern shown to Moses on the mountain.
Stated directly in the text.
Textually stated
The lampstand had a central shaft, six branches and seven lamps; three almond cups on each branch and four on the shaft.
Stated directly in the text. The exact count of knobs and flowers (11 and 9) is the Talmud's reading (Menachot 28b).
Textually stated
The table was 2 × 1 cubits and 1.5 cubits high.
Stated directly in the text.
Textually stated
The ark was 2.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 cubits, of acacia overlaid with pure gold.
Stated directly in the text.
Textually stated
The mercy seat was 2½ × 1½ cubits of pure gold, with the cherubim of one piece with it.
Stated directly in the text.
Textually stated
They stood on their feet, facing the house (east).
Stated in 2 Chronicles 3:13. The Tabernacle's small cherubim faced each other on the mercy seat.

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King James Version (KJV) Chinese Union Version, 1919 (Wikisource)