Exodus 25:13 kjv
And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
Exodus 25:13 nkjv
And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
Exodus 25:13 niv
Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
Exodus 25:13 esv
You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
Exodus 25:13 nlt
Make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
Exodus 25 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 25:10 | "They shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high." | Specifies the primary material for the Ark itself. |
| Exod 25:15 | "The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they are not to be removed." | Emphasizes the permanent attachment of the poles. |
| Exod 37:4 | "He made poles of acacia wood for the ark and overlaid them with gold." | Records the fulfillment of God's instruction. |
| Num 4:5-6 | "When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain... cover the ark of the covenant..." | Details the procedure for preparing the Ark for travel. |
| Num 4:15 | "And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects... then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, but they shall not touch..." | Identifies the Levites responsible for carrying the Ark by poles. |
| Num 7:9 | "But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the holy objects was theirs; they were to carry them on their shoulders." | Reinforces the instruction for shoulder-borne transport. |
| Deut 10:3 | "So I made an ark of acacia wood and cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand." | Moses building an Ark, emphasizing the wood's importance. |
| Josh 3:3-4 | "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, then you are to set out from your place and go after it." | Shows the Ark's role as a guide and symbol of God's presence. |
| 1 Sam 4:3-5 | "Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us..." | Illustrates the Ark's function in leading the people. |
| 2 Sam 6:6-7 | "And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it... The anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah." | Underscores the holiness of the Ark and the protocol for handling. |
| 1 Kgs 8:7-8 | "For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its poles. The poles were so long that..." | Notes the presence of the poles within the Solomonic Temple. |
| 2 Chr 5:8-9 | "For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its poles. The poles were so long..." | Parallel account confirming the poles' enduring presence. |
| Ps 132:8 | "Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength." | Connects the Ark with God's power and divine presence. |
| Isa 52:11 | "Depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord." | Applies the sanctity of carrying sacred vessels to ethical living. |
| Zech 8:3 | "Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth...'" | Foretells God's renewed dwelling among His people. |
| Matt 1:23 | "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, ‘God with Us.’" | The ultimate "God with us," reflecting God's mobile presence. |
| John 1:14 | "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." | Jesus as the ultimate tabernacling of God's presence among humanity. |
| 2 Cor 6:16 | "For what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, 'I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM...'" | New Testament believers as God's mobile dwelling place. |
| Eph 2:21-22 | "in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together..." | Believers as a collective spiritual temple where God dwells. |
| Heb 9:3-5 | "Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold..." | Describes the Ark as part of the earthly Tabernacle, a type of heavenly reality. |
| Rev 21:3 | "And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they will be His people...'" | The eternal fulfillment of God dwelling with humanity. |
Exodus 25 verses
Exodus 25 13 Meaning
Exodus 25:13 states God's command to Moses for the construction of poles to carry the Ark of the Covenant. These poles were to be made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold, indicating the specific materials required for this sacred purpose. This instruction ensures the Ark's portability and ongoing accessibility in the wilderness.
Exodus 25 13 Context
Exodus 25:13 is part of God's meticulous instructions given to Moses on Mount Sinai concerning the construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings (Exod 25-31). The Ark of the Covenant, detailed immediately preceding this verse (Exod 25:10-22), was the central and most sacred piece of furniture. It served as the dwelling place for God's presence among His people, where He would meet with Moses and from which He would issue commands (Exod 25:22). The command to make poles for the Ark underscores its purpose as a portable sanctuary, designed to accompany Israel throughout their wilderness journeys, symbolizing God's active presence and guidance in their pilgrimage. This detailed divine blueprint stood in stark contrast to human-devised religious practices, emphasizing God's specific requirements for approaching and worshiping Him.
Exodus 25 13 Word analysis
- You shall make: The phrase underscores divine imperative and meticulous instruction. This is not a human innovation but a direct command from God, highlighting the precise, divinely prescribed nature of Israel's worship and sacred objects. This immediate direct address emphasizes the importance of immediate and obedient action.
- poles (בַּדִּים - baddim): This Hebrew term refers to staves or poles. In the context of the Tabernacle, they were specifically for carrying sacred objects. Their purpose was purely functional – to enable transportation without human hands directly touching the holy articles. The use of specific poles for carrying indicated the sacredness and the necessity of maintaining distance between the holy and the common, reinforcing reverence.
- of acacia wood (עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים - atzei shittim): Acacia (shittim) wood was a common, hard, and durable wood found in the Sinai desert. It is highly resistant to decay and insects, making it suitable for long-term use in a challenging environment. Spiritually, this robust, indigenous wood could symbolize the resilience and humanity of God's dwelling among His people, able to endure the harsh conditions of their earthly journey. Its common availability also implies that what is mundane can be sanctified for divine purposes.
- and overlay them (וְצִפִּיתָ - v'tzphee-tah): The verb "overlay" (from tsaphah) means to cover or plate completely. It signifies that the gold was not merely decorative but encased the wood entirely, both externally and likely internally for items like the Ark, presenting a solid appearance of gold. This act of covering implies sanctification, transformation, and consecration. The common wood becomes entirely hidden, sanctified by the divine covering.
- with gold (זָהָב - zahav): Gold consistently symbolizes divine purity, royalty, glory, sanctity, and immense value throughout Scripture. It is the metal of deity. Overlaid upon the acacia wood, the gold highlights the heavenly, perfect nature of God's presence, while the hidden wood speaks to its earthly manifestation or, typologically, the humanity in which divine glory dwells. The preciousness of gold communicates the exceeding value and honor due to the dwelling place of God.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "poles of acacia wood": This combination highlights durability (acacia) paired with the specific function of transport (poles). The choice of wood suitable for the desert climate implies God's practical wisdom and His provision for Israel's needs during their journeys. It also foreshadows a durable presence that accompanies them through challenges.
- "overlay them with gold": This phrase emphasizes the transformation and sanctification of the functional object. The ordinary acacia wood is completely concealed by gold, signifying that anything dedicated to God is elevated to a state of holiness and covered by divine glory. It shows that God's holy presence cannot be approached by mere human means or materials, but only by what has been divinely consecrated and made glorious. This covering implies God's glory being present and pervasive on these crucial items, representing the sacredness and purity required for carrying His divine presence.
Exodus 25 13 Bonus section
The design of the Ark, specifically its perpetual poles, may also convey a subtle theological point that God's "resting place" (as referenced in Ps 132:8 regarding the Ark) is paradoxically mobile during the wilderness journey. This reinforces that His covenant presence is dynamic, not geographically bound or limited to a fixed structure until the establishment of the Temple in Jerusalem, but even then the emphasis of "God with us" carries into the new covenant (Matt 1:23, Rev 21:3). The meticulous details given for the Ark and its accoutrements, down to the materials for carrying poles, teach that every aspect of God's service matters, no detail is too small, and everything must be performed according to His revealed will, not human preferences.
Exodus 25 13 Commentary
Exodus 25:13 is a precise instruction regarding the permanent poles for the Ark of the Covenant, essential for its portability. The divine prescription of materials—durable acacia wood overlaid with pure gold—underscores God's dual nature revealed in His dwelling place: His active presence among His pilgrim people (implied by portability and durability of wood) and His transcendent glory and holiness (symbolized by the gold). These poles, designed to be permanently affixed (Exod 25:15), demonstrate that God's presence was not static but always ready to accompany Israel, signifying His perpetual guidance and covenant fidelity through their wilderness journey and beyond. The exact specifications emphasize the divine authorship of Israelite worship, precluding human innovation and pointing to the required reverence for approaching a holy God. The careful handling of the Ark, specifically through these poles, highlights the awesome sanctity of God and the fatal consequences of treating His presence carelessly (e.g., Uzzah's death, 2 Sam 6). Ultimately, this verse lays groundwork for understanding God's desire to "tabernacle" or dwell among His people, a theme reaching its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ (John 1:14), the True Tabernacle, and subsequently in the church, as the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 6:16).