Exodus 25:15

Exodus 25:15

The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.

a. NLT: These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them.

b. NIV: The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed.

c. YLT: in the rings of the ark are the staves, they are not turned aside from it;

d. Amplified Bible Classic: The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it [that the ark be not touched].

e. Septuagint: The staves shall remain fixed in the rings of the ark.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: The staves shall remain in the rings of the Ark, with which to carry the Ark.

1. “The staves shall be in the rings of the ark…”

a. The staves [Strong: 905 * bad bad from 909; properly, separation; by implication, a part of the body, branch of a tree, bar for carrying; figuratively, chief of a city; especially (with prepositional prefix) as an adverb, apart, only, besides:--alone, apart, bar, besides, branch, by self, of each alike, except, only, part, staff, strength.]

b. shall be [Strong: 1961 * hayah haw-yaw a primitive root (Compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-)self, require, X use.]

c. in the rings [Strong: 2885 * tabba`ath tab-bah'-ath from 2883; properly, a seal (as sunk into the wax), i.e. signet (for sealing); hence (generally) a ring of any kind:--ring.]

d. of the ark [Strong: 727 * 'arown aw-rone' or laron {aw-rone'}; from 717 (in the sense of gathering); a box:--ark, chest, coffin.]

2. “…they shall not be taken from it.”

a. they shall not [Strong: 3808 * lo' lo or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

b. be taken from it [Strong: 5493 * cuwr soor or suwr (Hosea 9:12) {soor}; a primitive root; to turn off (literal or figurative):--be(-head), bring, call back, decline, depart, eschew, get (you), go (aside), X grievous, lay away (by), leave undone, be past, pluck away, put (away, down), rebel, remove (to and fro), revolt, X be sour, take (away, off), turn (aside, away, in), withdraw, be without.]

1). In Exodus 25:15 it forbids the staves to ever be taken from the ark, this clearly establishes that the Ark of the Covenant was designed to be carried by four individuals, and not transported by any other means. Probably as a reminder, it was commanded that the staves were not to be removed. The command that the Ark was to be carried or “borne” by four individuals was more clearly focused in Numbers when it was commanded only a certain family of Levites were to carry the furniture of the tabernacle, which included the Ark of the Covenant.

a). Numbers 3:27-32 And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.

3:28 In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

3:29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.

3:30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

3:31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

3:32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

2). Failure to obey the clear command of Scripture concerning how the Ark was to be transported resulted in the death of Uzzah.

a). 2 Samuel 6:1-7 Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

6:2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

6:3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.

6:4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.

6:5 And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.

6:6 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.

6:7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

3). Under the Old Covenant God dwelt in the Temple, in a Covenant sense. He only came upon men, He did not dwell in their spirits. After Jesus paid for our sins and rose from the dead, we entered a New Covenant where God will dwell in the hearts of born again men and women. In the New Covenant we are the carriers of the presence of God.

a). John 14:15-17 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

b). John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

c). Romans 8:9, 10 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.