The Mercy Seat was the gold cover placed upon the Ark of the Covenant, located in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle and later the Temple. God gave precise instructions for its construction in Exodus 25:17–22.
It was made of pure gold, measuring two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide (about 45 inches by 27 inches). Atop the Mercy Seat were two cherubim made of hammered gold, one on each end, facing each other with their wings stretched upward and overshadowing the Mercy Seat. This was the place where the presence of God dwelled above the cherubim (Exodus 25:18–22).
The Mercy Seat served as the physical location where God’s glory would appear and where He would commune with Moses: “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat” (Exodus 25:22). It was central to the Day of Atonement ceremony. Once a year, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place and sprinkled the blood of the sin offering upon and before the Mercy Seat to atone for the sins of Israel (Leviticus 16:14–15).
The Hebrew term for Mercy Seat, kapporet, is derived from a word meaning “to cover” or “to make atonement.” Thus, the Mercy Seat was not merely a lid but the place where atonement was made and God’s mercy was revealed through the blood of sacrifice.
In the New Testament, the Mercy Seat is understood as a type of Christ. Romans 3:25 refers to Jesus as the propitiation, literally, the mercy seat, through faith in His blood. Through Christ’s sacrifice, He fulfilled what the Mercy Seat foreshadowed, making reconciliation between God and man possible.
The Mercy Seat represents the meeting place of divine justice and mercy. It pointed forward to the perfect atonement made by Jesus Christ, whose blood cleanses from sin and grants access into God’s presence.
