The Mercy Seat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy_seat
I have always been intrigued by the name "Mercy Seat". How appropriate is the name for the place where our Lord resides?
A very good annotated explanation of the translation of the term resides on the wikipedia, and is paraphrased here:
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"The phrase mercy seat is not a translation of the Hebrew term kapporeth, which appears in its place in the Masoretic text, nor of the Greek term hilasterion, which takes the same place in the Septuagint, but instead is the translation by William Tyndale of the German term gnadenstuhl, from the same narrative position in the Luther Bible; gnadenstuhl literally means seat of grace, in the sense of location of grace.
Though kapporeth is probably derived from kaphar, which is often considered to mean cover, the literal meaning of kaphar is wipe out, implying that kapporeth means thing of wiping out/thing of cleansing;[1] the cognate Arabic term kaffarat (also generally taken to mean cover, but from which the word kafiralso derives) is used in modern legal contexts to refer to any mechanism of rectifying illegality, for example the freeing of slaves after the slave has suffered shocking circumstances could be considered as a kaffarat.[2]
Similarly hilasterion etymologically means thing for propitiation, with Hesychius writing that a synonym of hilasterion was thing for catharsis, while the Vulgate translates it as propitiatorium."
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Where Propitiation means: the act of propitiating; conciliation. Hats off to William Tyndale for grasping completely in English exactly what was meant by the place of cleansing, catharsis, or conciliation. The name 'Mercy Seat' is indeed the perfect one, and implies Jesus in every respect.
Created over 2 years ago
