Objects & worship
Mercy Seat
The gold cover of the ark, central to the Day of Atonement ritual.
Also called · atonement cover · cover of the ark
What it means
It was made of pure gold with two cherubim at its ends and placed over the ark.
On the Day of Atonement the high priest brought sacrificial blood into the inner sanctuary and sprinkled it there.
How it appears in the Bible
Exodus presents it as the place above the ark where God would meet Moses; Leviticus describes its ritual role.
Translation note
Translations vary between “mercy seat,” “atonement cover,” and a transliteration such as “propitiatory.”