As the LORD commanded Moses indicates that Yahweh had earlier given this instruction to Moses (verse 33). However, in some languages one may say “Aaron obeyed what the LORD had commanded Moses, and….” So Aaron placed it, literally “and Aaron caused it to settle,” suggests that he “stored it” for safe keeping. The pronoun it refers to the jar or container in verse 33.

Before the testimony is literally “before the reminder.” The word for testimony generally refers to something spoken or written that serves as a witness or reminder of what God has done or what God requires. In this verse and throughout Exodus, it refers to one of several objects that were intended to be both a reminder and a witness to the terms of the covenant established at Mount Sinai. The word is usually used along with two other terms, either “the ark of the testimony” (25.22) or “the tables of the testimony” (31.18). (In 38.21 we even find “the tabernacle of the testimony.”) When it appears alone the context must determine which object it refers to. The use of testimony here, however, presents an additional problem. According to chapters 25 and 26, neither the stone tablets nor the ark had as yet been made. Living Bible attempts to cover up the problem (“and eventually it was kept in the Ark in the Tabernacle”), but this is not a faithful translation, because “eventually” is not in the text. New Revised Standard Version has changed testimony to “covenant,” but this is not any easier to translate. The context makes it clear that testimony refers to some object, which was probably the “Covenant Box” (Good News Translation), “sacred chest” (Contemporary English Version), or “the box that represents Yahweh’s agreement with Israel.” A footnote may be added here explaining that the Hebrew word for testimony refers to the ark of the covenant, which is described in 25.10-12.

To be kept repeats the word used in verses 32 and 33, but the word for “throughout your generations” is omitted. Revised English Bible, New American Bible and Contemporary English Version have “for safekeeping,” and Good News Translation has “so that it could be kept.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .