mercy seat

American  

noun

1. Bible.

   1. the gold covering on the ark of the covenant, regarded as the resting place of God.

   2. the throne of God.

2. South Midland and Southern U.S. mourners' bench.

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mercy seat British  

noun

1. Old Testament the gold platform covering the Ark of the Covenant and regarded as the throne of God where he accepted sacrifices and gave commandments (Exodus 25:17, 22)

2. Christianity the throne of God

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Etymology

Origin of mercy seat

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mercy seat

So few derelicts approach the Army's mercy seat these days that the shuffle of one man toward salvation at a recent London meeting has been the talk of the Army ever since.

From Time Magazine Archive

The boy knelt, sobbing, at the mercy seat, and the church began to sing.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

He somehow knew that she would never rise and walk that long aisle to the mercy seat.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

On that day the blood of a sacrificial animal was carried within the vail and sprinkled by the high-priest on the mercy seat.

From Studies in Prophecy by Gaebelein, Arno C.

Its lid, on which stood two figures of the cherubim, was called "the mercy seat."

From Outline Studies in the Old Testament for Bible Teachers by Hurlbut, Jesse Lyman