Umphongolo wesivumelwano wawuyibhokisi elingcwele elalakhiwe ama-Israyeli asendulo ngokomyalo nomklamo kaNkulunkulu. Wawugcina futhi uvikele ‘ubuFakazi,’ okuyiMiyalo Eyishumi eyayilotshwe ezibhebheni ezimbili zamatshe.​—Eksodusi 25:8-10, 16; 31:18.

• Ukwakhekha kwawo. UMphongolo wawuyizingalo ezimbili nengxenye ubude, ingalo nengxenye ububanzi nengalo nengxenye ukuphakama (111 x 67 x 67 cm). Wawakhiwe ngokhuni lomtholo, wenamekwa ngegolide ngaphakathi nangaphandle futhi unephethelo eliwuzungezayo elenziwe ngobuciko. Isembozo sawo esasenziwe ngegolide kuphela, sasinamakherubi amabili egolide emikhawulweni yomibili yesembozo. Ayebhekene, ubuso bekherubi ngalinye bubheke isembozo namaphiko awo elulekele phezulu esibekele isembozo. UMphongolo wawunamasongo amane egolide ngaphezu kwezinyawo zawo. Emasongweni kwakufakwe izingongolo, noma izinduku, zokhuni lomtholo ezenanyekwe ngegolide ukuze kuthwalwe ngazo uMphongolo.​—Eksodusi 25:10-​21; 37:​6-9.

• Indawo. Ekuqaleni, uMphongolo wawugcinwa eNgcwelengcwele yetabernakele, itende lokukhonza elithuthekayo elenziwa ngesikhathi esifanayo noMphongolo. INgcwelengcwele yayinesihenqo esasivimbela ukuba abapristi nabantu bangaboni kuyo. (Eksodusi 40:​3, 21) Ngumpristi ophakeme kuphela owayengangena kuyo abone uMphongolo, kanye ngonyaka ngoSuku Lokuhlawulelwa. (Levitikusi 16:2; Hebheru 9:7) Kamuva, uMphongolo wathuthwa wayiswa eNgcwelengcwele yethempeli likaSolomoni.​—1 AmaKhosi 6:14, 19.

• Injongo. UMphongolo wawuyinqolobane yezinto ezingcwele ezaziyokhumbuza ama-Israyeli isivumelwano ayesenze noNkulunkulu eNtabeni iSinayi. Wawuphinde ube nendima ebalulekile emkhosini woSuku Lokuhlawulelwa.​—Levitikusi 16:3, 13-17.

• Okwakuphakathi. Izinto zokuqala ezafakwa eMphongolweni kwakuyizibhebhe zamatshe okwakulotshwe kuzo iMiyalo Eyishumi. (Eksodusi 40:20) Kamuva kwafakwa nembiza yegolide eyayinemana kanye ‘nenduku ka-Aroni eyaba nemiqumbe.’ (Hebheru 9:4; Eksodusi 16:33, 34; Numeri 17:10) Ngokusobala, imbiza nenduku kwabuye kwakhishwa ngoba kwakungasekho eMphongolweni lapho usufakwa ethempelini.​—1 AmaKhosi 8:9.

• Ukuthuthwa kwawo. UMphongolo kwakumelwe uthwalwe amaLevi emahlombe ngezingongolo zokhuni lomtholo. (Numeri 7:9; 1 IziKronike 15:15) Izingongolo zazihlala emasongweni oMphongolo ngaso sonke isikhathi, ngakho amaLevi kwakungadingeki neze awuthinte uMphongolo. (Eksodusi 25:12-​16) “Isihenqo” esasehlukanisa iNgcwele neNgcwelengcwele sasisetshenziselwa ukwemboza uMphongolo lapho uthuthwa.​—Numeri 4:5, 6. a

• Owawukufanekisela. UMphongolo wawumelela ukuba khona kukaNkulunkulu. Ngokwesibonelo, ifu elalibonakala ngaphezu koMphongolo eNgcwelengcwele nalapho kwakukanisa khona ama-Israyeli lwaluwuphawu lokuba khona kukaJehova nesibusiso sakhe. (Levitikusi 16:2; Numeri 10:33-36) IBhayibheli liphinde lithi uJehova ‘wayehlezi phezu kwamakherubi,’ okubhekisela kumakherubi amabili ayephezu kwesembozo soMphongolo. (1 Samuweli 4:4; IHubo 80:1) Ngakho, lawa makherubi ‘ayewumfanekiso wenqola’ kaJehova. (1 IziKronike 28:18) Ngenxa yalokho uMphongolo owawukumelele, lapho usuthuthelwe eJerusalema, iNkosi uDavide yayingabhala ukuthi uJehova ‘uhlala eZiyoni.’​—IHubo 9:11.

• Amagama obizwa ngawo. IBhayibheli lisebenzisa amagama ahlukahlukene ukubhekisela kuleli bhokisi elingcwele, ahlanganisa athi ‘umphongolo wobufakazi,’ “umphongolo wesivumelwano,” “umphongolo kaJehova” nelithi ‘uMphongolo wamandla akho’ Jehova.​—Numeri 7:​89; Joshuwa 3:​6, 13; 2 IziKronike 6:41.

  Isembozo soMphongolo sasibizwa ngokuthi ‘isembozo esiyisihlawulelo,’ noma ‘isihlalo somusa.’ (1 IziKronike 28:11; iBhayibheli lesiZulu elivamile) Le nkulumo ibhekisela endimeni ekhethekile yesembozo ngoSuku Lokuhlawulelwa, lapho umpristi ophakeme wakwa-Israyeli ayefafaza igazi lezilwane ezinikelwe ngasesembozweni naphambi kwaso. Lezi zenzo zompristi ophakeme zazemboza izono noma zihlawulele ‘yena nendlu yakhe nalo lonke ibandla lika-Israyeli.’​—Levitikusi 16:14-​17.

Ingabe usekhona umphongolo wesivumelwano namuhla?

Abukho ubufakazi bokuthi usekhona. IBhayibheli libonisa ukuthi uMphongolo awusadingekile ngoba isivumelwano esasihlobene nawo sesithathelwe indawo “isivumelwano esisha,” esisekelwe emhlatshelweni kaJesu. (Jeremiya 31:31-33; Hebheru 8:13; 12:24) IBhayibheli labikezela isikhathi lapho umphongolo wesivumelwano wawungeke usaba khona, nokho abantu bakaNkulunkulu babengeke bawukhumbule.​—Jeremiya 3:​16.

Embonweni owanikezwa umphostoli uJohane ngemva kokumiswa kwesivumelwano esisha, kwabonakala umphongolo wesivumelwano ezulwini. (IsAmbulo 11:15, 19) Lo Mphongolo ongokomfanekiso umelela ukuba khona kukaNkulunkulu nesibusiso sakhe kulesi sivumelwano esisha.

Ingabe uMphongolo wawusebenza njengekhubalo lenhlanhla ngandlela thile?

Cha. Ukuba nomphongolo wesivumelwano kwakungesona isiqinisekiso sokuthi umuntu wayezophumelela. Ngokwesibonelo, ama-Israyeli ayenoMphongolo ekamu lawo lapho elwa nomuzi wase-Ayi, nokho anqotshwa ngenxa yokungathembeki koyedwa wawo. (Joshuwa 7:​1-6) Kamuva, ama-Israyeli anqotshwa amaFilisti naphezu kokuya nomphongolo wesivumelwano empini. Lokho kunqotshwa kwakungenxa yobubi babapristi bakwa-Israyeli uHofini noFinehasi. (1 Samuweli 2:12; 4:1-11) AmaFilisti awuthatha uMphongolo empini, kodwa uNkulunkulu wawashaya ngezinhlupho kwaze kwaba yilapho amaFilisti ewubuyisela kwa-Israyeli.​—1 Samuweli 5:11–6:5.