And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
Parallel translations
- WEB He carved all the walls of the house around with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inside and outside.
- BSB Then he carved the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.
- NKJV Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.
- NASB Then he carved all the surrounding walls of the house with engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, for the inner and outer sanctuaries.
- NLT He decorated all the walls of the inner sanctuary and the main room with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
All the temple walls were carved with cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inside and out. Rich carvings adorned the whole sanctuary.
Overview
The carved cherubim, palms, and blossoms covered the walls with garden-like imagery, perhaps evoking Eden restored. The motifs combined God's holy attendants with symbols of life and beauty. This artistry portrayed the temple as a place of God's life-giving presence, anticipating the paradise of God's eternal dwelling.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 1 Kgs 6:32The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.
- 2 Chr 4:2–5Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.
- 1 Kgs 6:18And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
- Rev 7:9After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
- Rev 5:11–14And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
- Luke 2:13–14And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
- Ps 92:12–15The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
- Ps 103:20Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
- Eph 3:10To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
- Exod 36:8And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them.
- Ps 148:2Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
- 2 Chr 3:14And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 6:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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