He carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold, hammered evenly over the carvings.
Parallel translations
- WEB He carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the engraved work.
- KJV And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
- NKJV Then he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them, and overlaid them with gold applied evenly on the carved work.
- NASB He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold plated on the carved work.
- NLT These doors were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers—all overlaid evenly with gold.
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
These doors too were carved with cherubim, palm trees, and flowers and overlaid with gold. The same heavenly imagery adorned every approach to God's house.
Overview
By repeating the cherubim, palms, and flowers, the temple visually surrounded the worshiper with reminders of God's holiness and of paradise restored. The gold fitted carefully to the carving shows skilled, reverent artistry. The whole building preached a sermon: the holy God dwells among His people, and access to Him is a glorious gift, ultimately secured in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
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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 6:35 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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