And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
- BSB Make two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat,
- NKJV And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
- NASB You shall make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the atoning cover.
- NLT Then make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover.
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
Two cherubim of hammered gold were to be made at the ends of the mercy seat. These angelic figures guarded and adorned the place of God's presence.
Overview
The cherubim, fashioned from one piece with the mercy seat, represent the heavenly beings who attend God's throne. They recall the cherubim who guarded Eden, signifying the holiness surrounding God's presence. Their position over the place of atonement framed the spot where God met Israel. This rich imagery points to the heavenly worship of God and to the reconciliation made possible at the mercy seat, fulfilled in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ezek 10:20This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.
- Heb 9:5And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
- 1 Chr 28:18And for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.
- Ezek 10:2And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.
- 1 Kgs 8:6–7And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.
- 1 Kgs 6:23–28And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.
- 1 Sam 4:4So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
- Ezek 41:18–19And it was made with cherubims and palm trees, so that a palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and every cherub had two faces;
- Exod 37:7–9And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;
- Gen 3:24So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 25:18 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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