Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the atoning cover at its two ends.
Parallel translations
- WEB Make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. You shall make the cherubim on its two ends of one piece with the mercy seat.
- KJV And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
- BSB one cherub on one end and one on the other, all made from one piece of gold.
- NKJV Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat.
- NLT Mold the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of 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
One cherub was to be at each end, made of one piece with the mercy seat. The unity of design joined the angelic figures to the place of atonement.
Overview
Crafting the cherubim and mercy seat from a single piece of gold emphasized their inseparable connection. The angelic guardians belong to the very throne of mercy where God meets His people. This careful unity reflects the precision and beauty God required. The scene depicts heaven's hosts surrounding the place where atonement is made, anticipating the reconciliation accomplished by Christ.
Cross-references & the web
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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 25:19 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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