He made two cherubim from hammered gold and placed them on the two ends of the atonement cover.
Parallel translations
- WEB He made two cherubim of gold. He made them of beaten work, at the two ends of the mercy seat;
- KJV And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;
- BSB He made two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat,
- NKJV He made two cherubim of beaten gold; he made them of one piece at the two ends of the mercy seat:
- NASB And he made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the atoning 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 made at the two ends of the mercy seat. These angelic figures attended the place of God's presence.
Overview
The cherubim recall the heavenly beings who surround God's throne and once guarded Eden's entrance. Here they frame the place where God graciously meets sinners through atonement. The careful beaten work follows Exodus 25:18, displaying the glory and holiness of God's presence.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 1 Kgs 6:23–29In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.
- Ezek 10:2He spoke to the man clothed in linen, and said, “Go in between the whirling wheels, even under the cherub, and fill both your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” He went in as I watched.
- Ps 104:4He makes his messengers winds; his servants flames of fire.
- Ps 80:1For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm by Asaph. Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit above the cherubim, shine out.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 37:7 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.