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Exodus 25:18

You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.

  • KJV King James Version

    And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold; of beaten work shalt thou make them, at the two ends of the ark-cover.

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Examined in Scripture Analysis

Contradictions (1)

Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.

  • Is it OK to make images?

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Cross-references (10)

Passages linked to Exodus 25:18 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.

  • Ezekiel 10:20 This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.
  • Hebrews 9:5 and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we can’t speak now in detail.
  • 1 Kings 8:6-7 The priests brought in the ark of Yahweh’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, even under the cherubim’s wings. For the cherubim spread their wings out over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its poles above.
  • 1 Chronicles 28:18 and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the plans for the chariot, and the cherubim that spread out and cover the ark of Yahweh’s covenant.
  • Ezekiel 10:2 He 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.
  • Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
  • Exodus 37:7-9 He made two cherubim of gold. He made them of beaten work, at the two ends of the mercy seat: one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. He made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. The cherubim spread out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.
  • 1 Samuel 4:4 So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of Armies, who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
  • 1 Kings 6:23-28 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub. From the tip of one wing to the tip of the other was ten cubits. The other cherub was ten cubits. Both the cherubim were of one measure and one form. One cherub was ten cubits high, and so was the other cherub. He set the cherubim within the inner house. The wings of the cherubim were stretched out, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the middle of the house. He overlaid the cherubim with gold.
  • Ezekiel 41:18-19 It was made with cherubim and palm trees. A palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces; so that there was the face of a man toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side. It was made like this through all the house all around.

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

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Explain this verse (12 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Exo 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims [of]…

Exo 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims [of] gold, [of] beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

Ver. 18. And thou shalt make two cherubims.] Golden winged images, made by God’s special appointment, and set out of sight. Hence then is no warrant for the use of images in churches. These here were to represent the holy angels attendant upon God, looking intently into the mystery of Christ, as the cherubims did into the propitiatory, {1Pe 1:12} and joined to the society of saints.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Figures of human shape, in which alone the angels…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The cherubim (Cherubim is the plural of Cherub, not…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 18. Thou shalt make two cherubims] What these…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Exo 25:18-22. The cherubim (cherubim is the plural of…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Cherubims, symbolic figures, which Moses does not perfectly describe,…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain two cherubim--The real meaning of these figures, as well…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 18-20. Two cherubim — The exact form of these…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 18. of beaten work] like the lampstand (v. 31),…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (18) Two cherubims.—“Cherubims,” or rather cherubim, had been known…
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 25:18 The appearance of the cherubim is not described…

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