Back to Exodus 25

Exodus 25:18-20

You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 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. The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.

World English Bible · Public Domain
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Exodus 25:18-20 sits inside this longer paragraph.

“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height. You shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall overlay it inside and outside, and you shall make a gold molding around it. You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four feet. Two rings shall be on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. The poles shall be in the rings of the ark. They shall not be taken from it. You shall put the covenant which I shall give you into the ark. You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two and a half cubits shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its width. You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 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. The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the covenant that I will give you. There I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the covenant, all that I command you for the children of Israel.

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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.

    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.

    The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward 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.

    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.

    And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

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  • 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.

    And make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end; of one piece with the ark-cover shall ye make the cherubim of the two ends thereof.

    And the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high, screening the ark-cover with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the ark-cover shall the faces of the cherubim be.

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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 (29)

  • 1 Chronicles 28:18 (vv18, 20) 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…
  • 1 Kings 8:7 (v20) For the cherubim spread their wings out over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its poles above.
  • Hebrews 9:5 (vv18, 20) and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we can’t speak now in detail.
  • Ezekiel 10:20 (v18) This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.
  • 1 Kings 8:6-7 (v18) 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…
Show all 27 cross-references
  • Ezekiel 10:2 (v18) 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…
  • Genesis 3:24 (v18) 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…
  • Genesis 28:12 (v20) He dreamed and saw a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on…
  • Exodus 25:18 (v20) You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
  • Exodus 37:7-9 (v18) 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…
  • 1 Samuel 4:4 (v18) 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…
  • 1 Kings 6:23-28 (v18) 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…
  • 2 Chronicles 3:10 (v20) In the most holy place he made two cherubim by carving; and they overlaid them with gold.
  • Isaiah 6:1-5 (v20) In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood…
  • Ezekiel 1:20 (v20) Wherever the spirit was to go, they went. The spirit was to go there. The wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living…
  • Ezekiel 28:14 (v20) You were the anointed cherub who covers. Then I set you up on the holy mountain of God. You have walked up and down in the middle of the…
  • Ezekiel 41:18-19 (v18) 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…
  • Matthew 24:31 (v20) He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one…
  • John 1:51 (v20) He said to him, “Most certainly, I tell you all, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on…
  • 1 Corinthians 4:9 (v20) For, I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last of all, like men sentenced to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world,…
  • 1 Corinthians 11:10 (v20) For this cause the woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.
  • Ephesians 3:10 (v20) to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the…
  • Colossians 2:10 (v20) and in him you are made full, who is the head of all principality and power.
  • Hebrews 1:14 (v20) Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
  • 1 Peter 1:12 (v20) To them it was revealed, that they served not to themselves, but to you, in these things, which now have been announced to you through…
  • 1 Peter 3:22 (v20) who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers being made subject to him.
  • Revelation 5:11-12 (v20) I saw, and I heard something like a voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. The number of them was…

27 distinct cross-references across this passage (29 total citations).

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

Explain this passage (14 sources)

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

John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv18–20 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 On vv18–20 Figures of human shape, in which alone the angels…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv18–20 And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v18 The cherubim (Cherubim is the plural of Cherub, not…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v18 Verse 18. Thou shalt make two cherubims] What these…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v18 Exo 25:18-22. The cherubim (cherubim is the plural of…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v18 Cherubims, symbolic figures, which Moses does not perfectly describe,…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v18 two cherubim--The real meaning of these figures, as well…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v18 18-20. Two cherubim — The exact form of these…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv18–20 18. of beaten work] like the lampstand (v. 31),…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv18–20 (18) Two cherubims.—“Cherubims,” or rather cherubim, had been known…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv19–20 On the one end on the other end on…
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v19 General Information:
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v18 25:18 The appearance of the cherubim is not described…
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