Back to Exodus 37

Exodus 37:6-9

He made a mercy seat of pure gold. Its length was two and a half cubits, and a cubit and a half its width. 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.

World English Bible · Public Domain
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Exodus 37:6-9 sits inside this longer paragraph.

Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Its length was two and a half cubits, and its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height. He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold for it around it. He cast four rings of gold for it, in its four feet—two rings on its one side, and two rings on its other side. He made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold. He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. He made a mercy seat of pure gold. Its length was two and a half cubits, and a cubit and a half its width. 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.

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    He made a mercy seat of pure gold. Its length was two and a half cubits, and a cubit and a half its width.

    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.

  • KJV King James Version

    And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

    And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;

    One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

    And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.

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  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    And he made an ark-cover of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

    And he made two cherubim of gold: of beaten work made he them, at the two ends of the ark-cover:

    one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end; of one piece with the ark-cover made he the cherubim at the two ends thereof.

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

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Cross-references (24)

  • Hebrews 9:5 (v6) and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we can’t speak now in detail.
  • Genesis 3:24 (v9) 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 (v9) 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 25:17-22 (v6) 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…
  • Exodus 25:20 (v9) The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces…
Show all 24 cross-references
  • Leviticus 16:12-15 (v6) He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Yahweh, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it…
  • 1 Kings 6:23-29 (v7) 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…
  • 1 Chronicles 28:11 (v6) Then David gave to Solomon his son the plans for the porch of the temple, for its houses, for its treasuries, for its upper rooms, for its…
  • Psalms 80:1 (v7) Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit above the cherubim, shine out.
  • Psalms 104:4 (v7) He makes his messengers winds, and his servants flames of fire.
  • Isaiah 6:2 (v9) Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew.
  • Ezekiel 10:1-22 (v9) Then I looked, and see, in the expanse that was over the head of the cherubim there appeared above them as it were a sapphire stone, as the…
  • Ezekiel 10:2 (v7) 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…
  • John 1:51 (v9) 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…
  • Romans 3:25 (v6) whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of…
  • 2 Corinthians 3:18 (v9) But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even…
  • Galatians 4:4 (v6) But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law,
  • Ephesians 3:10 (v9) 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…
  • Philippians 3:8 (v9) Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be a loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered…
  • 1 Timothy 3:16 (v9) Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached…
  • Titus 2:14 (v6) who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for…
  • Hebrews 1:14 (v9) Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
  • 1 Peter 1:12 (v9) 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 John 2:2 (v6) And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.

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

Explain this passage (10 sources)

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

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v8 Of the selfsame matter that the Mercy seat was.

Of the selfsame matter that the Mercy seat was.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.

Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On v8 On the end, or, made out of the end;…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v6 Verse 6. He made the mercy-seat] See this described…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v9 Covering... This indicated that the Scriptures were to be…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v6 made the mercy seat of pure gold--To construct a…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv6–7 6. a mercy-seat] Or, propitiatory: see on Exo_25:17.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v7 (7) Beaten out of one piece.—Rather, of beaten work,…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On v7 Beaten out of one piece. Rather, "of beaten work,"…
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v7 See, 1Ki 6:23, (See Scofield "Eze 1:5").
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v7 General Information:
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