Hebrews 9:5

Hebrews 9:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
• New International Version (NIV)Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
• New King James Version (NKJV)and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Context of Hebrews 9:5

3Behind the second veil there was another tabernacle [the inner one or second section] known as the Holy of Holies, 4having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered entirely with gold. This contained a golden jar which held the manna, and the rod of Aaron that sprouted, and the [two stone] tablets of the covenant [inscribed with the Ten Commandments]; and above the ark were the [golden] cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but we cannot now go into detail about these things. 6Now when these things have been prepared in this way, the priests continually enter the outer [or first section of the] tabernacle [that is, the Holy Place] performing [their ritual acts of] the divine worship, 7but into the second [inner tabernacle, the Holy of Holies], only the high priest enters [and then only] once a year, and never without [bringing a sacrifice of] blood, which he offers [as a substitutionary atonement] for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

Hebrews 9:5 word by word

ὑπεράνω δὲ αὐτῆς Χερουβὶν δόξης κατασκιάζοντα τὸ ἱλαστήριον, περὶ ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν νῦν λέγειν κατὰ μέρος.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• overὑπεράνωhuperanō · aboveG5231
• itαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• the cherubimsχερουβίμcheroubim · CherubG5502
• of gloryδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
• shadowingκατασκιάζωkataskiazō · to overshadowG2683
• the mercyseatὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the mercyseatἱλαστήριοςhilastērion · propitiationG2435
• ofπερίperi · aboutG4012
• whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• we cannotοὐou · noG3756
• we cannotεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• nowνῦνnun · nowG3568
• speakλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• ·κατάkata · according toG2596
• particularlyμέροςmeros · partG3313

Cross-references for Hebrews 9:5

• Exodus 25:17“You shall make a mercy seat (cover) of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.
• Exodus 37:6Bezalel made the mercy seat of pure gold; it was two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide.
• Leviticus 16:2The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil (the Holy of Holies), before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die, for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
• Numbers 7:89Now when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat (the gold cover) that was on the ark of the Testimony from between the two cherubim; and He spoke [by special revelation] to him.
• 1 Samuel 4:4So the people sent word to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were with the ark of the covenant of God.
• 1 Kings 8:6Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, into the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim.
• 2 Kings 19:15Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim [of the ark in the temple], You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth.
• Psalms 80:1Hear us O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned above the cherubim [of the ark of the covenant], shine forth!
• Psalms 99:1The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble [with submissive wonder]! He sits enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!
• Ephesians 3:10So now through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God [in all its countless aspects] might now be made known [revealing the mystery] to the [angelic] rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
• 1 Peter 1:12It was revealed to them that their services [their prophecies regarding grace] were not [meant] for themselves and their time, but for you, in these things [the death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ] which have now been told to you by those who preached the gospel to you by the [power of the] Holy Spirit [who was] sent from heaven. Into these things even the angels long to look.
• Hebrews 4:16Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].
• 1 Chronicles 28:11Then David gave to his son Solomon the plan for the porch of the temple, its buildings, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner rooms, and for the place for the [ark and its] mercy seat;

Commentaries on Hebrews 9:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5And over it the cherubims of glory - Cherubim is the plural of cherub, and it is absurd to add our plural termination (s) to the plural termination of the Hebrew. The glory here signifies the shechinah or symbol of the Divine presence. Shadowing the mercy-seat - One at each end of the ark, with their faces turned toward each other, but looking down on the cover or propitiatory, ̔, here called the mercy-seat. Of which we cannot now speak particularly - The…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5And over it - That is, over the ark. The cherubim of glory - A Hebrew mode of expression, meaning “the glorious cherubim.” The word “cherubim” is the Hebrew form of the plural, of which cherub is the singular. The word “glory” used here in connection with “cherubim,” refers to the splendor, or magnificence of the image, as being carved with great skill, and covered with gold. There were two cherubim on the ark, placed on the lid in such a manner that…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5The cherubim of divine glory were angel statues on the cover of the ark. These angels are closely linked to God's glorious presence (Genesis 3:24; Psalms 80:1; 99:1; Isaiah 37:16). The ark's cover was the atonement place, where they sprinkled blood from the Day of Atonement sacrifice (Leviticus 16:14–16). we cannot discuss these things in detail now: The main topic is the offering of sacrifices under the old covenant (Hebrews 9:6–10).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. over it--over "the ark of the covenant." cherubim--representing the ruling powers by which God acts in the moral and natural world. (See on Eze 1:6; Eze 10:1). Hence sometimes they answer to the ministering angels; but mostly to the elect redeemed, by whom God shall hereafter rule the world and set forth His manifold wisdom: redeemed humanity, combining in, and with itself, the highest forms of subordinate creaturely life; not angels. They stand on the…Read the comment

Topics related to Hebrews 9:5

• Cherubim
• Mercy-Seat
• Offerings
• Propitiation
• Shekinah
• Symbols and Similitudes
• Tabernacle
• Types
• Works

In the dictionaries

• Altar
• Bear
• Cherub
• High priest
• Mercyseat
• Ordinance
• Propitiation
• Remission
• Sanctuary
• Stand

Commentaries on Hebrews 9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings