New English Translation
Exodus 25:18
18You are to make two cherubim of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid.
Exodus 25:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
- New International Version (NIV)And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
Context of Exodus 25:18
16You are to put into the ark the testimony that I will give to you. 17“You are to make an atonement lid of pure gold; its length is to be three feet nine inches, and its width is to be two feet three inches. You are to make two cherubim of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid. 19Make one cherub on one end and one cherub on the other end; from the atonement lid you are to make the cherubim on the two ends. 20The cherubim are to be spreading their wings upward, overshadowing the atonement lid with their wings, and the cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the atonement lid.
Read all of Exodus 25Exodus 25:18 word by word
וְעָשִׂ֛יתָ שְׁנַ֥יִם כְּרֻבִ֖ים זָהָ֑ב מִקְשָׁה֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֹתָ֔ם מִשְּׁנֵ֖י קְצ֥וֹת הַכַּפֹּֽרֶת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 25:18
- Exodus 37:7He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid,
- Genesis 3:24When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.
- 1 Samuel 4:4So the army sent to Shiloh, and they took from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts who sits between the cherubim. Now the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
- 1 Kings 6:23In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubs of olive wood; each stood 15 feet high.
- 1 Kings 8:6The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its assigned place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubs.
- 1 Chronicles 28:18and for the refined gold of the incense altar. He gave him the blueprint for the seat of the gold cherubim that spread their wings and provide shelter for the ark of the Lord’s covenant.
- Ezekiel 10:2The Lord said to the man dressed in linen, “Go between the wheelwork underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” He went as I watched.
- Ezekiel 41:18It was made with cherubim and decorative palm trees, with a palm tree between each cherub. Each cherub had two faces:
- Hebrews 9:5And above the ark were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Now is not the time to speak of these things in detail.
Commentaries on Exodus 25:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Thou shalt make two cherubims - What these were we cannot distinctly say. It is generally supposed that a cherub was a creature with four heads and one body: and the animals, of which these emblematical forms consisted, were the noblest of their kinds; the lion among the wild beasts, the bull among the tame ones, the eagle among the birds, and man at the head of all; so that they might be, says Dr. Priestley, the representatives of all nature. Concerning…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17-22Verses 17-22 A mercy seat of pure gold - (Compare Exodus 37:6-9.) In external form, the mercy-seat was a plate of gold with the cherubim standing on it, the whole beaten out of one solid piece of metal Exodus 37:7; it was placed upon the ark and so took the place of a cover. “mercy” seat expresses well the distinct significance and recognized designation of the Hebrew name. Exodus 25:18-20 The cherubim of the mercy-seat were human figures, each having two…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-22Verses 10-22 The ark was a chest, overlaid with gold, in which the two tables of the law were to be kept. These tables are called the testimony; God in them testified his will. This law was a testimony to the Israelites, to direct them in their duty, and would be a testimony against them, if they transgressed. This ark was placed in the holy of holies; the blood of the sacrifices was sprinkled, and the incense burned, before it, by the high priest; and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18The description of the cherubim only mentions that they had wings (25:20; see 2 Chronicles 3:10–13).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. two cherubim--The real meaning of these figures, as well as the shape or form of them, is not known with certainty--probably similar to what was afterwards introduced into the temple, and described in Eze 10:8-22. They stretched out their wings, and their faces were turned towards the mercy seat [Ex 25:20], probably in a bowing attitude. The prevailing opinion now is, that those splendid figures were symbolical not of angelic but of earthly and human…Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 25:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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