What does 1 Kings 6:23 mean?

The inner sanctuary, or holy of holies, takes up the back of the temple building. It's a 30-foot / 9-meter cube, lined in carved cedar and covered in gold. Solomon commissions two olivewood cherubim to stand in the room. Olivewood is extremely hard, and its tight grain makes it good for carving statues.

The cherubim stand next to each other, facing front. They're 15 feet / 4.6 meters high. Each spread wing is 7.5 feet / 2.3 meters long. Their outer wingtips touch their respective walls, and their inner wingtips meet at the center of the room. When they're finished, they're covered in gold (1 Kings 6:24–28).

Although the text is diligent in providing the dimensions of the cherubim, it doesn't describe what they look like. God posted cherubim at Eden to prevent people from entering (Genesis 3:24). Before his fall, Satan is described as "an anointed guardian cherub" (Ezekiel 28:14). The ark of the covenant has two golden figures of cherubim who spread their wings over the mercy seat (Exodus 25:17–20).

The most detailed descriptions of cherubim come from Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 1:4–14, they're called "living creatures" (Ezekiel 10:3). They have four faces: human, lion, ox, and eagle. Although their bodies and hands are like a man's, they have calves' feet and four wings: two to fly and two to cover their bodies. They sparkle like burnished bronze or burning coals of fire. In Ezekiel 10:14, the ox's face is replaced by the face of a cherub.

Most scholars believe the cherubim in the holy of holies are winged sphinxes after the tradition of northern Syria. The primary craftsman of the temple is Hiram-abi. His mother is an Israelite, but his father was from Tyre. He may have formed the cherubim in the tradition of Tyre.