1 Kings 6:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high.

NIV: For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim out of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

NASB: And in the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

CSB: In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim 15 feet high out of olive wood.

NLT: He made two cherubim of wild olive wood, each 15 feet tall, and placed them in the inner sanctuary.

KJV: And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.

NKJV: Inside the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

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.

First Kings 6: 23–28 describes the cherubim in the holy of holies (1 Chronicles 3:10–13). The back 30 feet / 9.1 meters of the 90-foot / 27.4-meter temple is reserved for the holy of holies, where the ark of the covenant will sit. Solomon commissions two 15-foot / 4.6-meter-tall cherubim to stand guard over it. It's unclear what form the bodies take, but the wings span the width of the room. In addition to the cherubim on the mercy seat of the ark, more are carved into the walls of the temple and woven into the veil (1 Kings 6:29; 2 Chronicles 3:14).

In 1 Kings 6 (2 Chronicles 3:1–13), Solomon builds the structure of the temple. It's 90 feet / 27.4 meters long and 30 feet / 9 meters wide. At the back, in the west, is the 30-foot / 9 meters cubed holy of holies with two gold-covered cherubim. In front of the nave is a 15-foot-deep / 4.6-meter-deep vestibule. Around the sides and possibly the back are three stories of storerooms. The stone is covered in cedar, carved with cherubim, palm trees, and flowers, and gourds, all of which are covered in gold. The building takes seven and a half years to complete.

In 1 Kings 6 (2 Chronicles 3:1–13), Solomon completes the great task David gave him (1 Chronicles 22:6–11): he builds the temple. David gathered wood and gold (1 Chronicles 22:4, 14; 29:1–9), and Solomon stockpiled more wood and stone (1 Kings 5:6–8). Solomon begins in the fourth year of his reign, in 966 BC, and finishes seven and a half years later. He will spend another thirteen years building his palace while the craftsman Hiram-abi makes the temple furnishings. Then he can dedicate the temple (1 Kings 7—9).

This was originally the first half of a combined text. First Kings records the end of David's reign and the rule of Solomon. After this, the kingdom is split in two. The northern nation of Israel no longer submits to the king of the southern nation, called Judah. The prophet Elijah first appears in this book. The kings mostly fail to honor the Lord. They participate in idolatry and other sins. This will eventually result in their conquest and exile, as depicted throughout the books of Chronicles.