1 Kings 6:23-29

6:23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubs of olive wood; each stood 15 feet ¹  high. 6:24 Each of the first cherub’s wings was seven and a half feet long; its entire wingspan was 15 feet. ²  6:25 The second cherub also had a wingspan of 15 feet; it was identical to the first in measurements and shape. ³  6:26 Each cherub stood 15 feet high. ⁴  6:27 He put the cherubs in the inner sanctuary of the temple. ⁵  Their wings were spread out. One of the first cherub’s wings touched one wall and one of the other cherub’s wings touched the opposite wall. The first cherub’s other wing touched the second cherub’s other wing in the middle of the room. ⁶  6:28 He plated the cherubs with gold.

6:29 On all the walls around the temple, inside and out, ⁷  he carved ⁸  cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom.

Psalms 80:1

Psalm 80 ⁹ 

For the music director; according to the shushan-eduth style; ¹⁰  a psalm of Asaph.

80:1 O shepherd of Israel, pay attention,

you who lead Joseph like a flock of sheep!

You who sit enthroned above the winged angels, ¹¹  reveal your splendor! ¹² 

Psalms 104:4

104:4 He makes the winds his messengers,

and the flaming fire his attendant. ¹³ 

Ezekiel 10:2

10:2 The Lord ¹⁴  said to the man dressed in linen, “Go between the wheelwork ¹⁵  underneath the cherubim. ¹⁶  Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” He went as I watched.

[6:23]  ¹ tn Heb “ten cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).

[6:24]  ² tn Heb “The first wing of the [one] cherub was five cubits, and the second wing of the cherub was five cubits, ten cubits from the tips of his wings to the tips of his wings.”

[6:25]  ³ tn Heb “and the second cherub was ten cubits, the two cherubs had one measurement and one shape.”

[6:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “the height of the first cherub was ten cubits; and so was the second cherub.”

[6:27]  ⁵ tn Heb “in the midst of the inner house,” i.e., in the inner sanctuary.

[6:27]  ⁶ tn Heb “and their wings were in the middle of the room, touching wing to wing.”

[6:29]  ⁷ sn Inside and out probably refers to the inner and outer rooms within the building.

[6:29]  ⁸ tn Heb “carved engravings of carvings.”

[80:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 80. The psalmist laments Israel’s demise and asks the Lord to show favor toward his people, as he did in earlier times.

[80:1]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew expression shushan-eduth means “lily of the testimony.” It may refer to a particular music style or to a tune title. See the superscription to Ps 60.

[80:1]  ¹¹ sn Winged angels (Heb “cherubs”). Cherubs, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubs suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubs in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.

[80:1]  ¹² tn Heb “shine forth.”

[104:4]  ¹³ tc Heb “and his attendants a flaming fire.” The lack of agreement between the singular “fire” and plural “attendants” has prompted various emendations. Some read “fire and flame.” The present translation assumes an emendation to “his attendant” (יו in the Hebrew text being virtually dittographic).

[10:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:2]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew term often refers to chariot wheels (Isa 28:28; Ezek 23:24; 26:10).

[10:2]  ¹⁶ tc The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and Targum mss read plural “cherubim” while the MT is singular here, “cherub.” The plural ending was probably omitted in copying the MT due to the similar beginning of the next word.