Exodus 25:17-22

25:17 “You are to make an atonement lid ¹  of pure gold; ²  its length is to be three feet nine inches, and its width is to be two feet three inches. 25:18 You are to make two cherubim ³  of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid. 25:19 Make ⁴  one cherub on one end ⁵  and one cherub on the other end; from the atonement lid ⁶  you are to make the cherubim on the two ends. 25:20 The cherubim are to be spreading their wings upward, overshadowing ⁷  the atonement lid with their wings, and the cherubim are to face each other, ⁸  looking ⁹  toward the atonement lid. 25:21 You are to put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and in the ark you are to put the testimony I am giving you. 25:22 I will meet with you there, ¹⁰  and ¹¹  from above the atonement lid, from between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you for the Israelites.

Psalms 103:20

103:20 Praise the Lord, you angels of his,

you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees

and obey his orders! ¹² 

Psalms 148:1-2

Psalm 148 ¹³ 

148:1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the sky!

Praise him in the heavens!

148:2 Praise him, all his angels! ¹⁴ 

Praise him, all his heavenly assembly! ¹⁵ 

Isaiah 6:2-4

6:2 Seraphs ¹⁶  stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, ¹⁷  and they used the remaining two to fly. 6:3 They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy ¹⁸  is the Lord who commands armies! ¹⁹  His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!” 6:4 The sound of their voices shook the door frames, ²⁰  and the temple was filled with smoke.

Ezekiel 3:12

Ezekiel Before the Exiles

3:12 Then a wind lifted me up ²¹  and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me as the glory of the Lord rose from its place, ²² 

Ezekiel 3:1

3:1 He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you see in front of you ²³  – eat this scroll – and then go and speak to the house of Israel.”

Ezekiel 1:12

1:12 Each moved straight ahead ²⁴  – wherever the spirit ²⁵  would go, they would go, without turning as they went.

Revelation 5:9-14

5:9 They were singing a new song: ²⁶ 

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals

because you were killed, ²⁷ 

and at the cost of your own blood ²⁸  you have purchased ²⁹  for God

persons ³⁰  from every tribe, language, ³¹  people, and nation.

5:10 You have appointed ³²  them ³³  as a kingdom and priests ³⁴  to serve ³⁵  our God, and they will reign ³⁶  on the earth.”

5:11 Then ³⁷  I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their ³⁸  number was ten thousand times ten thousand ³⁹  – thousands times thousands – 5:12 all of whom ⁴⁰  were singing ⁴¹  in a loud voice:

“Worthy is the lamb who was killed ⁴² 

to receive power and wealth

and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and praise!”

5:13 Then ⁴³  I heard every creature – in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them – singing: ⁴⁴ 

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power ⁴⁵  forever and ever!”

5:14 And the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground ⁴⁶  and worshiped.

[25:17]  ¹ tn The noun is כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet), translated “atonement lid” or “atonement plate.” The traditional translation “mercy-seat” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) came from Tyndale in 1530 and was also used by Luther in 1523. The noun is formed from the word “to make atonement.” The item that the Israelites should make would be more than just a lid for the ark. It would be the place where atonement was signified. The translation of “covering” is probably incorrect, for it derives from a rare use of the verb, if the same verb at all (the evidence shows “cover” is from another root with the same letters as this). The value of this place was that Yahweh sat enthroned above it, and so the ark essentially was the “footstool.” Blood was applied to the lid of the box, for that was the place of atonement (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 269-270).

[25:17]  ² tn After verbs of making or producing, the accusative (like “gold” here) may be used to express the material from which something is made (see GKC 371 §117.hh).

[25:18]  ³ tn The evidence suggests that the cherubim were composite angelic creatures that always indicated the nearness of God. So here images of them were to be crafted and put on each end of the ark of the covenant to signify that they were there. Ezekiel 1 describes four cherubim as each having human faces, four wings, and parts of different animals for their bodies. Traditions of them appear in the other cultures as well. They serve to guard the holy places and to bear the throne of God. Here they were to be beaten out as part of the lid.

[25:19]  ⁴ tn The text now shifts to use an imperative with the vav (ו) conjunction.

[25:19]  ⁵ tn The use of זֶה (zeh) repeated here expresses the reciprocal ideas of “the one” and “the other” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 26, §132).

[25:19]  ⁶ sn The angels were to form one piece with the lid and not be separated. This could be translated “of one piece with” the lid, but it is likely the angels were simply fastened to it permanently.

[25:20]  ⁷ tn The verb means “overshadowing, screening” in the sense of guarding (see 1 Kgs 8:7; 1 Chr 28:18; see also the account in Gen 3:24). The cherubim then signify two things here: by their outstretched wings they form the throne of God who sits above the ark (with the Law under his feet), and by their overshadowing and guarding they signify this as the place of atonement where people must find propitiation to commune with God. Until then they are barred from his presence. See U. Cassuto, Exodus, 330-35.

[25:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “their faces a man to his brother.”

[25:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “the faces of the cherubim will be” (“the cherubim” was moved to the preceding clause for smoother English).

[25:22]  ¹⁰ sn Here then is the main point of the ark of the covenant, and the main point of all worship – meeting with God through atonement. The text makes it clear that here God would meet with Moses (“you” is singular) and then he would speak to the people – he is the mediator of the covenant. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 272) makes the point that the verb here is not the word that means “to meet by chance” (as in Exod 3:18), but “to meet” by appointment for a purpose (וְנוֹעַדְתִּי, vÿno’adti). The parallel in the NT is Jesus Christ and his work. The theology is that the Law condemns people as guilty of sin, but the sacrifice of Christ makes atonement. So he is the “place of propitiation (Rom 3:25) who gains communion with the Father for sinners. A major point that could be made from this section is this: At the center of worship must be the atoning work of Christ – a perpetual reminder of God’s righteous standard (the testimony in the ark) and God’s gracious provision (the atonement lid).

[25:22]  ¹¹ tn The verb is placed here in the text: “and I will speak”; it has been moved in this translation to be closer to the direct object clause.

[103:20]  ¹² tn Heb “[you] mighty ones of strength, doers of his word, by listening to the voice of his word.”

[148:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 148. The psalmist calls upon all creation to praise the Lord, for he is the creator and sovereign king of the world.

[148:2]  ¹⁴ tn Or “heavenly messengers.”

[148:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “all his host.”

[6:2]  ¹⁶ tn Hebrew שָׂרָף (saraf, “seraph”) literally means “burning one,” perhaps suggesting that these creatures had a fiery appearance (cf. TEV, CEV “flaming creatures”; NCV “heavenly creatures of fire”). Elsewhere in the OT the word “seraph” refers to poisonous snakes (Num 21:6; Deut 8:15; Isa 14:29; 30:6). Perhaps they were called “burning ones” because of their appearance or the effect of their venomous bites, which would cause a victim to burn up with fever. It is possible that the seraphs seen by Isaiah were at least partially serpentine in appearance. Though it might seem strange for a snake-like creature to have wings, two of the texts where “seraphs” are snakes describe them as “flying” (Isa 14:29; 30:6), perhaps referring to their darting movements. See the note at 14:29.

[6:2]  ¹⁷ sn Some understand “feet” here as a euphemistic reference to the genitals.

[6:3]  ¹⁸ tn Some have seen a reference to the Trinity in the seraphs’ threefold declaration, “holy, holy, holy.” This proposal has no linguistic or contextual basis and should be dismissed as allegorical. Hebrew sometimes uses repetition for emphasis. (See IBHS 233-34 §12.5a; and GKC 431-32 §133.k.) By repeating the word “holy,” the seraphs emphasize the degree of the Lord’s holiness. For another example of threefold repetition for emphasis, see Ezek 21:27 (Heb. v. 32). (Perhaps Jer 22:29 provides another example.)

[6:3]  ¹⁹ tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.

[6:4]  ²⁰ tn On the phrase אַמּוֹת הַסִּפִּים (’ammot hassippim, “pivots of the frames”) see HALOT 763 s.v. סַף.

[3:12]  ²¹ sn See note on “wind” in 2:2.

[3:12]  ²² tc This translation accepts the emendation suggested in BHS of בְּרוּם (bÿrum) for בָּרוּךְ (barukh). The letters mem (מ) and kaph (כ) were easily confused in the old script while בָּרוּךְ (“blessed be”) both implies a quotation which is out of place here and also does not fit the later phrase, “from its place,” which requires a verb of motion.

[3:1]  ²³ tn Heb “eat what you find.”

[1:12]  ²⁴ tn See the note on “straight ahead” in v. 9.

[1:12]  ²⁵ tn Or “wind.”

[5:9]  ²⁶ tn The redundant participle λέγοντες (legontes) has not been translated here.

[5:9]  ²⁷ tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”

[5:9]  ²⁸ tn The preposition ἐν (en) is taken to indicate price here, like the Hebrew preposition ב (bet) does at times. BDAG 329 s.v. ἐν 5.b states, “The ἐν which takes the place of the gen. of price is also instrumental ἠγόρασας ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου Rv 5:9 (cp. 1 Ch 21:24 ἀγοράζω ἐν ἀργυρίῳ).”

[5:9]  ²⁹ tc The Greek text as it stands above (i.e., the reading τῷ θεῷ [tw qew] alone) is found in codex A. א 2050 2344 Ï sy add the term “us” (ἡμᾶς, Jhmas), either before or after τῷ θεῷ, as an attempt to clarify the object of “purchased” (ἠγόρασας, hgorasa"). A few mss (1 vg^ms) delete the reference to God altogether and simply replace it with “us” (ἡμᾶς). This too is an attempt to remove ambiguity in the phrase and provide an object for “purchased.” The shorter reading, supported by the best witness for Revelation, best accounts for the other readings.

[5:9]  ³⁰ tn The word “persons” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[5:9]  ³¹ tn Grk “and language,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[5:10]  ³² tn The verb ἐποίησας (epoihsas) is understood to mean “appointed” here. For an example of this use, see Mark 3:14.

[5:10]  ³³ tc The vast majority of witnesses have αὐτούς (autous, “them”) here, while the Textus Receptus reads ἡμᾶς (Jhmas, “us”) with insignificant support (pc gig vg^cl sa Prim Bea). There is no question that the original text read αὐτούς here.

[5:10]  ³⁴ tn The reference to “kingdom and priests” may be a hendiadys: “priestly kingdom.”

[5:10]  ³⁵ tn The words “to serve” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the word “priests.”

[5:10]  ³⁶ tc The textual problem here between the present tense βασιλεύουσιν (basileuousin, “they are reigning”; so A 1006 1611 Ï^K pc) and the future βασιλεύσουσιν (basileusousin, “they will reign”; so א 1854 2053 Ï^A pc lat co) is a difficult one. Both readings have excellent support. On the one hand, the present tense seems to be the harder reading in this context. On the other hand, codex A elsewhere mistakes the future for the present (20:6). Further, the lunar sigma in uncial script could have been overlooked by some scribes, resulting in the present tense. All things considered, there is a slight preference for the future.

[5:11]  ³⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[5:11]  ³⁸ tn Grk “elders, and the number of them was.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[5:11]  ³⁹ tn Or “myriads of myriads.” Although μυριάς (murias) literally means “10,000,” the point of the combination here may simply be to indicate an incalculably huge number. See L&N 60.9.

[5:12]  ⁴⁰ tn The words “all of whom” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to indicate the resumption of the phrase “the voice of many angels” at the beginning of the verse.

[5:12]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “saying.”

[5:12]  ⁴² tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”

[5:13]  ⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[5:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “saying.”

[5:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “dominion.”

[5:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”