1 Kings 6:23

23 And he made in God's answering place two cherubims of the trees of olives, of ten cubits of height (each ten cubits in height);

1 Kings 6:23 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 6:23

And within the oracle he made two cherubim [of] olive tree,
&c.] Or of the oil tree, as in ( Isaiah 41:19 ) ; see ( Nehemiah 8:15 ) ; for there are other trees besides olives, out of which oil is pressed, as pine trees, cypress trees and which some think are here meant; though the Targum interprets it of the olive tree: these cherubim are different from those made by Moses, and were besides them; these were larger than they; these were made of olive wood, they of gold; these stood on the floor of the house, they at the two ends of the mercy seat, and were made out of it, and were with it in this holy place in Solomon's temple: these two cherubim may be emblems of the angels in their greatness and glory, who are always in the presence of God, behold his face, and wait to do his will; or it may be rather of the two witnesses, said to be the two olive trees standing before the God of the whole earth, ( Revelation 11:3 Revelation 11:4 ) ; who have boldness to enter into the holiest of all, and have sight and knowledge of the mysteries of the ark and mercy seat; have their commission from heaven, and speak according to the oracles of God; these are said to be of image work, ( 2 Chronicles 3:10 ) ; that is, of various forms, as the thee of a man, a lion, an ox, and eagle, ( Ezekiel 1:10 ) . Dr. Lightfoot thinks F7 they resembled the two Testaments, which in their beginning and end reach the two sides of the world, the creation and the last judgment, and in the middle do sweetly join the one to the other:

[each] ten cubits high;
half as high as the most holy place; emblems either of the high angels, those thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, or of men of uncommon size as to their gifts and grace.


FOOTNOTES:

F7 Prospect of the Temple, c. 15. sect. 4.

1 Kings 6:23 In-Context

21 Also he covered with purest gold the house before God's answering place, or the oracle, and he fastened the plates with golden nails. (And he covered the inside of the Temple all around the Inner Temple, or the oracle, with the purest gold; and he fastened plates to the walls with gold nails.)
22 Nothing was in the temple that was not covered with gold; but also he covered with gold all the altar of God's answering place. (There was nothing in the Temple that was not covered with gold; and he also covered all of the altar for the Inner Temple with gold.)
23 And he made in God's answering place two cherubims of the trees of olives, of ten cubits of height (each ten cubits in height);
24 one wing of (the) cherub was of five cubits, and the tother wing of (the) cherub was (also) of five cubits, that is, having ten cubits, from the highness of the one wing till to the highness of the tother wing.
25 And the second cherub was of ten cubits in even measure; and one work was in the two cherubims, (And the second cherub was also ten cubits in equal measure; and the two cherubim were of the same work, or design,)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.