to sheet over (especially with metal) · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
cherubims
הַכְּרוּבִ֖יםha.ke.ru.Vim
H3742
a cherub or imaginary figure · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
gold
זָהָֽבza.Hav
H2091
gold · noun, common masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 6:15–end
Here, I. We have a particular account of the details of the building.
1. The wainscot of the temple. It was of cedar (Kg1 6:15), which was strong and durable, and of a very sweet smell. The wainscot was curiously carved with knops (like eggs or apples) and flowers, no doubt as the fashion then was, Kg1 6:18.
2. The gilding. It was not like ours, washed over, but the whole house, all the inside of the temple (Kg1 6:22), even the floor (Kg1 6:30), he overlaid with gold, and the most holy place with pure gold, Kg1 6:21. Solomon would spare no expense necessary to make it every way sumptuous. Gold was under foot there, as it should be in all the living temples: the abundance of it lessened its w…
THE CEILING AND ADORNING OF IT. (Kg1 6:15-22)
he built the walls of the house within--The walls were wainscotted with cedar-wood; the floor, paved with cypress planks; the interior was divided (by a partition consisting of folding doors, which were opened and shut with golden chains) into two apartments--the back or inner room, that is, the most holy place, was twenty cubits long and broad; the front, or outer room, that is, the holy place, was forty cubits. The cedar-wood was beautifully embellished with figures in relievo, representing clusters of foliage, open flowers, cherubims, and palm trees. The whole interior was overlaid with gold, so that neither wood nor stone was seen; nothing m…
The height of the one cherub was ten cubits - Concerning the cherubs, their form, etc., see my note on Exo 25:18 (note). The height of each cherub was about eighteen feet and three inches.
John Gill on 1 Kings 6:28
And he overlaid the cherubim with gold. Which may denote the purity and excellency of angels; or the precious gifts and graces of the Spirit, with which the witnesses of Christ are adorned.
The Church Fathers
The two cherubim can also stand for the two Testaments. These cherubim, no doubt, were made in the oracle because in the design of God's providence, which is, of course, inaccessible and incomprehensible to us, it was arranged before the world began, when and how and by what authors sacred Scripture was to be written. They were made of olive wood because the divine books were composed by men "of mercy, whose godly deeds have not failed," men who were enlightened by the unction of the Holy Spirit. They were made of olive wood because they afford us the light of knowledge with the help of the flame of God's love that is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. They are ten cubits high because by the observance of the Decalogue of the law they preach that God is to be served since they show that those who serve God faithfully are to be rewarded with the denarius of an everlasting kingdom. They have twin sets of wings because they proclaim that the Testaments have always, both in adversity and prosperity, pursued heavenly things with tireless resolve and attained to them, because they point out to their listeners that they must do exactly the same. Five cubits is the length of one cherub's wing and five the length of the other's since in all the fluctuations of transient things the saints lay all the senses of their eyes ever on the Lord. They desire to hear the sound of his praise and to recount all his wonderful works, considering his words are sweeter to their throats than honey and the honeycomb to their mouths. Running after the odor of his ointments and while there is breath left in them and the spirit of God in their nostrils, they do not speak evil with their lips or utter folly with their tongue. Thus going on their way "with the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left," they succeed in receiving the heavenly denarius that the supreme master of the household has promised to the workers in his vineyard.And the two cherubim formed one work because the writers of both documents served God with one and the same purity of work and devotedness of love and proclaim God with one harmonious voice and belief. What the New Testament relates as accomplished facts regarding the Lord's incarnation, passion, resurrection and ascension, the calling of the Gentiles, the expulsion of the Jews and the manifold affliction of the church, these same…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Temple, Solomon’s — Before his death David had “with all his might” provided materials in great abundance for the building of the temple on the summit of Mount Moriah (1 Chr. 22:14; 29:4; 2 Chr. 3:1), on the east of the…
Holy Of Holies · Contained: Cherubim — Contained: Cherubim
Temple, The First · The oracle or most holy place: Two cherubims of gilded olive wood made within — The oracle or most holy place: Two cherubims of gilded olive wood made within
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Kings 6:14-35
The Internal Arrangements of the Temple-House. - Kg1 6:14-22. Internal covering of the house, and division into Holy and Most Holy. - Kg1 6:14 (cf. Kg1 6:9) resumes the description of the building of the temple, which had been interrupted by the divine promise just communicated.
Kg1 6:15
"He built (i.e., so far as the sense is concerned, he covered) the walls of the house within with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling he overlaid it with wood within, and overlaid the floor with cypress boards." The expression הסּפּן קירות, "walls of the ceiling," is very striking here, and renders it probable that קירות is only a copyist's error for קורות, "beams of the…
In the inner sanctuary were two cherubim (see study note on 1 Chr 28:18) made of olive wood and overlaid . . . with gold. Standing like sentries facing the door (2 Chr 3:13), their combined wingspan reached from wall to wall. Along with the two smaller cherubim facing each other atop the Ark (Exod 25:17-21), they symbolized the awesome presence of the Most Holy God.
Rashi on 1 Kings 6:27
The wing of one touched the wall. The north[ern wall].
And the wing of the second cherub touched the other wall. The southern [wall]; they covered the Ark and its poles.
And their wings which were inside the chamber. The tips of the wings which were [towards] the center of the room.
Were touching wing to wing. Because the entire space of the room [i.e., the Holy of Holies] was twenty [amohs].
