Exodus 25:20
New International Version
The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover.

New Living Translation
The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it.

English Standard Version
The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

Berean Standard Bible
And the cherubim are to have wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat.

King James Bible
And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

New King James Version
And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.

New American Standard Bible
And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the atoning cover.

NASB 1995
“The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat.

NASB 1977
“And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat.

Legacy Standard Bible
The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be toward the mercy seat.

Amplified Bible
The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing each other. The faces of the cherubim are to be looking downward toward the mercy seat.

Christian Standard Bible
The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat.

American Standard Version
And the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the Cherubim shall be extending their wings over and covering over the Mercy Seat with their wings, and their faces one against another; the faces of the Cherubim will be over the Mercy Seat.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The cherubs shall stretch forth their wings above, overshadowing the propitiatory with their wings; and their faces shall be toward each other, the faces of the cherubs shall be toward the propitiatory.

Contemporary English Version
The creatures must face each other with their wings spread over the chest.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Let them cover both sides of the propitiatory, spreading their wings, and covering the oracle, and let them look one towards the other, their faces being turned towards the propitiatory wherewith the ark is to be covered.

English Revised Version
And the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The angels should have their wings spread above the throne of mercy, overshadowing it. They should face each other, looking at the throne of mercy.

Good News Translation
The winged creatures are to face each other across the lid, and their outspread wings are to cover it.

International Standard Version
The cherubim are to spread their wings upward, covering the Mercy Seat with their wings and facing each other. The faces of the cherubim is to be turned toward the Mercy Seat.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high, screening the ark-cover with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the ark-cover shall the faces of the cherubim be.

Literal Standard Version
And the cherubim have been spreading out wings on high, covering over the propitiatory covering with their wings, and their faces [are] toward one another—the faces of the cherubim are toward the propitiatory covering.

Majority Standard Bible
And the cherubim are to have wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat.

New American Bible
The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, sheltering the cover with them; they shall face each other, with their faces looking toward the cover.

NET Bible
The cherubim are to be spreading their wings upward, overshadowing the atonement lid with their wings, and the cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the atonement lid.

New Revised Standard Version
The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings. They shall face one to another; the faces of the cherubim shall be turned toward the mercy seat.

New Heart English Bible
The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; towards the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

World English Bible
The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.

Young's Literal Translation
And the cherubs have been spreading out wings on high, covering the mercy-seat over with their wings, and their faces are one towards another -- towards the mercy-seat are the faces of the cherubs.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Mercy Seat
19one cherub on one end and one on the other, all made from one piece of gold. 20And the cherubim are to have wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat. 21Set the mercy seat atop the ark, and put the Testimony that I will give you into the ark.…

Cross References
Hebrews 9:5
Above the ark were the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

Exodus 25:19
one cherub on one end and one on the other, all made from one piece of gold.

1 Kings 6:27
And he placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple. Since their wings were spread out, the wing of the first cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the second cherub touched the other wall, and in the middle of the room their wingtips touched.

1 Kings 8:7
For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its poles.

1 Chronicles 28:18
the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense; and the plans for the chariot of the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD.


Treasury of Scripture

And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

cherubims shall

Exodus 25:18
And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

1 Kings 8:7
For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.

1 Chronicles 28:18
And for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

covering

Ezekiel 28:14
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

toward

Genesis 28:12
And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

Isaiah 6:1-5
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple…

Ezekiel 1:20
Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

Jump to Previous
Ark-Cover Cherubim Cherubs Cover Covering Face Faces Facing Forth High Mercy Mercy-Seat Ones Opposite Outstretched Overshadowing Screening Seat Spread Spreading Stretch Towards Turned Upward Winged Wings
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Ark-Cover Cherubim Cherubs Cover Covering Face Faces Facing Forth High Mercy Mercy-Seat Ones Opposite Outstretched Overshadowing Screening Seat Spread Spreading Stretch Towards Turned Upward Winged Wings
Exodus 25
1. What the Israelites were to offer for the building of the tabernacle
10. The dimensions of the ark
17. The mercy seat, with the cherubim
23. The table of show bread, with the furniture thereof
31. The golden candlestick, with the instruments thereof














(20) The cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high.--The two wings of both cherubs were to be elevated and advanced so as to overshadow the mercy seat, and, as it were, protect it. In the Egyptian figures of Ma, one wing only has this position, the other being depressed and falling behind the figure.

Towards the mercy seat.--Bent downwards, i.e., as though gazing on the mercy seat. (Compare Exodus 37:9).

Verse 20. - The cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high. Compare Exodus 37:9. It would seem that the two wings of both cherubs were advanced in front of them, and elevated, so as to overshadow the mercy seat. This was a departure from the patterns furnished by the figures of Ma (see the comment on ver. 18), since in them one wing only was elevated, and the other depressed. It is clear that in no case was any part of the Hebrew sacred furniture a mere reproduction of Egyptian models. Whatever was made use of was so transformed or modified as to acquire a new and independent character. Their faces, etc. The words are not without difficulty; but the generally received meaning appears to be correct that the faces were bent one towards the other, but that both looked downwards, towards the mercy seat. Thus the figures, whether they were standing or kneeling, which is uncertain, presented the appearance of guardian angels, who watched over the precious deposit below - to wit, the two tables.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The cherubim
הַכְּרֻבִים֩ (hak·kə·ru·ḇîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3742: Probably an order of angelic beings

are to have
וְהָי֣וּ (wə·hā·yū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

wings
כְנָפַ֜יִם (ḵə·nā·p̄a·yim)
Noun - fd
Strong's 3671: An edge, extremity, a wing, a flap, a quarter, a pinnacle

spread
פֹּרְשֵׂ֨י (pō·rə·śê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6566: To break apart, disperse

upward,
לְמַ֗עְלָה (lə·ma‘·lāh)
Preposition-l | Adverb | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4605: The upper part, with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top

overshadowing
סֹכְכִ֤ים (sō·ḵə·ḵîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 5526: To entwine as a, screen, to fence in, cover over, protect

the mercy seat,
הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶת (hak·kap·pō·reṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3727: Propitiatory

and they are to face
וּפְנֵיהֶ֖ם (ū·p̄ə·nê·hem)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

one
אִ֣ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

another.
אָחִ֑יו (’ā·ḥîw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

The faces
פְּנֵ֥י (pə·nê)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

of the cherubim
הַכְּרֻבִֽים׃ (hak·kə·ru·ḇîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3742: Probably an order of angelic beings

should look
יִהְי֖וּ (yih·yū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

toward
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the mercy seat.
הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶת (hak·kap·pō·reṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3727: Propitiatory


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OT Law: Exodus 25:20 The cherubim shall spread out their wings (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 25:19
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