Make two cherubimThe cherubim are angelic beings often associated with the presence and glory of God. In the context of the tabernacle, they symbolize the heavenly realm and the divine protection over the Ark of the Covenant. Cherubim are first mentioned in
Genesis 3:24, where they guard the way to the Tree of Life, indicating their role as guardians of sacred spaces. Their presence on the Ark signifies the holiness and sanctity of God's covenant with Israel.
of hammered gold
The use of gold signifies purity, value, and divinity. Gold was a common material in ancient Near Eastern religious artifacts, symbolizing the preciousness and incorruptibility of divine presence. The process of hammering the gold suggests skilled craftsmanship and the importance of the cherubim's role. This craftsmanship reflects the care and reverence required in approaching God, as seen in the detailed instructions for the tabernacle's construction.
at the ends of the mercy seat
The mercy seat, or atonement cover, was the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, where God's presence would appear and where the high priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:14-15). The positioning of the cherubim at the ends of the mercy seat emphasizes their role as witnesses to God's covenant and the place of atonement. This foreshadows the ultimate atonement through Jesus Christ, who is described as our "mercy seat" or "propitiation" inRomans 3:25, highlighting the fulfillment of the sacrificial system in Him.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
MosesThe leader of the Israelites who received the instructions for the Tabernacle from God on Mount Sinai.
2.
CherubimAngelic beings often associated with the presence and glory of God, depicted here as part of the Ark of the Covenant.
3.
Mercy SeatThe cover of the Ark of the Covenant, representing God's throne and His presence among His people.
4.
TabernacleThe portable sanctuary where God dwelled among the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness.
5.
Mount SinaiThe mountain where Moses received the Law and the instructions for the Tabernacle from God.
Teaching Points
The Holiness of GodThe cherubim on the mercy seat remind us of God's holiness and the reverence due to Him. We are called to approach God with awe and respect.
God's Presence Among His PeopleThe mercy seat signifies God's desire to dwell among His people. As believers, we are assured of His presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit.
Symbolism of the CherubimThe cherubim symbolize protection and the sacredness of God's covenant. We are reminded to guard our hearts and lives as sacred spaces for God's presence.
The Role of ObedienceMoses' adherence to God's detailed instructions for the Tabernacle teaches us the importance of obedience in our walk with God.
Foreshadowing of ChristThe mercy seat, as a place of atonement, points to Jesus Christ, our ultimate atonement, who reconciles us to God.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Exodus 25:18?
2.What is the significance of cherubim in Exodus 25:18 for worship practices today?
3.How does Exodus 25:18 reflect God's attention to detail in His instructions?
4.Compare the role of cherubim in Exodus 25:18 with Genesis 3:24.
5.How can we apply the concept of divine craftsmanship in our daily work?
6.What does the presence of cherubim signify about God's holiness and presence?
7.Why did God command the making of cherubim in Exodus 25:18?
8.What is the significance of cherubim in the context of Exodus 25:18?
9.How do cherubim in Exodus 25:18 relate to God's presence?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Exodus 25?
11.Exodus 25:18 – How did artisans of that time feasibly design and craft two intricate cherubim from a single piece of hammered gold?
12.What defines religious iconography?
13.What does the Bible say about Jesus statues?
14.Who was the guardian of Eden's east?What Does Exodus 25:18 Mean
Make“Make” signals God’s clear directive to Moses. Nothing is left to guesswork; the pattern for worship originates with the Lord Himself (Exodus 25:9, 40). Obedience is the expected response (John 14:15). The tabernacle’s furnishings are not artistic whims but divinely ordered realities that mirror “the copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5). By commanding that the ark and its adornments be fashioned, God is teaching that genuine worship always begins with His initiative and requires our exact compliance.
two cherubimCherubim first appear guarding Eden’s entrance after the fall (Genesis 3:24). Their placement on the ark reminds Israel of God’s holiness and the barrier sin erected. Elsewhere—whether in Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6:23-28) or Ezekiel’s visions (Ezekiel 10:1-5)—cherubim surround God’s throne, emphasizing His majesty. The number “two” establishes valid testimony (Deuteronomy 19:15) and balances the scene so their wings can “spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat” (Exodus 25:20). They face one another, yet gaze toward the cover, drawing all attention to the locus of atonement beneath them.
of hammered goldGold speaks of purity and incorruptibility (Revelation 21:18). Hammering indicates the cherubim were shaped from the same piece of gold as the mercy seat, not attached later.
• This craftsmanship highlights unity: the cherubim and the cover are one, just as mercy and holiness are inseparable in God.
• It also underscores permanence; the figures cannot be detached without ruining the whole.
God gifted artisans like Bezalel “with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship” to accomplish such work (Exodus 31:2-5). The costly material and meticulous process remind worshipers that approaching God is never casual or cheap.
at the endsPositioned on each end, the cherubim frame the mercy seat.
• They mark off sacred space, declaring, “No further without blood” (cf.Leviticus 16:14-15).
• Their outstretched wings create a canopy, evoking Isaiah’s vision where seraphim cried “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:1-3).
• Symmetry teaches order: worship must align with God’s precise arrangement, not human improvisation (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40).
of the mercy seatThe mercy seat (kapporet) is the solid gold cover of the ark. Here, once a year on the Day of Atonement, blood was sprinkled to “make atonement for the sins of the people” (Leviticus 16:15). The cherubim gaze on the blood-stained lid, foreshadowing Christ, whom God presented “as an atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood” (Romans 3:25).Hebrews 9:5 calls this lid “the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat,” insisting that the true fulfillment is found in the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus now ministers (Hebrews 9:11-12, 24).
summaryExodus 25:18 commands Moses to craft two solid-gold cherubim permanently attached to each end of the ark’s cover. The verse unites God’s holiness (cherubim), purity (gold), initiative (make), order (ends), and mercy (seat). Together these elements reveal a holy God who provides a costly, blood-marked meeting place, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our perfect mercy seat and living way into God’s presence.
(18)
Two cherubims.--"Cherubims," or rather
cherubim,had been known previously in one connection only--they had been the guardians of Eden when Adam and Eve were driven forth from it (
Genesis 3:24). It is generally allowed that in that passage, as in most others where the word occurs, living beings, angels of God, are intended. But not all angels are cherubim. The cherubim constitute a select class, very near to God, very powerful, very resolute, highly fitted to act as guards. It is probably with this special reference that the cherubic figures were selected to be placed upon the mercy seat--they guarded the precious deposit of the two tables, towards which they looked (
Exodus 25:20). The question as to the exact form of the figures is not very important; but it is one which has been discussed with great ingenuity and at great length. Some hold that the proper figure of a cherub is that of a bull or ox, and think that the cherubim of the tabernacle were winged bulls, not unlike the Assyrian. Others regard them as figures still more composite, like the Egyptian sphinxes or the chimaerae of the Greeks. But the predominant opinion seems to be that they were simply human figures with the addition of a pair of wings. (So Kaiisch, Keil, Bishop Harold Browne, Canon Cook, and others.) In this case they would bear a considerable resemblance to the figures of Ma, or Truth, so often seen inside Egyptian arks, sheltering with their wings the searabaeus or some other emblem of deity.
Of beaten work--i.e., not cast, but brought into shape by the hammer. In the Egyptian languagekarabuwas "to hammer," whence, according to some, the word "cherub."
In the.two ends.--Literally,from the two ends--rising, that is, from either end of the mercy seat.
Verse 18. -
Two cherubims. The form "cherubims," which our translators affect, is abnormal and indefensible. They should have said either "cherubim," or "cherubs." The exact shape of the Temple cherubim was kept a profound secret among the Jews, so that Josephus declares - "No one is able to state, or conjecture of what form the cherubim were" (
Ant. Jud. 8:3, § 3). That they were winged figures appears from verse 28 of this chapter, while from other parts of Scripture we learn that cherubim might be of either human or animal forms, or of the two combined (
Ezekiel 1:5-14;
Ezekiel 10:1-22). These last have been with some reason compared to the symbolical composite figures of other nations, the andro-sphinxes and crio-sphinxes of the Egyptians, the Assyrian winged bulls and lions, the Greek chimaerae, and the griffins of the northern nations. But it is doubtful whether the cherubim of Moses were of this character. The most sober of recent inquirers (Bp. Harold Browne, Canon Cook, Kalisch, Keil),while admitting the point to be doubtful, come to the conclusion that they were in all probability, "winged human figures, with human face too." In this case their prototype would seem to have been the winged figures of Ma, the Goddess of Truth, frequently seen inside Egyptian arks, sheltering with their wings the scarabaeus or other emblem of the deity. (See Lepsius,
Denkmaler, pt. 3. pl. 14; Wilkinson in Rawlinson's Herodotus, vol. it. p. 85, 2nd edition; Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, vol. 1. p. 3040
Of beaten work shalt thou make them. Not cast,
i.e., but hammered into shape (LXX.
τορευτά. The word "cherub" is thought to be derived from an Egyptian root, karabu, signifying "to hammer" (Speaker's Commentary, vol. 4. p. 207).
In the two ends. Rather, "From the two ends" -
i.e., "rising," or, "standing up from the two ends."
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
And makeוְעָשִׂ֛יתָ(wə·‘ā·śî·ṯā)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6213:To do, maketwoשְׁנַ֥יִם(šə·na·yim)Number - md
Strong's 8147:Two (a cardinal number)cherubimכְּרֻבִ֖ים(kə·ru·ḇîm)Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3742:Probably an order of angelic beingsof hammeredמִקְשָׁה֙(miq·šāh)Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4749:Rounded work, moulded by hammeringgoldזָהָ֑ב(zā·hāḇ)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2091:Gold, something gold-colored, as oil, a clear skyat the twoמִשְּׁנֵ֖י(miš·šə·nê)Preposition-m | Number - mdc
Strong's 8147:Two (a cardinal number)endsקְצ֥וֹת(qə·ṣō·wṯ)Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 7098:A terminationof the mercy seat.הַכַּפֹּֽרֶת׃(hak·kap·pō·reṯ)Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3727:Propitiatory
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OT Law: Exodus 25:18 You shall make two cherubim of hammered (Exo. Ex) 
