ESV Reformation Study Bible – 1 Kings 6:23
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1 Kings 6:23

6:23 two cherubim. These were winged creatures with human faces (cf. Gen. 3:24; Ezek. 41:18, 19). The two cherubim stood as guardians on either side of the ark (8:6, 7; 2 Chr. 3:10–13). The tips of their unfolded wings reached ten cubits high, or half the height of the Most Holy Place itself (v. 16). In the ancient Near East, kings were sometimes depicted as sitting upon a throne supported by cherubim. The cherubim in the temple may have represented God’s symbolic enthronement in the Most Holy Place. God was present with His people and associated Himself in a special way with this place of worship (1 Sam. 4:4; 6:2; 1 Kin. 8:10–13; 2 Kin. 19:15; Ps. 80:1; 99:1).