Bible Strands
1 Kings 7:29
and on the panels between the uprights were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the uprights was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of beveled work.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the architectural specifications of Solomon’s temple to the reader, detailing the bronze stands used for ritual washing.
The words — כְּרוּבִים (cherubim) denotes celestial attendants, and אֲרָיֹת (lions) denotes royal predators, both carved into the bronze panels between the uprights.
The thread — Cherubim appear as guardians in Genesis 3:24 and as throne symbols in Exodus 25:18 and Exodus 37:7, establishing a consistent motif of sacred presence in Israel’s worship spaces.
Why it lands — The text demands attention to how functional temple furniture incorporates symbols of divine authority and protection, grounding sacred space in precise, ordered craftsmanship.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work.
Cross-references
- Genesis 3:24 So He drove out the man and stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.
- Exodus 25:18 Make two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat,
- Exodus 37:7 He made two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat,
- 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 7:25 The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters toward the center.
- Ezekiel 1:10 The form of their faces was that of a man, and each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and also the face of an eagle.
- Ezekiel 10:14 Each of the cherubim had four faces: the first face was that of a cherub, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.
- Ezekiel 41:18 were alternating carved cherubim and palm trees. Each cherub had two faces:
- Hosea 5:14 For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them to pieces and then go away. I will carry them off where no one can rescue them.
- Hebrews 9:5 Above the ark were the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.