Bible Strands
Ezekiel 41:19
the face of a man was toward the palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion was toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved all the way around the temple.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ezekiel records a vision of the temple's inner sanctuary where an architect describes the carved wall decorations.
The words — The Hebrew term כְפִיר (khe.Fir) translates to "young lion," appearing alongside אָדָם ('a.Dam), meaning "a human," to describe the dual faces of the carved cherubim.
The thread — This pairing of human and lion faces recurs in Ezekiel 1:10 and Ezekiel 10:14, where the cherubim display multiple faces including man and lion.
Why it lands — The text states the carvings run all around the temple, indicating a uniform decorative scheme rather than a theological statement about the faces themselves.
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
So that the face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side: it was made through all the house round about.
Cross-references
- 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 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.