Exodus 37:7

Exodus 37:7

And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;

a. NLT: He made two cherubim from hammered gold and placed them on the two ends of the atonement cover.

b. NIV: Then he made two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover.

c. YLT: and he maketh two cherubs of gold, of beaten work he hath made them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat;

d. Amplified Bible Classic: And he made two cherubim of beaten gold; on the two ends of the mercy seat he made them,

e. Septuagint [Exodus 37:7 in our Bibles is Exodus 38:7 in the Septuagint]: one cherub on the one end of the propitiatory, and another cherub on the other end of the propitiatory,

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: he made two Cherubs of gold – hammered out did he make them – from the two ends of the Cover:

1.  “And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them…”

a. he made [Strong: 6213 * `asah aw-saw' a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application (as follows):--accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, (fight-)ing man, + finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ((a feast)), X indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin, spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be (warr-)ior, work(-man), yield, use.]

b. two [Strong: 8147 * shnayim shen-ah'-yim dual of 8145; feminine shttayim {shet-tah'-yim}; two; also (as ordinal) twofold:--both, couple, double, second, twain, + twelfth, + twelve, + twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.]

c. cherubim [Strong: 3742 * kruwb ker-oob' of uncertain derivation; a cherub or imaginary figure:--cherub, (plural) cherubims.]

d. of gold [Strong: 2091 * zahab zaw-hawb' from an unused root meaning to shimmer; gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (i.e. yellow), as oil, a clear sky:-- gold(-en), fair weather.]

e. beaten out of one piece [Strong: 4749 * miqshah mik-shaw' feminine of 4748; rounded work, i.e. moulded by hammering (repousse):--beaten (out of one piece, work), upright, whole piece.]

1). The King James is the only translation that uses the language “beaten out of one piece”. No other translation does it and they shouldn’t have. The fact that it was beaten out of the same piece of gold is revealed in the next verse.

a). Exodus 37:8 One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

b). Note that the cherubims were made out of the mercy seat, the same piece of gold.

2). Jewish rabbinic tradition teaches the entire cover was made of one piece of solid gold.

 a). Chumash p.448 note under 17: “The Cover was made of solid gold, and was made to lie flat on top of the four walls of the Ark. The sages give its thickness as one handbreadth which is three to four inches. (Rashi).

b). Chumash p.448 note under 18 The Cherubim were not made separately and then attached to the Cover. Instead, the entire Cover, including the Cherubim, had to be hammered out, of one large ingot of gold. (Rashi)

f. made he them [Strong: 6213 * `asah aw-saw' a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application (as follows):--accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, (fight-)ing man, + finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ((a feast)), X indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin, spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be (warr-)ior, work(-man), yield, use.]

2. “…on the two ends of the mercy seat;”

a. on the two [Strong: 8147 * shnayim shen-ah'-yim dual of 8145; feminine shttayim {shet-tah'-yim}; two; also (as ordinal) twofold:--both, couple, double, second, twain, + twelfth, + twelve, + twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.]

b. ends [Strong: 7098 * qatsah kaw-tsaw' feminine of 7097; a termination (used like 7097):--coast, corner, (selv-)edge, lowest, (uttermost) participle.]

i. of the mercy seat [Strong: 3727 * kapporeth kap-po'-reth from 3722; a lid (used only of the cover of the sacred Ark):--mercy seat.]