Exodus 25 · Verse 20

Exodus 25:20

And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
Exodus 25:20, King James Version

Exodus 25:20 in other translations

BSBAnd the cherubim are to have wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat.
WEBThe cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.
ASVAnd the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.
YLT‘And the cherubs have been spreading out wings on high, covering the mercy-seat over with their wings, and their faces are one towards another--towards the mercy-seat are the faces of the cherubs.
DARBYAnd the cherubim shall stretch out their wings over it, covering over with their wings the mercy-seat, and their faces opposite to one another: toward the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be turned.
BBEAnd their wings are to be outstretched over the cover, and the winged ones are to be opposite one another, facing the cover.
WebsterAnd the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; towards the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

What does Exodus 25:20 mean?

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 25:10-22

The ark was a chest, overlaid with gold, in which the two tables of the law were to be kept. These tables are called the testimony; God in them testified his will. This law was a testimony to the Israelites, to direct them in their duty, and would be a testimony against them, if they transgressed. This ark was placed in the holy of holies; the blood of the sacrifices was sprinkled, and the incense burned, before it…

Read the full comment on Exodus 25:10-22 →

Exodus 25:20 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהָי֣וּve.ha.Yuand they will beH1961
הַכְּרֻבִים֩ha.ke.ru.Vimthe cherubimH3742
פֹּרְשֵׂ֨יpo.re.Seispreading outH6566
כְנָפַ֜יִםkhe.na.Fa.yim<of> wingsH3671
לְמַ֗עְלָהle.Ma'.lah<to> upwards <towards>H4605
סֹכְכִ֤יםso.khe.KhimcoveringH5526
בְּכַנְפֵיהֶם֙be.khan.fei.Hemwith wings theirH3671
עַל\־'al-overH5921
הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶתha.ka.Po.retthe atonement coverH3727
וּפְנֵיהֶ֖םu.fe.nei.Hemand faces theirH6440
אִ֣ישׁ'isheachH376
אֶל\־'el-[will be] toH413
אָחִ֑יו'a.Chivbrother itsH251
אֶל\־'el-toH413
הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶתha.ka.Po.retthe atonement coverH3727
יִהְי֖וּyih.Yuthey will beH1961
פְּנֵ֥יpe.Nei[the] faces ofH6440
הַכְּרֻבִֽים\׃ha.ke.ru.Vimthe cherubimH3742

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 25:20

  • 1 Chronicles 28:18

    And for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

  • 1 Kings 8:7

    For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.

  • Hebrews 9:5

    And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

  • Colossians 2:10

    And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

  • Isaiah 6:1-5

    In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. …

  • Ezekiel 28:14

    Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

  • Genesis 28:12

    And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

  • 1 Corinthians 4:9

    For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

  • Ephesians 3:10

    To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

  • Matthew 24:31

    And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

  • 1 Peter 3:22

    Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

  • Revelation 5:11-12

    And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
cherubims shall.
18; 1Ki 8:7; 1Ch 28:18; 2Ch 3:10
covering.
Eze 28:14
toward.
Ge 28:12; Isa 6:1-5; Eze 1:20; Mt 24:31; Joh 1:51; 1Co 4:9; 11:10
Eph 3:10; Col 2:10; Heb 1:14; 1Pe 1:12; 3:22; Re 5:11,12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 25:19

    And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

  • Exodus 25:20

    And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

  • Exodus 25:21

    And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

Read all of Exodus 25

Exodus 25:20 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y los querubines extenderán por encima las alas, cubriendo con sus alas la cubierta: sus caras la una enfrente de la otra, mirando á la cubierta las caras de los querubines.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et les chérubins étendront les ailes en haut, couvrant de leurs ailes le propitiatoire, et leurs faces seront l’une vis-à-vis de l’autre; les faces des chérubins seront tournées vers le propitiatoire.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und die Cherubim sollen die Flügel nach oben ausbreiten, den Deckel mit ihren Flügeln überdeckend, und ihre Angesichter einander gegenüber; die Angesichter der Cherubim sollen gegen den Deckel gerichtet sein.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Utrumque latus propitiatorii tegant expandentes alas, et operientes oraculum, respiciantque se mutuo versis vultibus in propitiatorium quo operienda est arca,