Ver. 5.—“ And over it the cherubim of glory, shadowing the mercy-seat; of which things we cannot now speak particularly.”
The apostle proceedeth in his description of the immediate ap- purtenances of the ark. He hath declared what was disposed with reference unto it, as the golden censer; what was before it, as the pot of manna and Aaron’s rod; what was within it, namely, the tables of the covenant; now he showeth what was over it: so giving an account of its whole furniture, and all that any way be- longed unto it.
Two things he adds, namely, 1. The cherubim; 2. The mercy- seat. ou first he describes the cherubim, (1.) By their posture; they were “ over the ark:” (2.) By their title; “ cherubim of glory:” (8.) Their use; they “shadowed the mercy-seat.”
1. The making, form, fashion, and use of these cherubim, are de: clared, Exod. xxy. The signification of the name, and their original shape or form, any further than that they were “alata animata,” “winged creatures,” are not certainly known. Most, as unto the derivation of the name, follow Kimchi; who affirms the letter caph to be servile, and a note of similitude, and the word to signify “a youth or a child.” Such these images are thought to represent; only they had_wings instead of arms, as we now usually paint angels; for their bodies, sides, and feet are mentioned ‘in other. places, Isa. vi. 2. See Ezek. i. 5-7, where they are expressly said to have “the shape of a man.” Wherefore, both as they were first framed for the tabernacle, and afterwards for the temple, when their dimensions were exceedingly enlarged, they were of human shape; only with wings, to denote the angelical nature.
KepovCie.
_ VER. 3-5.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 209
There were two of them, one at each end of the ark or mercy- seat. Their faces were turned inwards, one towards another, so as that their wings touched one another. This posture gave unto the whole work of the ark, mercy-seat, and cherubim, the form of a seat, which represented the throne of God. From thence he spake; whence the whole was called 25, “the oracle.”
As unto their place and posture, they were over the ark. For these cherubim had feet whereon they stood, 2 Chron. iii. 13. And these feet were joined in one continued beaten work unto the ends of the mercy-seat which was upon the ark; wherefore they were wholly over it, or above it, as the apostle here speaks.
As unto the appellation whereby he describes them, it is “ cheru- bim of glory;” that is, say expositors generally, yepov€iw ae 2vd0ea,—*“ glorious cherubim.” If so, this term is not cone given them from the matter whereof they were made. Those, indeed, in the tabernacle were of beaten gold, being but of a small measure or proportion, Exod. xxv. 18. Those in the temple of Solomon were made of the wocd of the olive tree, only overlaid with gold; for they were very large, extending their wings unto the whole breadth of the oracle, which was twenty cubits, 1 King vi. 23-28; 2 Chron. ii.10-13. But such was the matter of other utensils also, as the candlestick, which yet is not called the candlestick of glory Nor are they so called from their shape and fashion; for this, as I have showed, most probably was human shape with wings, wherein there was nothing peculiarly glorious. But they are so called from their posture and use; for, stretching out their wings on high, and looking inwards with an appearance of veneration, and so compass- ing the mercy-seat with their wings, all but the fore part of it, they imaade a representation of a glorious seat or throne, wherein the majestatical presence of God did sit and reside. And from between these cherubim, above the mercy-seat, it was that God spake unto Moses, and gave out his oracles, Exod. xxv. 22; as a man on a throne speaks above the place where he sits and rests. Hence may they be called the “ glorious cherubim.”
But I must add, that by “ glory” here, the majestatical presence of God himself is intended. The cherubim represented the glorious presence of ‘God himself, as he dwelt among the people. So the apostle, reckoning up the privileges of the “Hebrews! Rom. ix. 4, affirms that unto them appertained “the adoption and the glory.” And therein not the ark is intended, although it may be that is sometimes called “the glory,” or signified under that name, as 1 Sam. iv, 21, 22, Ps. xxvi. 8; but it is God himself in his peculiar residence among the people,—that is, in the representation of his presence which is in Christ, who is Immanuel, and therefore called
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“arepavea adris.
210 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IX.
“the glory of Israel,” Luke ii, 32. The cherubim being designed to make a representation hereof, as we shall immediately declare, are called the “ cherubim of glory.”
As unto their use, it is expressed by xaraoxicZorra. The Hebrew word in that language is of the masculine gender, but the apostle here useth it in the neuter, as appears by this participle; and so do the LXX. where they make men- tion of them. This, as some suppose, is done because for the most part they had the form of brute creatures; for so they say they had four faces, of a man, of a lion, of an ox, and of an eagle. But although there was this form in the appearance of them made unto Ezekiel, chap. i. 10; yet was it not so of those images in the taber- nacle, nor of them afterwards in the temple. But the only reason of this construction is, that Hebrew word not being translated as unto its signification, but literally transferred into the Greek lan- guage, is looked on as indeclinable, as all words foreign unto a lan- guage are, and belonging unto the neuter gender. “ Shadowing,” “ covering,” “ protecting,” D'22D, Exod. xxv. 20, “They shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering over the mercy-seat with their wings;” or, “ their wings covering over the mercy-seat.” But this office of the cherubim we cannot understand, until we have declared what was that mercy-seat which they so covered over, and which the apostle makes mention of in the last place.