The Meaning of 1 Kings 6:23 Explained

1 Kings 6:23

KJV: And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.

YLT: And he maketh within the oracle two cherubs, of the oil-tree, ten cubits is their height;

Darby: And he made in the oracle two cherubim of olive-wood, ten cubits high;

ASV: And in the oracle he made two cherubim of olive-wood, each ten cubits high.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And within the oracle  he made  two  cherubims  [of] olive  tree,  [each] ten  cubits  high. 

What does 1 Kings 6:23 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 6:14-28 - The Oracle In The Midst
In the Temple the general design of the Tabernacle was perpetuated by the division between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, but there were several additions. For instance, there was a lofty porch in front of the Temple, beneath which the priests passed to the entrance. Also, on the other three sides were rooms, built one above the other in three stories. They were needed for storage purposes.
Inside no stones were visible-all was of gilded cedar, olive, and cypress wood, variously carved and tapestried by embroidered hangings. It was "exceeding magnificent." The Holy of Holies was plunged in darkness, save as the Shekinah shone from the mercy-seat over the Ark and between the cherubim. Over this venerable relic of the Wilderness pilgrimage, Solomon set up two cherubim. Each was ten cubits high, and their outstretched wings, which touched each other above the Ark, also touched the walls on either side. These symbolized the highest forms of creature-life, reverently attendant upon their Creator.
1 Kings 6:1-38 - Breaking Three Commandments
From a worldly point of view Naboth might have done a good stroke of business by selling his estate to. Ahab. A royal price and assured favor might have been his-but he had a conscience! Above the persuasive tones of the monarch's offer sounded the voice of God: "The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine." See Leviticus 25:23; Numbers 36:7; Ezekiel 46:18.
Ahab knew perfectly well that Jezebel could not give him the property of another except by foul means, but he took pains not to inquire. Though the direct orders for Naboth's death did not come from him, yet, by his silence, he was an accomplice and an accessory; and divine justice penetrates all such specious excuses. God holds us responsible for wrongs which we do not arrest, though we have the power. The crime was blacker because of the pretext of religion, as suggested by a fast. See also 2 Kings 9:26. The blood of murdered innocence cries to God, and his requital, though delayed, is inevitable. See Revelation 6:9-10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Kings 6

1  The building of Solomon's temple
5  The chambers thereof
11  God's promise unto it
15  The ceiling and adorning of it
23  The cherubim
31  The doors
36  The court
37  The time of building it

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 6:23 mean?

And he made Inside the inner sanctuary two cherubim [of] wood olive [each] ten cubits high
וַיַּ֣עַשׂ בַּדְּבִ֔יר שְׁנֵ֥י כְרוּבִ֖ים עֲצֵי־ שָׁ֑מֶן עֶ֥שֶׂר אַמּ֖וֹת קוֹמָתֽוֹ

וַיַּ֣עַשׂ  And  he  made 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
בַּדְּבִ֔יר  Inside  the  inner  sanctuary 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דְּבִיר  
Sense: the holy of holies, the innermost room of the temple or tabernacle.
שְׁנֵ֥י  two 
Parse: Number, mdc
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
כְרוּבִ֖ים  cherubim  [of] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: כְּרוּב  
Sense: cherub, cherubim (pl).
עֲצֵי־  wood 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
שָׁ֑מֶן  olive 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁמֶן  
Sense: fat, oil.
עֶ֥שֶׂר  [each]  ten 
Parse: Number, feminine singular construct
Root: עֶשֶׂר 
Sense: ten.
אַמּ֖וֹת  cubits 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אַמָּה 
Sense: cubit—a measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 8 in (.
קוֹמָתֽוֹ  high 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קֹומָה  
Sense: height.