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What were the cherubim in Solomonās Temple?
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Solomon
The Judgment of Solomon, oil on canvas by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1617; in the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark), Copenhagen.
In Solomonās Temple, the cherubim were two figures crafted from olive wood that stood within the Holy of Holies alongside the Ark of the Covenant. This innermost sanctuary was considered the dwelling place of the Divine Presence, or Shekhina, and was restricted to the high priest on the Day of Atonement.1
Generally, cherubim are described in religious literature as celestial winged beings with human, animal, or birdlike characteristics. In the context of the Hebrew Bible, they are characterized by their supernatural mobility and their role as throne bearers of God.2