John Calvin Commentary Exodus 25:18

"And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold; of beaten work shalt thou make them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat." — Exodus 25:18 (ASV)

And thou shalt make two cherubims. I have stated in my commentary on Genesis and elsewhere,¹³⁰ that there are various opinions concerning the word cherub; but those approach closest to the truth who consider the כ, caph, not a servile letter but a radical one, and take "cherub" generally to mean any image. For those who suppose the כ to be a mark of likeness interpret it as “like a boy”—which is itself forced and, moreover, is refuted by the words of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:10 and Ezekiel 10:1), who calls the forms of a calf, a lion, and an eagle by this name, as well as the human form.

It is enough for me that the images were winged, representing angels. Therefore, when Moses speaks of the angels who were placed as guards to prevent humanity from approaching paradise, he calls them cherubim. He did so not so much in reference to that specific time but rather to keep the people grounded in the doctrine of the Law.¹³¹

But God appointed angels—through whom He exercises His dominion and who are ministers of His blessings—to be a symbol of His presence. For whenever He manifested Himself to believers by angels, He, in a way, extended His hand to them. On this basis, David and other Prophets, to encourage themselves to confidence in prayer, often speak of God as dwelling between the cherubims, (Psalms 80:1; Psalms 64:1; Isaiah 37:16), as if to say that He conversed familiarly with His people, since His power is active through His angels.

I do not imagine that their covering the lid of the ark with their extended wings was done to hide it, but rather to mark the readiness of their obedience. For the extension of their wings is equivalent to their being prepared to perform whatever God might command. Thus, they are said to turn their faces towards the mercy-seat because they are attentive to the will of God.

Moreover, because the fullness of the Godhead resides in Christ, He rightly declares that, at His descent upon earth, the heavens were opened so that the angels might ascend and descend. Their looking towards each other indicates the harmony in which the angels are united to perform the commands of God.

It is indeed a plausible notion,¹³² that the two cherubim represented the Old and New Testaments, looking towards each other and surrounding the mercy-seat, since Christ is their common focus. However, this idea vanishes when faced with the contradiction of many passages of Scripture.

¹³⁰ See Commentary on Genesis 3:23. Calvin Society Translation, . Calvin Society Translation, vol. 1, p. 186. The fanciful derivation to which . The fanciful derivation to which C. objects, he had found in . objects, he had found in S. M., who states it as popular with the Rabbis, But as untenable. — who states it as popular with the Rabbis, But as untenable. — W..

¹³¹ “Que pour donner goust au peuple de la doctrine de la Loy, et l’accoustumer aux ceremonies;” as to give the people a taste for the doctrine of the Law, and to accustom them to its ceremonies — ;” as to give the people a taste for the doctrine of the Law, and to accustom them to its ceremonies — Fr.

¹³² Gregorius in in Gloss. Ord. “The two cherubim are the two Testaments. One of them stands on one end of the mercy-seat, and the other on the other; because what the Old Testament begins to promise in prophecy respecting the Incarnation of Christ, the New relates to be perfectly fulfilled. They are made of very pure gold, because both Testaments are written with pure and simple truth.They stretch out their wings and cover the oracles; because we (who are God’s oracles) are protected from imminent errors by the study of sacred Scripture; and whilst we earnestly look at it, we are covered by its wings from the mistakes of ignorance. They look towards one another with their faces turned to the mercy-seat, because the Testaments differ in nothing, and look mutually to each other; for what the one promises the other exhibits. And they see the mercy-seat, The two cherubim are the two Testaments. One of them stands on one end of the mercy-seat, and the other on the other; because what the Old Testament begins to promise in prophecy respecting the Incarnation of Christ, the New relates to be perfectly fulfilled. They are made of very pure gold, because both Testaments are written with pure and simple truth.They stretch out their wings and cover the oracles; because we (who are God’s oracles) are protected from imminent errors by the study of sacred Scripture; and whilst we earnestly look at it, we are covered by its wings from the mistakes of ignorance. They look towards one another with their faces turned to the mercy-seat, because the Testaments differ in nothing, and look mutually to each other; for what the one promises the other exhibits. And they see the mercy-seat, i.e., the Mediator between God and men, placed between them; for they would turn away their faces from each other, if the one promised what the other denied.” — See also the Mediator between God and men, placed between them; for they would turn away their faces from each other, if the one promised what the other denied.” — See also Bede in in Gloss. Ord., and and Augustin Qoest. in Ex. 105.105.