While they are in the Sinai wilderness, God gives Moses the command to place Cherubim atop the ark. What did God mean by Cherubim, given that they had not yet made touch with Mesopotamia? How would they have seemed when built in the middle of nowhere? "You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath," God declared emphatically in Exodus 20:4. However, in this instance, God gives Moses the command to "make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work" (v. 18). Why did God tell Moses to construct pictures of the ark of the covenant if it is improper to make any representations of celestial objects? I have read commentaries on this topic but cannot find much mention. Commentary on Exodus: From The Baker Illustrated Bible commentary by Elaine Phillips, Gary Burge, Andrew Hill, Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible: Exodus, Exodus: An Introduction and Commentary by R. Alan Cole, Go Out and Meet God: A Commentary on the Book of Exodus by Godfrey William Ashby and Holman Old Testament Commentary - Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers by Glen Martin.
