Translations
KJVPrimary
King James VersionSo that the face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side: it was made through all the house round about.
F.O.G.Secondary
The F.O.GA human face toward the timorah on one side, and the face of a young lion toward the timorah on the other — carved thus throughout the entire House on every side.
F.O.G.M.
F.O.G MessageThe human face gazed toward the palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion gazed toward the palm tree on the other — this pattern repeated throughout the entire Temple on every wall.
BSB
Berean Standard Biblethe face of a man was toward the palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion was toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved all the way around the temple.
Footnotes
כְּפִיר (*kephir*, 'young lion') is specifically a lion in its prime vigour — distinct from גּוּר (*gur*, cub) or אַרְיֵה (*aryeh*, the mature lion as symbol of majesty). Notably, Ezekiel's cherubim here bear only two faces — human and lion — whereas the four-faced cherubim of Ezekiel 1:10 and 10:14 display four. The reduction to two in the sanctuary carvings may reflect a stylised heraldic form suited to flat decoration. Together, the human face and the lion's face embody humanity and sovereign power, the stewards of the Edenic space where YHWH dwells.
