And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. The cherubim are the guardians of the divine presence — the same beings placed at the entrance of Eden after the fall in Genesis 3:24, the same beings that appear in Ezekiel's vision of the divine throne in Ezekiel 1 and 10. Their hammered gold construction over the mercy seat places them as the guardians of the place of atonement. The hammering of the gold produces a solid, unified piece without joints — the cherubim and the mercy seat are one piece. Revelation 4:6–8 describes the four living creatures around the throne — the heavenly cherubim whose earthly counterparts stand over the mercy seat. The guardians of the divine presence in the tabernacle are stationed at the same place as their heavenly counterparts.

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