He made two cherubim of olivewood: The creatures called cherubim were symbols of God’s majesty and were associated with his presence. Depictions of cherubim in Western art usually show them as round-faced infants, but this does not at all correspond to their descriptions in the Old Testament or to their appearance in the art of Assyria and other countries of the ancient Near East. These creatures were winged beings that were depicted as part human and part animal. The descriptions of such creatures are not uniform throughout the Old Testament, but see the descriptions in Exo 25.17-22; and Ezek 1.5-13; 10.1-22. The name cherubim (-im is a plural ending in Hebrew) has traditionally been transliterated (so King James Version, Reina-Valera revisada), and many modern translations continue this approach (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Bible en français courant). It will be more meaningful in most languages, however, to say something like “winged creatures” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible) and include a more detailed explanation in a word list entry. One of the primary functions of the cherubim is that of protecting divine property such as the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3.24) and the Covenant Box (Exo 25.17-22). For this reason some translators have sought to convey something of the meaning by saying something like “guardians of God’s things” or “protecting beings.” But a glossary entry will be essential in any case.
De Vries follows one important manuscript of the Septuagint in omitting the words of olivewood, but translators should follow the Masoretic Text. There is, however, some question about the identity of this tree, called “oil tree” in Hebrew. Experts today believe it is the Aleppo pine. It has been translated “olivewood” (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible), “wild olive wood” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, Nouvelle Bible Segond), “oil-wood” (Gray; De Vries in verse 31), “pinewood” (Anchor Bible), and “oleaster.” In any case, it was apparently a hard and finely grained wood. Translators may translate literally “oil tree,” or they may transliterate a major language’s term for “pine.”
Ten cubits is equivalent to about 5 meters or 15 feet.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .