וּפְנֵ֨י אָדָ֤ם אֶל־הַתִּֽמֹרָה֙ מִפֹּ֔ו וּפְנֵֽי־כְפִ֥יר אֶל־הַתִּֽמֹרָ֖ה מִפֹּ֑ו עָשׂ֥וּי אֶל־כָּל־הַבַּ֖יִת סָבִ֥יב סָבִֽיב׃
And the face of a man was toward the palm tree on this side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on that side—made upon all the house round about.
Morphology
- וּפְנֵי (u-penei) – Root: פנים (panim); Form: Conjunction וְ + construct plural noun; Translation: “and the face of”; Notes: Used in construct form to indicate possession or orientation (“the face of a man”).
- אָדָם (adam) – Root: אדם (ʾadam); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “man” or “human”; Notes: Represents human likeness—wisdom, intelligence, and relationality among the cherub’s symbolic faces.
- אֶל־הַתִּמֹרָה (el-ha-timorah) – Root: תמר (tamar); Form: Preposition אֶל + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “toward the palm tree”; Notes: Indicates the directional orientation of the cherub’s face in the decorative motif.
- מִפֹּו (mippo) – Root: פה (peh); Form: Preposition מִן + pronominal adverb; Translation: “from this side”; Notes: Specifies one side of the wall or design pattern.
- וּפְנֵי־כְפִיר (u-penei-kephir) – Root: כפר (kaphar, related to “young lion” as כְפִיר); Form: Conjunction וְ + construct plural noun + singular noun; Translation: “and the face of a young lion”; Notes: The lion face symbolizes strength and divine majesty in cherubic imagery.
- אֶל־הַתִּמֹרָה (el-ha-timorah) – Root: תמר (tamar); Form: Preposition אֶל + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “toward the palm tree”; Notes: Repetition enhances the balanced visual arrangement of cherub and palm tree pairs.
- מִפֹּו (mippo) – Root: פה (peh); Form: Preposition מִן + adverbial suffix; Translation: “from that side”; Notes: Completes the mirrored symmetry of the cherubic design.
- עָשׂוּי (ʿasui) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Passive participle masculine singular (Qal); Translation: “made”; Notes: Denotes workmanship or crafted detail; the art was not random but divinely designed.
- אֶל־כָּל־הַבַּיִת (el-kol-ha-bayit) – Root: בית (bayit); Form: Preposition אֶל + noun “all” + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “upon all the house”; Notes: The entire temple interior bore this symbolic artwork, emphasizing holiness and divine order.
- סָבִיב סָבִיב (saviv saviv) – Root: סבב (savav); Form: Adverb repeated for emphasis; Translation: “round about”; Notes: Describes the continuous nature of the ornamentation throughout the temple walls.