Matthew Poole and continuators on Hebrews 9:5

5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy-seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly .

On the cover of the Ark at each end was a Cherub of [illegible: 1 letter]eaten Gold; these and the cover of the Ark were all of one piece, they had their feet on the ledg of the Cover, or its Crown at each end; their Faces looked towards each other, and their Wings touched each other in the extream part of them, and so on the Cover formed the Mercy-Seat; see Exod. 25.17, to 23. and 37.6, to 10. and 40.20. Their form is described by Ezekiel, ch. 1. and 10. They were glorious for matter and service, God in his Glory manifesting himself over them, gave propitious answers unto Moses about his Church, Exod. 25.22. Levit. 16.2. These Cherubs typed the Ministry of Angels to our Lord Iesus, especially in his great Work of rendring God propitious to his Church, and saving it, chap. 1.14. standing on the two ends of the Arks Cover, they shewed Christ to be the Basis of their own standing, when others fell: they spread out their Wings, to shew their readiness for serving him in all; with their faces opposite to each other; and looking down on the Mercy-Seat and Ark, typing what the Apostle saith of them, 1 Pet. 1.10, 11, 12. desirous to pry into the Mystery of this great Propitiator, the Surety and Mediator of God's Testament, and on his Propitiation and its effects, which is admirable and astonishing, not to Sinners only, but to Angels, Ephes. 3.10.

The Apostle apologiseth for his but mentioning these mysterious things now, that it was not to eclipse the Glory of that Administration, but because the matters were well known to them already, only in this they were defective, that they reached not after Christ the Truth and Substance of all these Types; and therefore he proceeds from the Places, to treat of the Services to be performed by the Aaronical Priesthood in them.