Endnote 5 – Solomon’s Temple in Context

The large relief of the deity should not be considered the cult statue of the temple which would have been a free-standing, three-dimensional icon. The statue itself was undoubtedly plundered or otherwise lost at some time or other. The relief is only a two-dimensional depiction of the deity embodied in the lost statue. It is no more the cult statue than the relief of the king standing next to him is the real king.