Understanding Cherubim: God’s Holy Guardians — Exodus 25

Cherubim are guardian angels who watch over the glory and majesty of God, protecting His throne and emphasizing the supremacy of His awesome power. They are spiritual beings who perform various roles, including guarding the Garden of Eden, executing God’s judgments, and protecting the Ark of the Covenant.

The Meaning of Cherub (cherub, cherubim)

A cherub (cherub, cherubim) refers to a type of guardian angel that watches over the glory, majesty, and holiness of God (Exod 25:18). These angels are spiritual beings who appear primarily when emphasizing God’s awesome sovereignty, His supreme exaltation, and the excellence of His power. They are God’s created beings who guard and protect His throne.

The word is a transliteration of the Hebrew kerub, meaning an “angel” that keeps watch over the glory, majesty, and holiness of God. They generally refer to angels who serve under the command of archangels such as Gabriel (Dan 8:16) or Michael (Dan 10:13).

Since the Hebrew term most commonly appears in its plural form (kerubim), one can infer that their number is extraordinarily great.

These beings serve as escorts of God’s throne (2 Sam 22:11); they guarded the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve fell and were expelled from it (Gen 3:22–24); they carried out God’s judgments (Ezek 10:2, 7); and they praised God (Rev 4:6–9).

From this, we can see that the cherubim are creatures made by God — spiritual beings who appear primarily to emphasize His awesome sovereignty, His supreme exaltation, and the excellence of His power, and to carry out His redemptive work.

Beyond this, cherubim also appear as guardians of the Ark of the Covenant inside the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle. In that context, images of cherubim were engraved extensively on the sacred furnishings of the Temple. The cherubim inside the Most Holy Place faced each other at the two ends of the mercy seat (the cover of the Ark), with their wings spread out over it.

Furthermore, the innermost of the four layers of coverings over the Tabernacle (Exod 26:1) and the veil screening the Most Holy Place (Exod 26:31) were embroidered with cherubim in blue, purple, and scarlet thread. The same imagery was described in Solomon’s Temple and in the Temple Ezekiel saw in his vision.

Meanwhile, the cherubim depicted in the book of Ezekiel had four faces pointing in four directions: 1) a human face (representing the wisest of all creatures), 2) a lion’s face (a fierce predator, symbolizing boldness), 3) an ox’s face (the strongest of livestock, symbolizing faithfulness), and 4) an eagle’s face (a courageous bird, symbolizing swiftness).

They also had two or four wings, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf (Ezek 1:7). Various interpretations are possible regarding this appearance of the cherubim as seen by the prophet Ezekiel in his vision. Scholars have suggested that it implies the angels who guard God’s throne are wise, bold, faithful, and diligent.

This can be understood as a lesson about the proper posture of believers who serve God. For reference, the seraphim are angels who stand around God’s throne and praise Him (Isa 6:2–3).

References: Life Bible Dictionary, Bible Cultural Background Dictionary

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com