Tracing Cherubim All through Scripture
Cherubim first seem in Genesis 3 when God locations them east of the backyard of Eden to protect the best way to the tree of life, they usually go on to make appearances all through the pages of Scripture. There have been quite a few representations of cherubim within the tabernacle and within the temple. Cherubim got different descriptions and primarily signified God’s presence, serving as a visual reminder of the majesty and glory of the Almighty God who reigns on his throne and abides along with his individuals. Learn commentary from Iain Duguid, Jay Sklar, Gary Millar, and Thomas Schreiner, who hint the appearances of cherubim by way of the Bible and assist us perceive who these figures are.
Cherubim in Genesis
He drove out the person, and on the east of the backyard of Eden he positioned the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned each technique to guard the best way to the tree of life.
—Genesis 3:24
Adam and Eve’s sin has instant and tragic penalties, as they’re pushed out of the backyard. The doorway to the backyard of Eden—and with it to the presence of God—is closed, guarded by cherubim, together with a flaming sword (Gen. 3:24). The cherubim are stationed on the east aspect of the backyard as a result of that’s the place the doorway is, as with the tabernacle. As composite creatures the cherubim sum up and unite the very best types of all creation (cf. Ezek. 1:5; 10:15) and are the fearsome guardians assigned to protect (shamar) God’s holiness. They won’t fail to guard the sanctity of the backyard, as Adam has failed (Gen. 2:15). Not will entry into the presence of the Lord be simple and untroubled for humanity, because it as soon as was. For now the doorway into the Most Holy Place has been firmly closed of their faces, and mankind is left to make its personal method “east of the backyard of Eden.”
Cherubim in Exodus
You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its size, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And also you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the 2 ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one finish, and one cherub on the opposite finish. Of 1 piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall unfold out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to a different; towards the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And also you shall put the mercy seat on the highest of the ark, and within the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall provide you with. There I’ll meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the 2 cherubim which are on the ark of the testimony, I’ll converse with you about all that I gives you in commandment for the individuals of Israel. . . . Furthermore, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of high quality twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully labored into them.
—Exodus 25:17–22, Exodus 26:1
The ark of the covenant and its lid are described in Exodus 25. On prime of the lid are two cherubim, celestial figures made from hammered gold and of 1 piece with the lid (Ex. 25:18–19).1 When it comes to perform, cherubim function guardians (Gen. 3:24), a metaphorical chariot on which the Lord rides (1 Chron. 28:18; Ps. 18:10), or divine attendants at his throne (2 Sam. 6:2; Pss. 80:1; 99:1; cf. the heavenly attendants across the throne in 1 Kings 22:19; Isa. 6:1–2).2 The latter matches the context right here properly because the tabernacle features because the Lord’s palace-tent, making it pure to see the Most Holy Place because the Lord’s throne room, the place he sits enthroned over the ark and surrounded by his heavenly attendants. When it comes to kind, we study from Exodus that the cherubim are winged creatures with faces, presumably standing on every finish of the lid as they stretch their wings over it (Ex. 25:20). Ezekiel goes into larger element describing cherubim (Ezek. 1:5–11; 10:20–22), however whether or not all cherubim look precisely the identical is unclear, making it troublesome to understand how a lot of Ezekiel’s description to learn again into Exodus. (In truth, the cherubim in Ezekiel have 4 faces [Ezek. 1:5–6], whereas these right here apparently have just one.) No matter their actual kind right here, they’re to be stationed at every finish of the ark, going through each other with heads towards the mercy seat, both bowed in reverence3, or wanting on as guards,4 or each (Ex. 25:18–20). Furthermore, simply because the cloud on Sinai prevents direct sight of the Lord (Ex. 24:16–17), the cherubim’s wings unfold ahead over the atonement lid, screening the place the place the Lord will manifest his presence (Ex. 25:20, 22).
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The curtains are a mix of high quality twined linen and colourful yarns (Ex. 26:1), supplies elsewhere related to royalty (cf. Ex. 25:4). Cherubim, the Lord’s heavenly attendants (cf. Ex. 25:18), are woven into them (Ex. 26:1). When the curtains are joined and unfold over the body, the view from inside could be outstanding. Any priest coming into the Holy Place could be bathed in golden mild because the lampstand’s seven lamps mirrored off the golden desk, the golden altar, and the golden frames alongside the northern and southern partitions. Trying up, the priest would see the ornate tapestry, with cherubim “floating” above him. Equally, as he seemed ahead, he would see cherubim floating earlier than him on the veil in entrance of the Most Holy Place (Ex. 26:31). Clearly that is the palace-tent of the King of heaven.
On the opposite aspect of the veil is the Most Holy Place, roughly 15 ft (4.6 m) sq.. It accommodates the ark of the testimony with its atonement lid (vv. 33b–34) and serves because the Lord’s throne room inside his royal palace-tent. The veil thus separates the rooms, its cherubim symbolically standing guard to stop illicit entry.
Cherubim in 1 Kings
Within the inside sanctuary he made two cherubim of olivewood, every ten cubits excessive . . . . He put the cherubim within the innermost a part of the home. And the wings of the cherubim had been unfold out so {that a} wing of 1 touched the one wall, and a wing of the opposite cherub touched the opposite wall; their different wings touched one another in the course of the home.
—1 Kings 6:23, 27
In 1 Kings the scale and development of the temple are detailed—beginning with the exterior designs and shifting inward to the inside sanctuary. The construction of the temple, with concentric courts resulting in the Most Holy Place within the heart, conveys each that the holy God dwells on the heart of the lifetime of the nation and that there’s a correct (and improper) technique to strategy him. In verse 23 the author turns his consideration to the “cherubim” inside the home of Yahweh. A “cherub” is a winged creature typically functioning as a throne-bearer in historical Close to Japanese iconography, normally to offer divine sanction for the king sitting on it. In Scripture, nonetheless, the cherubim don’t maintain up a throne as such. As an alternative, God is “enthroned on the cherubim” (1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; Isa. 37:16; Pss. 80:1; 99:1). In different phrases, the cherubim characterize God’s heavenly throne. This is the reason the ark itself has two such creatures going through inward on its lid (the “mercy seat”), the place God arrives to satisfy his individuals, who’re represented by Moses (cf. Ex. 25:10–22).
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Cherubim in Ezekiel
As I seemed, behold, a stormy wind got here out of the north, and an awesome cloud, with brightness round it, and hearth flashing forth regularly, and within the midst of the fireplace, because it had been gleaming metallic. And from the midst of it got here the likeness of 4 residing creatures. And this was their look: they’d a human likeness, however every had 4 faces, and every of them had 4 wings. Their legs had been straight, and the soles of their ft had been like the only real of a calf’s foot. They usually sparkled like burnished bronze. Below their wings on their 4 sides they’d human fingers. And the 4 had their faces and their wings thus: their wings touched each other. Every certainly one of them went straight ahead, with out turning as they went. As for the likeness of their faces, every had a human face. The 4 had the face of a lion on the fitting aspect, the 4 had the face of an ox on the left aspect, and the 4 had the face of an eagle. Such had been their faces. And their wings had been unfold out above. Every creature had two wings, every of which touched the wing of one other, whereas two coated their our bodies. . . . Then I seemed, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them one thing like a sapphire, in look like a throne.
—Ezekiel 1:4–11, Ezekiel 10:1
The Lord’s throne-chariot is drawn by 4 residing creatures, which the prophet will later determine as cherubim (Ezek. 10:1; cf. Ps. 18:10). These extraordinary winged creatures with humanlike our bodies have 4 faces every, that of a person, a lion (the very best of the wild animals), an ox (the very best home animal), and an eagle (the very best of the birds), symbolizing that they embody inside themselves all the very best attributes of residing creation.5 In Revelation 4:7 the heavenly throne is flanked by these 4 creatures individually. If the Lord’s attendants thus embody knowledge, power, majesty, velocity, and procreative energy, how far more absolutely does he himself embody these attributes?6 The title “residing creatures” factors us again to the creation account in Genesis 1–3, reminding us that the God who created all issues has the facility and the fitting to destroy what he has made, simply as a potter recycles a less-than-perfect pot (Jer. 18:2–6).
In Genesis 3 the cherubim seem as God’s heavenly bodyguards, whose activity it’s to guard God’s holiness. When the person and the lady are exiled from the backyard of Eden, cherubim are appointed to bar the best way again into God’s presence, stopping any intrusion of sinful mankind into the realm of God’s holiness (Gen. 3:24). But, as with exclusion from Eden, the Lord’s goal will not be merely the destruction of the fallen individuals he has made. The tree of life will not be uprooted however protected for a unique, extra blessed future. So is also the theme of guarding God’s sanctity so {that a} holy God can dwell within the midst of his individuals, a key theme in Ezekiel’s ministry.
Right here, nonetheless, the residing creatures don’t merely have a defensive character to them. They’re described as being like torches or burning coals of fireplace (Ezek. 1:13). Lightning is flashing forwards and backwards amongst them, and the creatures themselves are in speedy movement, like flashes of lightning. That is the threatening language of God’s judgment, right here marshaled not in opposition to Israel’s enemies however in opposition to his personal land and folks.
Cherubim in Revelation
And across the throne, on all sides of the throne, are 4 residing creatures, filled with eyes in entrance and behind: the primary residing creature like a lion, the second residing creature like an ox, the third residing creature with the face of a person, and the fourth residing creature like an eagle in flight. And the 4 residing creatures, every of them with six wings, are filled with eyes throughout and inside, and day and night time they by no means stop to say,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come back!”
—Revelation 4:6–8
There are outstanding creatures guarding and surrounding the throne, once more highlighting God’s superior holiness. Maybe these creatures “bear up the moveable throne of God.”7 There are 4 of those residing creatures, with “eyes in entrance and behind.” John attracts right here on the imaginative and prescient of Ezekiel, who sees 4 residing creatures (Ezek. 1:5) and later identifies them as cherubim (Ezek. 10:15, 20). These unusual and great creatures in Revelation, just like the cherubim in Ezekiel, shield and encompass God’s throne. Within the OT, cherubim guarded the best way to the tree of life (Gen. 3:24). Within the tabernacle and the temple, cherubim hovered over the mercy seat, symbolizing their guarding of God’s presence (Ex. 25:18–22; Num. 7:89; 1 Kings 6:23–28; 8:6, 7). Cherubim had been additionally woven into the curtains of the tabernacle (Ex. 26:1; 36:8) and carved on the partitions of the temple (1 Kings 6:29, 32, 35; cf. Ezek. 41:18, 20, 25). The OT speaks of Yahweh being enthroned on cherubim (1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; 1 Chron. 13:6; Pss. 80:1; 99:1). In Ezekiel the cherubim play an essential position as God’s presence leaves the temple due to Israel’s sin (Ezek. 10:1–22; 11:22). The cherubim had been related, as are the 4 residing creatures, with God’s presence and throne. The “eyes” don’t signify omniscience, as solely God is omniscient, however they present the 4 residing creatures looking the complete creation, vigilantly watching over the world as God’s brokers.
The 4 residing creatures are described. The primary is sort of a lion, the second is like an ox, the third has a face like a human being, and the fourth is like an eagle flying. The creator makes use of similes right here; the creatures aren’t recognized as a lion, ox, human being, or eagle. As an alternative they share a likeness (homoion) with them. The creatures chosen are fascinating, for the lion is, as we are saying, “king of the beasts” (cf. Prov. 30:30); oxen are probably the most highly effective domesticated animals; human beings are the crown of creation; and eagles are probably the most majestic birds (Job 39:27; Prov. 30:19). John clearly attracts on Ezekiel’s imaginative and prescient of the cherubim (cf. Ezekiel 1; 10), although he doesn’t explicitly determine the 4 residing creatures as cherubim. There’s one other distinction with the account in Ezekiel, for in Ezekiel every of the 4 residing creatures has 4 faces: the faces of a human being, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (Ezek. 1:10; 10:14). In Revelation the 4 residing creatures do not need 4 faces. As an alternative, one has a face like a human being, one other a face like a lion, one other like an ox, and one other like an eagle. John typically tweaks the OT textual content he alludes to, although it’s troublesome to discern any significance to the change from the OT right here. It appears the 4 residing creatures are angelic, since they’re described when it comes to the cherubim in Ezekiel (cf. touch upon Rev. 4:8), and thus appear to characterize the very best order of angels. The representations of those creatures, then, are symbolic and shouldn’t be taken actually. These angelic residing creatures characterize all of creation, signifying the calling of all creatures in all places to reward God. Nothing is extra stunning and satisfying than worshiping God earlier than his throne.
Now the 4 residing creatures are described in a method echoing the seraphim of Isaiah 6. This confirms the residing creatures’ angelic identification, however it’s troublesome to find out whether or not the residing creatures are cherubim or seraphim, since John attracts on each Ezekiel and Isaiah in describing them. Nonetheless, it is usually doable that “seraphim” and “cherubim” are two names for a similar angels, for we should confess we all know little or no about angelic ranks and classes (cf. Col. 1:16). In any case, the 4 residing creatures, just like the seraphim, have six wings. In Isaiah the seraphim cowl their faces with two of their wings, cowl their ft with two wings, and fly with the remaining two (Isa. 6:2). They cowl their faces and ft due to the superior holiness of God. They fly as a result of they’re dedicated to God’s service, flying to hold out his will and instructions. John attracts on the cherubim once more in saying they’re filled with eyes (cf. Ezek. 1:18; 10:12), denoting their vigilance in guarding God’s throne.
Although there are dimensions of the verse that elude our grasp, an important component is the exclamation of the 4 residing creatures, echoing the phrases of the seraphim in Isaiah 6:3. They proclaim that the God sitting on the throne is the thrice-holy one. The entire scene on the throne communicates God’s terrifying and delightful holiness. He’s totally exalted above his creatures and is distinct from human beings. Nobody enters his presence frivolously or casually, for he’s Almighty God and, as we noticed in Revelation 1:4 (cf. remark), he’s the one who at all times reigned, the one who’s reigning, and the one who will come and institute his kingdom without end.
Notes:
- The phrase translated “hammered” is uncommon and its that means disputed, although it’s completely different from the phrase used for “casting” metallic (Ex. 25:12). It describes the lampstand additionally (vv. 31, 36), which, just like the cherubim, is a posh object.
- Whereas many variations translate the related Hebrew in these verses as “the Lord who sits enthroned on the cherubim,” the phrase “on” will not be within the Hebrew, which may be translated “the Lord who sits/dwells/ is enthroned among the many cherubim,” that’s, surrounded by his heavenly attendants (cf. IBHS 9.5.2f). The sense of “enthroned” is favored in mild of Psalm 99:1, the place it’s parallel to “reign (as king).”
- Cf. how Moses “hid his face” earlier than God’s presence (Ex. 3:6), as do the angelic beings attending the Lord in Isaiah’s imaginative and prescient (Isa. 6:2); U. Cassuto, Commentary on the Ebook of Exodus, trans. Israel Abrahams (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1967), 335.
- Cornelis Houtman, Exodus, vol. 3, trans. Johan Insurgent and Sierd Woudstra, HCOT (Leuven: Peeters, 1999) 388.
- Cf. Moshe Greenberg, “Ezekiel’s Imaginative and prescient: Literary and Iconographic Points,” in Historical past, Historiography and Interpretation: Research in Biblical and Cuneiform Literature, ed. H. Tadmor and M. Weinfeld (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1983), 165. Related winged composite creatures served as protecting guardians in Babylonian temples.
- One cause why Israel’s worship left their deity with out bodily embodiment was the inherently reductive nature of all such representations. The idols might embody one facet of divinity, however there is no such thing as a earthly object that embodies the fullness of divinity—not less than, that’s, till the incarnation of the Son (cf. Col. 1:15–20).
- David E. Aune, Revelation 1–5, WBC (Dallas: Phrase, 1997), 297.
This text is by Iain M. Duguid, Jay Sklar, J. Gary Millar, and Thomas R. Schreiner and is customized from the ESV Expository Commentary, Volumes 1, 3, 6, and 12.
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