the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Cherubim
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
or From the images that were made for the tabernacle and the temple, it seems that cherubim (plural of cherub) were winged creatures of some heavenly angelic order. They usually acted as guardians for the Almighty and his interests.
After the rebellion against God in the garden of Eden, God sent cherubim to guard the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). In Israel’s tabernacle, two cherubim images were attached to the lid of the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place. The lid of the ark, known as the mercy seat, was the symbolic throne of God, and the cherubim were symbolic guardians of that throne (Exodus 25:18-22; 1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; Psalms 80:1; Hebrews 9:5). In Solomon’s temple also, the Most Holy Place had images of guardian cherubim. They were so huge that side by side they stretched across the room from wall to wall (1 Kings 6:23-28). In Ezekiel’s visions, cherubim supported the chariot-throne of God (Ezekiel 1:4-28; Ezekiel 10; cf. Psalms 18:10).
Craftsmen who worked on the ornamentation of the tabernacle and the temple included cherubim in many of their designs. Cherubim were pictured on the coverings and curtains of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:1; Exodus 26:31), the walls of the temple (1 Kings 6:29; cf. Ezekiel 41:17-20; Ezekiel 41:25), and the mobile lavers that belonged to the temple (1 Kings 7:29; 1 Kings 7:36).
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Fleming, Don. Entry for 'Cherubim'. Bridgeway Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/bbd/c/cherubim.html. 2004.
