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Bible Dictionaries
Cherub
People's Dictionary of the Bible
or Cherub (plural Cherubim). An order of celestial beings or symbolical representations quite distinct from angels, and often referred to in the Old Testament and in the book of Revelation. Angels are often sent on messages, but cherubim are not so described. The cherubim are variously represented as living creatures, Genesis 3:24; Ezekiel 1:1-28; Revelation 4:1-11; or as images wrought in tapestry, gold, or wood, Exodus 36:35; Exodus 37:7; Ezekiel 41:25; as having one, two, or four faces, Exodus 25:20; Ezekiel 41:18; Ezekiel 10:14, as having two, four, or six wings, 1 Kings 6:27; Ezekiel 1:6; Revelation 4:8; in the simplest form, as in the golden figures above the ark of the covenant; or in the most complex and sublime form, as in Ezekiel's wonderful visions of the glory of God—discerning and ruling all things, and executing irresistibly and with the speed of thought all his wise and just decrees. Ezekiel 1:10. The fullest of these descriptions represents the cherub as a winged figure, like a man in form, full of eyes, and with a four-fold head—of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle, with wheels turning every way, and speed like the lightning: presenting the highest earthly forms and powers of creation in harmonious and perfect union. Ezekiel 1:1-28; Ezekiel 10:1-22; Ezekiel 41:1-26; Revelation 4:1-11. Usually also the cherubim stand in a special nearness to God; they are engaged in the loftiest adoration and service, moving in instant accordance with his will, Psalms 18:10; Ezekiel 1:26; Ezekiel 10:20; Revelation 4:1-11; they are seen in the temple inseparably associated with the mercy-seat, "the cherubim of glory," Hebrews 9:5—made of the same mass of pure gold, bending reverently over the place of God's presence, Psalms 99:1, where he met his people, Numbers 7:89, accepting the blood of atonement, Leviticus 16:14-16; they shone forth as their Saviour. Psalms 80:1; Isaiah 37:16. 2. A place in Babylonia. Ezra 2:59; Nehemiah 7:61.
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Rice, Edwin Wilbur, DD. Entry for 'Cherub'. People's Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/rpd/c/cherub.html. 1893.
