The
first reference to the cherubim in the Bible is found in Genesis 3:24: “So He
drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden,
and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of
life” (NKJV). God dwells between the cherubim (1 Samuel 4:4; Psalm 80:1; Isaiah
37:16). The prophet Ezekiel saw them in a heavenly vision; here are his
words: “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in
the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth
day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi,
in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD
was there upon him. And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the
north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about
it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of
the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living
creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And
every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were
straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot:
and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. And they had the hands
of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces
and their wings. Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when
they went; they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their
faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right
side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also
had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces: and their wings were
stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two
covered their bodies. And they went every one straight forward: whither the
spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. As for the
likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of
fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living
creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of
lightning. Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the
earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. The appearance of the
wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had
one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in
the middle of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides: and
they turned not when they went. As for their rings, they were so high that
they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. And
when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living
creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to
go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the
living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when
those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the
wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living
creature was in the wheels. And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads
of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched
forth over their heads above. And under the firmament were their wings
straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this
side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. And
when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great
waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an
host: when they stood, they let down their wings. And there was a voice from
the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down
their wings. And above the firmament that was over their heads was the
likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the
likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon
it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about
within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the
appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of
fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is
in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round
about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And
when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake” (Ezekiel
1:1-28; cf. Ezekiel 10:1-22). Two cherubim of gold were placed upon the ark
in the Holiest of all in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:17-22; Hebrews 9:5). The
veil of the Tabernacle (which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place)
was woven with an artistic design of cherubim (Exodus 26:31). Please note
that in Hebrew the plural of cherub
is cherubim, although the King
James Version uses the word cherubims.
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The seraphim (from the
Hebrew word saraph which means ‘to
be on fire’) are mentioned by the prophet Isaiah in his book. Here are his
words: “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood
the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and
with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto
another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is
full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that
cried, and the house was filled with smoke” (Isaiah 6:1-4). As for the
seraphim also, it must be said that the plural of seraph is seraphim,
even though the KJV uses the word seraphims.
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