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| == Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary <ref name="term_47622" /> == | | == International Standard Bible Encyclopedia <ref name="term_2202" /> == |
| <p> Cherubim, [[Cherub]] </p> <p> We meet with an account of these so frequently in the word of God, that it forms an important duty to seek, under the Spirit's teaching, for the clearest apprehension of their meaning. At the entrance of the garden of Eden, after the fall, we find the cherubim and a flaming sword placed. ( Genesis 3:24) And during the church's continuance in the wilderness, several relations are made of the cherubim. ( Exodus 25:18; Exo 26:1; Exo 37:7-8) Solomon's temple also, was adorned with the representation of them. ( 1 Kings 6:23, etc.) But more particularly, in the visional prophecy of Ezekiel. (See Ezekiel 9:1-11 and Ezekiel 10:1-22 throughout.) The general representation of the cherubim was under the similitude of four living creatures: the face of a man; the face of a lion; the face of an ox, or calf; and the face of an eagle. That these figures were emblems of somewhat more important and higher than themselves, hath been the universal opinion, both in the [[Jewish]] and [[Christian]] church, through all ages. Some have considered them as representing angels. But there seems, in the first view of the subject, a total contradiction to this, because, no one reason upon earth can be shown, why angels should be represented with four faces. Neither could there be any necessity for any other representation of an angel, but as an angel. We meet with continued instances of angels appearing, in the word of God, to God's people without any danger of [[Jehovah]] himself only can it be said, "Thou canst not see my face and live." ( Exodus 33:20) Moreover, before the cherubim was sprinkled, on the great day of atonement, the blood of the sacrifice, which we all know was typical of Christ, and represented the one offering of the Redeemer. Now, to have this set forth before angels would have been contrary to the whole sense of Scripture. (See Exodus 37:9; Leviticus 16:14 compared with Hebrews 9:7; Heb 9:12) Evidently, therefore, the cherubim could not be intended to prefigure angels. </p> <p> The question is then, What, or whom, did they represent? I would very humbly say in answer, that I am inclined to think, with several who have gone before me in the study of this solemn and mysterious subject, that the cherubim were emblematical of the glorious persons of the [[Godhead]] in their covenant engagements to redeem our fallen nature, as represented in those characters united with the manhood of Christ. And the foundation of this belief, I humbly beg to subjoin. </p> <p> And first, to begin with the earliest representation at the gate of Paradise, we are told, ( Genesis 3:24) that the Lord himself placed those cherubim there, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. By which I apprehend, the sense of the expression is, not to keep from, but to keep to, the way of the tree of life; meaning, that poor fallen man now had no access but by this way. And as we well know, from our Lord's own authority, that Jesus is "the way, and the truth, and the life; and no man cometh to the Father, but by him." ( John 14:6) Hence it should seem, that by these cherubic figures, among which the face of a man formed a part, immediately at the fall, redemption through Christ was set up by those emblems, as manifested to the church. </p> <p> Secondly, Those cherubim were eminently displayed in the [[Holy]] of Holies, over and upon the mercy seat. (See Exodus 25:17-22, compared with Hebrews 11:1-24) Now, as from the authority of those Scriptures, we have full licence to conclude, that the mercy-seat itself was an emblem of Christ, and the High [[Priest]] going into the Holy of Holies once in a year, with blood, a lively type of the Lord Jesus going in with his own blood into heaven itself, there to appear in the presence of God for us, we cannot for a moment suppose, but that these cherubim must have been designed to represent the holy and undivided Three persons in the one eternal JEHOVAH, before whom only, and to whom only, Christ, in his divine and nature united, made the one sacrifice of by which he hath prefected for ever them that are sanctified. The song of heaven declared, that the redemption by Christ was from God, as the first cause, and to God, as the final end. ( Revelation 5:9) To have set forth, therefore, these solemn representations, by type and figure, in the Jewish church, before any but JEHOVAH himself, would have been little short of blasphemy, and consequently cherubim, before which every great day of the same was regularly observed, could emblematical only of the glorious persons of the GODHEAD. </p> <p> If it be objected, that in the vision of Isaiah, chap. so again, in the vision of John, Revelation 8:1-13 where in both Scriptures, we find the seraphim, or cherubim, (for they mean one and the same), are represented as worshipping God, and hence it be said, is there not a contradiction in supposing JEHOVAH worshipping [[Jehovah? I]] answer, certainly there would be, if this were in reality the case. But the fact is, that it is not so. Let it be remembered, that these cherubim are emblems, and not the very persons they represent. The representatives of another my join in any acts with others, to proclaim with them the worth, or praises, of those whom they represent. As the ambassador of an earthly king, though he represents his master, may, at the same time, join his fellow subjects in proclaiming with them his master's honour. This objection, therefore, falls to the ground. And though I do not presume, on a subject so mysterious and sublime, to speak decidedly, yet I cannot but think, that the cherubim of Scripture, are intended to represent the glorious persons of the GODHEAD, with the human nature united to the person of the Son of God, and by no means intended to represent angels. </p> | | <p> The cherubic forms in the constellation figures. See [[Astronomy]] , II, 8. </p> |
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| == Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_50185" /> == | | == The Nuttall Encyclopedia <ref name="term_70621" /> == |
| <p> <strong> [[Cherubim]] </strong> . <strong> 1 </strong> . The most important passage for determining <em> the origin </em> of the [[Hebrew]] conception of the cherubim is Psalms 18:10 . The poet, in describing a theophany of Jehovah, represents the God of [[Israel]] as descending to earth on the black thunder-cloud: ‘He rode upon a cheruh and did fly, yea, he soared on the wings of the wind.’ According to this passage, the cherub is a personification of the storm-cloud, or, as others prefer to interpret, of the storm-wind which bears Jehovah from heaven to earth. </p> <p> <strong> 2 </strong> . We shall next discuss the part the cherubim play <em> in the religious symbolism of the OT </em> . In the [[Tabernacle]] there were two small golden cherubim, one at each end of the mercy-seat. It was these figures that invested the ark with its special significance as an emblem of the immediate presence of Jehovah. Cherubic figures were embroidered on the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, and on the other tapestries of the sanctuary. In the [[Temple]] two huge cheruhim of olive wood, overlaid with gold, overshadowed the ark with their wings ( 1 Kings 6:23-28 ). Cherubic figures were also found among the other decorations of the Temple ( 1 Kings 6:29; 1 Kings 6:32; 1 Kings 6:35 ). In both sanctuaries they are figures of religious symbolism; they act as bearers of Deity, and are consequently emblematic of Jehovah’s immediate presence. Hence we have the phrase ‘Thou that sittest on the cherubim’ ( Psalms 80:1 <em> et al. </em> ). In Ezekiel’s Inaugural vision (ch. 1) the four composite figures of the living creatures are in a later passage termed cherubim ( Psalms 10:2 ). They support the firmament on which the throne of Jehovah rests, and in this connexion we again have them as bearers of Deity. In the [[Paradise]] story, the cherubim perform another function; they appear as guardians of the tree of life ( [[Genesis]] 3:24 J [Note: Jahwist.] ). A different version of this story is alluded to by Ezekiel ( Ezekiel 28:14; Ezekiel 28:16 ); according to this prophet, a cherub expels the prince of [[Tyre]] from Eden, the garden of God. In both these passages they perform the function of guardians of sacred things, and in view of this it is probable that, in the Temple and Tabernacle, they were looked upon as guardians of the contents of the ark as well as emblems of the [[Divine]] presence. </p> <p> <strong> 3. </strong> As to <em> the figure </em> of the cherubim in the sanctuaries we have no clue, and [[Josephus]] is probably correct when he says that no one knows or can guess their form. The prophet Ezekiel and the results of [[Babylonian]] excavations assist us in solving the enigma. The prophet’s living creatures were composite figures, each having the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. We are not to suppose that these forms corresponded exactly to anything that the prophet had seen, but he worked out these figures in his gorgeous imagination, combining elements Hebrew and Babylonian. The native element is to some extent an unsolved riddle, but of the contribution made by Babylonian art there can be no reasonable doubt. The huge composite figures with human head, eagle’s wings, and bull’s body, which were placed as guardians at the doors of temples and palaces in Babylonia, supplied the prophet with the material for his vision. The writer of the story of the [[Garden]] of Eden had some such figures in mind. Basing his conjecture on Ezekiel’s vision, Schultz ( <em> OT Theol </em> . ii. p. 236) imagines that the cherubim of the sanctuary were composite figures with feet of oxen, wings of eagles, manes of lions, and human bodies and faces, standing upright and spreading their wings over the ark. This view is somewhat problematic. Cheyne and [[Dillmann]] prefer to associate them with the griffin, which so often appears in mythology as a guardian of sacred treasures. The former asserts that the Hebrew cherubim were of Hittite origin. It is not correct to suppose that they were directly borrowed either from the [[Babylonians]] or the Hittites, but the Hebrew imagination combined foreign and native elements as they were suited to its purpose. The derivation of the Heb. word from the Bab. [Note: Babylonian.] <em> kurubu </em> , a designation of the steer-god, is, although advocated by Delitzsch, exceedingly uncertain and is denied by Zimmern. We are now in a position to judge the three theories as to the nature of the cherubim, that they were (1) real, (2) symbolical, and (3) mythical. That they were higher angelic beings with actual existence is now generally discarded. They were in reality creations of the imagination, the form being borrowed from mythological sources and afterwards invested with a symbolic meaning. </p> <p> <strong> 4. </strong> In Jewish theology the cherubim are one of the three highest classes of angels, the other two being the <em> seraphim </em> and <em> ophanim </em> , which guard the throne of the Most High. They appear as youthful angels in Rabbinical literature. [[Philo]] allegorizes them as representing two supreme attributes of God His goodness and authority; he also mentions other views (for Jewish ideas, cf. <em> JE </em> <em> [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] </em> <em> s.v. </em> ). The living creatures of the [[Apocalyptic]] vision are borrowed from Ezekiel’s imagery. Starting with this passage ( Revelation 4:6 ff.), and borrowing elements from Jewish theology, some Christian theologians have incorrectly maintained that the cherubim of [[Scripture]] were supramundane spiritual essences. </p> <p> James A. Kelso. </p>
| | <p> A character in the "Mariage de Figaro"; also the 11th Hussars, from their trousers being of a cherry colour. </p> |
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| == Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament <ref name="term_55304" /> ==
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| <p> (χερουβίμ) </p> <p> Among the symbolic ornaments of the Tabernacle the writer of Hebrews mentions ‘the cherubim of glory overshading the mercy-seat’ ( Hebrews 9:5). In Solomon’s Temple there were two colossal cherubim whose out-spread wings filled the most holy place ( 1 Kings 6:23-28), but in the ideal description of the Tabernacle two much smaller figures are represented as standing on the ark of the covenant itself (which was only about four feet long), facing each other and overshadowing the place of God’s presence. The cherubim were ‘das beliebteste Ornamentstück der Hebräer’ (Benzinger, <i> Heb. Arch. </i> , Freiburg, 1894, p. 268). It is significant that while precise directions are given regarding their material, position, and attitude, nothing is said of their shape except that they were winged. Their enigmatic form made them fitting symbols of the mysterious nature of the Godhead. Originally, no doubt, they were far from being merely allegorical. They had lived long in the popular imagination before they came to be used as religious emblems. They were mythical figures probably suggested by the phenomenon of the storm-cloud, in which God seemed to descend from heaven to earth, the thunder being the rushing of their wings and the lightning their flashing swords (cf. Psalms 18:10-11). While Lenormant ( <i> Les Origines </i> , 1880-84, i, 112f.) and Friedrich Delitzsch ( <i> [[Wo]] lag das Paradies? </i> , 1881, p. 150f.) connect them with the winged bulls which guarded the entrance to [[Assyrian]] palaces, others associate them with the [[Syrian]] griffins (probably of Hittite origin) which were supposed to draw the chariot of the sun-god (Cheyne, <i> Encyclopaedia Biblica </i> i. 745). [[Behind]] the cherubim of Ezekiel (10:1f.) which are the original of the ‘living creatures’ of Revelation 4:6-8, there may be the signs of the zodiac (Gunkel). </p> <p> When the later Hebrews wished to represent the presence of [[Jahweh]] among them in the Temple at Jerusalem, they adopted the cherubim as the awful symbols alike of His nearness and of His unapproachableness. It is improbable that these works of art had a purely human appearance. Schultz ( <i> OT Theol. </i> , Eng. translation, 1892, ii. 236) inclines to the view that they were ‘composite figures, with the feet of oxen, the wings of eagles, the manes of lions, and the body and face of men.’ A. [[Jeremias]] ( <i> The OT in the Light of the Anc. East </i> , 1911, ii. 126), following Klostermann, thinks it possible that ‘the conception is that of four cherubim (two cherubim, each with a double face).’ As the symbols were blazoned on the doors, walls, and curtains of the Temple, their general appearance must originally have been quite well known, but time once more threw a veil of mystery over them, and Josephus declares that ‘no one can tell or guess what the cherubim, were like’ ( <i> Ant </i> . viii. iii. 3). </p> <p> Literature.-I. Benzinger, <i> Heb. Arch. </i> 2, 1907, index, <i> s.v. </i> ‘Kerube’; A. Furtwängler, in Roscher[Note: oscher Roscher’s Ausführliches Lexikon der griech. und röm. Mythologie.], <i> Lex. </i> i. 2, col. 1742ff. article‘Gryps’; article‘Cherub’ in <i> Encyclopaedia Biblica </i> and ‘Cherubim’ in <i> Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols) </i> . </p> <p> James Strahan. </p> | |
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| == Bridgeway Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_18468" /> ==
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| <p> 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. </p> <p> 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). </p> <p> 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). </p>
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| == Smith's Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_72092" /> ==
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| <p> '''Cherub'im.''' The symbolical figure so called was a composite creature-form which finds a parallel in the religious insignia of Assyria, Egypt and Persia, for example, the sphinx, the winged bulls and lions of Nineveh, etc. A cherub guarded paradise. Genesis 3:24. [[Figures]] of Cherubim were placed on the [[Mercy-Seat]] of the ark. Exodus 25:18. A pair of colossal size overshadowed it in Solomon's Temple with the canopy of their contiguously extended wings. 1 Kings 6:27. </p> <p> Those on the [[Ark]] were to be placed with wings stretched forth, one at each end of the Mercy-Seat. Their wings were to be stretched upwards, and their faces "towards each other and towards the Mercy-Seat." It is remarkable that, with such precise directions as to their position, attitude and material, nothing, save that they were winged, is said concerning their shape. </p> <p> On the whole, it seems likely that the word "cherub" meant, not only the composite creature-form, of which the man, lion, ox and eagle were the elements, but, further, some peculiar and mystical form. (Some suppose that the cherubim represented God's providence among men, the four faces expressing the characters of that providence: </p> <p> 1) ''Its Wisdom And Intelligence'' (man); </p> <p> 2) ''Its Strength'' (ox); </p> <p> 3) ''Its [[Kingly]] Authority'' (lion); </p> <p> 4) ''Its Swiftness, Its Far-Sightedness'' (eagle). </p> <p> Others, combining all the other references with the description of the living creatures in Revelation, make the cherubim to represent God's redeemed people. The qualities of the four faces are those which belong to God's people. Their facing four ways, towards all quarters of the globe, represents their duty of extending the truth. The wings show swiftness of obedience; and only the redeemed can sing the song put in their mouths in Revelation 5:8-14. - Editor). </p>
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| == Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words <ref name="term_77189" /> ==
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| <div> '''1: '''''Χερούβ''''' ''' (Strong'S #5502 — Noun Neuter — cheroubim — kher-oo-beem' ) </div> <p> are regarded by some as the ideal representatives of redeemed animate creation. In the Tabernacle and Temple they were represented by the two golden figures of two-winged living creatures. They were all of one piece with the golden lid of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, signifying that the prospect of redeemed and glorified creatures was bound up with the sacrifice of Christ. </p> Genesis 3:24 Revelation 22:14 Psalm 18:10 Ezekiel 28:4 Ezekiel 10:1-20 11:22 Hebrews 9:5
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| == Webster's Dictionary <ref name="term_99856" /> ==
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| <p> '''(1):''' (n.) The Hebrew plural of Cherub.. Cf. Seraphim. </p> <p> '''(2):''' (pl.) of Cherub </p>
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| == Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature <ref name="term_15439" /> ==
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| <p> Cher´ubim (Cherub, pl. Cherubim) is the name of certain symbolical figures frequently mentioned in Scripture. The derivation and meaning of the term cannot now be known with certainty. </p>
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| == The Nuttall Encyclopedia <ref name="term_70630" /> ==
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| <p> An order of angelic beings conceived of as accompanying the manifestations of Jehovah, supporting His throne and protecting His glory, guarding it from profane intrusion; winged effigies of them overshadowed the [[Mercy Seat]] ( <i> q. v </i> .). </p>
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| ==References == | | ==References == |
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| <ref name="term_47622"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hawker-s-poor-man-s-concordance-and-dictionary/cherubim Cherubim from Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary]</ref> | | <ref name="term_2202"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/international-standard-bible-encyclopedia/cherubim+(2) Cherubim from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]</ref> |
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| <ref name="term_50185"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-bible/cherubim Cherubim from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_55304"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/cherubim Cherubim from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_18468"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/bridgeway-bible-dictionary/cherubim Cherubim from Bridgeway Bible Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_72092"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/smith-s-bible-dictionary/cherubim Cherubim from Smith's Bible Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_77189"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/vine-s-expository-dictionary-of-nt-words/cherubim Cherubim from Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_99856"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/webster-s-dictionary/cherubim Cherubim from Webster's Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_15439"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/kitto-s-popular-cyclopedia-of-biblial-literature/cherubim Cherubim from Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_70630"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/the-nuttall-encyclopedia/cherubim Cherubim from The Nuttall Encyclopedia]</ref> | | <ref name="term_70621"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/the-nuttall-encyclopedia/cherubim+(2) Cherubim from The Nuttall Encyclopedia]</ref> |
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| </references> | | </references> |
