כְּרוּב

From the study of Psalm 99:1

Range of meaning

A winged composite creature (combining features of lion, bull, eagle and human in varying combinations) that guards sacred space and carries or supports the divine throne. Cherubim guard Eden (Gen 3:24), are woven into the tabernacle curtains (Exod 26:1), carry Yahweh as a storm-mount (Ps 18:10 [Heb 11]), and appear as four-faced throne-bearers in Ezekiel (Ezek 10).

Against the English

Modern English 'cherub' means a chubby winged infant or a sweet-faced child. The biblical kerûv is a large, fearsome, majestic guardian.

How it drifted

Renaissance and Baroque art merged the classical Cupid/Eros and decorative putti (winged babies) with the word 'cherub'. Greeting-card and Valentine imagery then fixed the baby picture in popular use.

Used elsewhere in the period

The word is often linked to Akkadian kāribu/kurību, protective or interceding spirit-beings. Mesopotamian palace gates were guarded by huge winged human-headed bulls and lions (lamassu/shedu). The etymology is debated, but the guardian-and-throne function is clear in the Levantine art and the biblical texts.

From the study of Exodus 26:31

Range of meaning

A winged guardian creature, often a mix of features from several beings (human, lion, ox, eagle in Ezekiel 1 and 10). Cherubim guard sacred space (Genesis 3:24, the way to the tree of life) and carry or flank the divine throne (1 Samuel 4:4 'enthroned on the cherubim'; Psalm 18:10; the ark cover, Exodus 25:18–22). The word may be related to Akkadian karibu/kuribu, a term for intercessor or guardian figures, though the link is debated.

Against the English

In modern English 'cherub' means a chubby winged baby, which comes from Renaissance art's putti and Cupid figures. Biblical cherubim are powerful and awe-inspiring, like the winged lion-bulls (lamassu) that stood at Assyrian palace gates, or the winged figures that protect thrones in Phoenician and Egyptian art.

How it drifted

From the Renaissance onward, Western art merged cherubim with classical cupids. Popular English followed, so 'cherubic' now means 'sweetly baby-faced'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Solomon's temple: cherubim on walls, doors and the partition curtain (1 Kings 6:23–35; 2 Chronicles 3:14). Ezekiel's visions (chs. 1, 10; 28:14, 'guardian cherub'). Ivory carvings from Samaria and Phoenicia show winged sphinx-like throne guardians, and the throne of Ahiram of Byblos is flanked by winged sphinxes.

From the study of 1 Kings 6:27

Range of meaning

A winged composite heavenly creature that serves as guardian of sacred space and bearer of the divine throne. In the Hebrew Bible cherubim guard the way to the tree of life (Gen 3:24). They are hammered from gold on the ark's cover (Exod 25:18–22) and woven into the tabernacle curtains (Exod 26:1, 31). In poetry YHWH 'rides' on a cherub (Ps 18:10 / 2 Sam 22:11). God is repeatedly 'the one enthroned on the cherubim' (1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15; Ps 80:1; 99:1). Ezekiel sees them as four-faced, four-winged throne-bearers (Ezek 1; 10:20) and calls the king of Tyre a 'guardian cherub' in Eden (Ezek 28:14, 16). Chronicles calls them 'the chariot' (merkāḇâ) of the cherubim (1 Chr 28:18).

Against the English

English simply borrows the word ('cherub/cherubim'), so no translation hides it. But the borrowed word arrives loaded with a later image (see drift). KJV's 'cherubims' adds an English plural to a word that is already a Hebrew plural.

How it drifted

From the Renaissance on, European art merged the cherub with the putto, a chubby winged infant taken from classical Cupid/Eros imagery. Everyday English 'cherub' now means a cute, round-faced child. Nothing in the biblical description supports that picture.

Used elsewhere in the period

Most lexicons (HALOT, BDB) link the word to Akkadian kāribu / kurību, 'one who blesses / intercedes', a term for protective genii in Mesopotamia. Ancient Near Eastern art supplies the visual type: Assyrian human-headed winged bulls and lions (lamassu) flanking palace gates; Phoenician and Canaanite winged sphinxes. The sarcophagus of King Ahiram of Byblos (c. 1000 BCE) and ivories from Megiddo (Late Bronze Age) show a king seated on a throne whose sides are formed by winged sphinxes. Samaria ivories (9th–8th c. BCE) show winged sphinxes in Israelite royal art.