Midvash

כְּרוּבkᵉrûwb

cherub

Pronunciation: ker-oob' · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H3742

Meanings

1. the living chariot of the theophanic God (Psalms 18:11; 2 Samuel 22:11)

2. as the guards of the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24)

3. as the throne of Yahweh Sabaoth (1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; 1 Chronicles 13:6)

4.

a. two cherubim of solid gold upon the slab of gold of the כַּפֹּרֶת facing each other with wings outstretched above (Exodus 25:18-22; Exodus 37:7-9; Numbers 7:89)

b. numerous cherubim woven into the texture of the inner curtains of the tabernacle and the veils (Exodus 26:1; Exodus 26:31; Exodus 36:8)

5. the cherubim of the temple

6. Ezekiel describes the cherubim

Same root

Where it appears

Appears 91 times in the Bible.

  • Genesis 3:24 After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
  • Exodus 25:18 Then make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover.
  • Exodus 25:19 Mold the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold.
  • Exodus 25:20 The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it.
  • Exodus 25:22 I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.
  • Exodus 26:1 “Make the Tabernacle from ten curtains of finely woven linen. Decorate the curtains with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim.
See every passage

Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).