Cherubim

Illustration of Cherubim

Cherubim are powerful angelic beings associated with guarding God's holy presence. They were stationed with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life after the fall, their golden images overshadowed the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant, and Ezekiel saw them as awe-inspiring living creatures beneath the throne of God. They mark the boundary between the holy and the common.

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Strongest connections in Scripture
Genesis 3

Key Passages

Cherubim Guard Eden

Genesis 3:22-24

God places cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the tree of life - the first appearance of these guardians of his holiness.

A22nd the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Explore Related

Characters

Adam Adam is described in the Bible as the first human being, formed by God from the dust of the ground andโ€ฆ Ezekiel Ezekiel served as a prophet and priest among the Jewish exiles in Babylon following the first deportationโ€ฆ

Places

Garden of Eden The Garden of Eden was the paradise created by God as the original home for Adam and Eve, the first humans,โ€ฆ

Did You Know?

1

Cherubim are the first angels named in the Bible - guarding Eden with a flaming sword.

2

Two golden cherubim overshadowed the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant.

3

Ezekiel saw them with four faces each: man, lion, ox, and eagle.

4

Despite popular art, biblical cherubim are fearsome guardians, not chubby babies.