Hebrew Bible Cherubim

Descriptions in the Bible vary, but in general where a description is given cherubim are described as winged creatures combining human and animal features. In the Book of Genesis, cherubim are described as blocking the way to the Tree of Life, at the eastern side of the Garden of Eden, armed with flaming swords.

The Books of Kings, and the corresponding parts of the Books of Chronicles, state that in Solomon's Temple were two olivewood sculptures of cherubim plated with gold, ten cubits high, standing wingtip-to-wingtip, with the Ark of the Covenant between them; according to the Book of Exodus and Book of Numbers, the Parochet (a curtain in the tabernacle) had been embroidered (on the Holy of Holies side) with a design that featured cherubim, and the ark itself had two small golden cherubim, facing one another, on the cover. The text states that the outstretched wings of the cherubim, in Solomon's Temple, touched together. The Tanakh refers to "God who dwells between the cherubim". Exodus 25:20, describes the cherubim as having their faces bent downward towards the cover, but with their eyes still turned toward one another. A traditional Jewish interpretation of these Biblical passages is that the cherubim create a metaphorical seat for the Shekhinah of God.


Classical rabbinical literature
Though the Talmud makes mention of the heavens, and its occupants, such mention only refers to seraphim, ofanim, and chayot; likewise ancient Jewish liturgy only mentions these three classes; in the Zohar, ten classes of angels are enumerated, but the cherubim are not mentioned as a special class.. Maimonides refers to ten classes of angels which includes Cherubim. According to a passage from the midrash, in which it is said that "when a man sleeps, the body tells to the neshamah what it has done during the day; the neshamah then reports it to the nefesh, the nefesh to the angel, the angel to the cherub, and the cherub to the seraph, who then brings it before God". Another midrash argues that cherubim were non-corporeal, and though they would sometimes be sat on by God, in such situations God was supporting them rather than vice versa. The cherubim statues in the temple were thought by Philo to represent two attributes he considered God to possess — goodness and authority — but admits that certain other authorities thought that the cherubim statues represented the two hemispheres of the planet. Some midrashic writers proposed that they represented Tetragrammaton and Elohim — the names of God — which midrash elsewhere equate with the attributes of goodness and justice, respectively. Other sources argue that the statues referred to heaven and earth, as representing the union of Israel ("earth") with God ("heaven"); such a view was taken into mystical theology by classical Kabbalah.

According to Josephus, no-one knew what the cherubim statues in the Temple looked like, or was capable of estimating their appearance; according to the Talmud, one of the cherubim above the Ark of the Covenant was male and the other female, while a third century source states that they took the form of youths. The latter also states that this was the form of the cherubim in Ezekiel's vision, arguing that originally a man, lion, bull, and eagle were at the corners of the throne, but Ezekiel had asked God to use cherubim instead, so that it would not be so reminiscent of the incident Golden Bull. The Talmud, also noticed that Ezekiel's description of the cherubim differed from the traditional one and the Talmud reflects uncertainty as to whether the angels involved were cherubim or not; Maimonides was to later take the position that they were not.

The biblical description of the faces of the cherubim statues was explained by Onkelos, an early second century rabbinic authority, as meaning that the cherubim statues had their heads bent backwards, "like a pupil going away from their master". Though this view is additionally given in the Targum Onkelos, Targum Yerushalmi argues that the faces of both cherubim were turned downward toward the cover. According to Talmud Tractate Yoma, during moments of worship by the Israelites, the statues of the cherubim turned to face each other, and embraced as if they were a loving couple According to one view expressed in the Talmuud, the Parochet, separating the Hekhal (sanctuary) from the Kadosh Hakadashim (Holy of Holies)was raised on such occasions so that the people would be convinced that God loved them.. This view was challenged grounds that the Ark was present only in Solomon's Temple and a curtain only in the Second Temple. The Talmud states that when the Temple was destroyed, the attackers found the cherubim atatutes in this position, and, mistaking the cherubim for idols of deities, mocked the Jews for having a sexually obscene religion.

According to Rashi, the cherubim placed at the garden of Eden were created on the third day. Rashi described them as having an indefinite shape, appearing variously as men, women, spirits, or angelic beings; according to another authority, the cherubim were the first objects created in the universe.


Classical apocalyptic literature
Classical apocalyptic literature frequently discusses more mystical aspects of the Bible. According to the Ethiopian Book of Enoch (1 Enoch), the cherubim are described as being among the three classes of angels that never sleep, always watching the throne of God. In another passage of this book, Gabriel is described as being the archangel who reigns over cherubim, along with serpents, and the garden of Eden. The Slavonic Book of Enoch claims that cherubim dwelt in the sixth and seventh heavens; the sixth heaven is described as containing a choir of archangels, seven phoenixes, seven cherubim, and seven "six-winged creatures" (possibly referring to seraphim), all of which sang "with one voice" at the "footstool" of God; the seventh heaven is described as containing other cherubim, seraphim, and "many eyes" (possibly referring to ophanim).


 The philosophy of Maimonides
Among other topics, Maimonides, a famed medieval Rabbinic scholar, explained the role of the Cherubim along rationalist lines in his Guide for the Perplexed. Maimonides argued that the figures of the cherubim were placed in the sanctuary only to preserve among the people the belief in angels, and that the belief in angels combined with belief in God would have brought about a belief in prophecy and nomianism.. Maimonides also argued that the reason for there being two statues was that, had there been only one, it would have led to the perception that the statue was an idol of a deity. Maimonides also enumerated ten classes of angels, in which the cherubim counted as the ninth.