What are the two figures on top of the Ark of the Covenant?

Poles made of acacia wood and gold were used to carry the ark and two cherubim (angels) were to be sculpted out of gold and placed on the lid of the ark. “The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them.

What do cherubs symbolize in the Bible?

Hebrew Bible descriptions of the cherubim emphasize their supernatural mobility and their cultic role as throne bearers of God, rather than their intercessory functions. In Christianity the cherubim are ranked among the higher orders of angels and, as celestial attendants of God, continually praise him.

What type of angels are on the top of the Ark of the Covenant?

Many appearances of the words cherub and cherubim in the Bible refer to the gold cherubim images on the mercy seat of the Ark, as well as images on the curtains of the Tabernacle and in Solomon’s Temple, including two measuring ten cubits high.

Who are the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant?

The prophet Ezekiel describes the cherubim as a tetrad of living creatures, each having four faces—of a lion, an ox, an eagle, and a man—the stature and hands of a man, the feet of a calf, and four wings.

What does seeing a cherub mean?

1 cherubim plural : an order of angels — see celestial hierarchy. 2 plural usually cherubs. a : a beautiful usually winged child in painting and sculpture. b : an innocent-looking usually chubby and rosy person This torrent of arcane football lingo spewed from the lips of a red-haired, freckle-faced cherub …—

What is the purpose of cherubs?

The cherubim are a group of angels recognized in both Judaism and Christianity. Cherubs guard God’s glory both on Earth and by his throne in heaven, work on the universe’s records, and help people grow spiritually by delivering God’s mercy to them and motivating them to pursue more holiness in their lives.

Were the cherubs on the Ark of the Covenant guards?

Although this is true for Solomon’s cherubs, the cherubs on the Ark, however, do not seem to be guards, since they face each other not the outside, and are small and hardly intimidating. A number of biblical texts describe the cherubs as beings that haul God’s chariot.

What are the cherubs in the Bible?

From this source, it appears that cherubs are a kind of divine guard. This fits in with the description of the cherubs in Solomon’s Temple as well (1 Kings 6:23-28), which were ten cubits (approximately twenty two feet) high. Unlike the cherubs of the Ark, they were gigantic in size and instead of facing each other they both faced the door.

Why did God put cherubim outside the Garden of Eden?

As noted earlier, Genesis 3:24 suggests that God stations Cherubim outside the garden of Eden to prevent Adam and Eve from trying to re-enter. He drove the man out, and stationed east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and the fiery ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

What is the significance of the Cherubim?

The Cherubim: Their Role on the Ark in the Holy of Holies Tradition has interpreted the Cherubs to represent anything from a child to a man, woman to an angel, from a bird to a Torah scholar. Ancient Near Eastern evidence answers this uncertainty, or at least tells us what the Cherubim originally meant.