Bible Questions and Answers

What are the cherubim and seraphim? Are they angels?

Cherubim first appear when God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden. Genesis 3:24

Two cherubim were made on the ends of the mercy seat covering the ark of the Testimony. Exodus 37:7-9

Solomon made two large Cherubim for the Most Holy place in the Temple. 1 Kings 6:23-27

The Cherubim that Solomon made are described as ‘the chariot’. 1 Chronicles 28:18

A description of four cherubim with four wings and four faces each appears in a vision given to Ezekiel. They act as a ‘chariot’ to carry the glory of God out of the Temple in Jerusalem prior to the Babylonian conquest of the city. Ezekiel 1:4-26

Ezekiel sees them again in chapter 10. Ezekiel 10:8-22

Their faces – Cherub (described as an Ox in Ezekiel 1:10); Man; Lion; and Eagle are almost certainly symbolic of the four characteristics of the Messiah represented in the four Gospels. They are also understood to be the four standards of the camp of Israel as the pitched around the Tabernacle.

Clearly Moses and Solomon knew what a cherub looked like, but this knowledge has been lost.

The future Temple described by Ezekiel has cherubim with two faces. Ezekiel 41:18,19

From the above we see that the appearances of the cherubim change from one face and two wings on the Ark and in Solomon’s Temple to four faces and four wings in Ezekiel’s vision with the addition of eyes (Ezekiel 10:12), to two faces depicted in the future Temple.

Seraphim appear in a vision given to Isaiah. They have six wings each. Isaiah 6:1-8

From the above we must conclude that Cherubim and Seraphim are not angels. Angels always look like men and have no wings.

I hope you find this helpful.

God bless,
Glenn