What Are They?
Much debate exists about the shape and nature of the Cherubs mentioned in the Bible. They were featured on the ark, the tabernacle and the temple. However, commentators and scholars have debated what they were, and with the findings made in time, we have a better picture of what they might have looked like. The Talmud Sukkah 5b describes the cherubs as children, stating “What is the derivation of cherub?- R. Abbahu said, ‘Like a child’, for in Babylon they call a child Rabia.” This interpretation has led to many artistic depictions of childlike cherubs. However, this depiction is misleading and does not belong to the artistic world of the Bible and the ancient near east. To find the correct meaning of the word we must look at the linguistic possibilities which exist.
