"Cher"u"bim (?), n. The Hebrew plural of Cherub.. Cf. Seraphim. and hand; Cherubim's, in the King James version of the bible, is an incorrect form, made by adding the English plural termination to the Hebrew plural cherubim instead of to the singular cherub."
The word cherub (cherubim is the Hebrew masculine plural) is a word borrowed from the Assyrian kirubu, from karâbu, "to be near", hence it means near ones, familiars, personal servants, bodyguards, courtiers.
According to Genesis 3:24, God "placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim's, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." The "s" added to Cherubim in the King James version is redundant as the name "Cherubim" is plural for Cherub, a term derived from the Hebrew noun K'rubh.
Within the hierarchy of angels, the Cherubim ranked in the highest group which included the seven archangels, the seraphim (angels with two or three pairs of wings which served as the guardians of God's throne or chariot), and the ofannim ("wheels" in Hebrew).
Cherubim, incidentally, were not exclusively male but may in fact originally have been female and associated, as Raphael Patai has suggested, with the Canaanite goddess Asherah (see Old Testament, Women Evil for Asherah).
Notwithstanding the present common opinion of advanced Protestant scholars, that cherubim are only symbolic representations of abstract ideas, the Catholic Church undoubtedly holds that there are actually existing spiritual beings corresponding to the name. That Old Testament writers used the word cherubim to designate angels, not merely to express ideas, can be best gathered from Gen., iii, 24, where God sets cherubim at the entrance of Paradise.
Cherubim are described as radiant beings with many eyes and four wings..
Cherubim are depicted on the Ark of the Covenant as it's guardian.
Cherubim -Their name stands for "Wisdom" or "One who prays".
Cherubim are said to stand next to the Throne of God.
According to St. Gregory the Great, there are nine orders of angels: Seraphim, Cherubim, Powers. Principalities, Virtues, Dominations, Thrones, Archangels and Angels, in order of their level of exaltation. We on earth have little direct contact with the seven higher orders; almost all of our contact with the angelic world is with Archangels (such as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel) and Angels. There are all kinds of angels: Angels of Light, Angels of Wisdom, Angels of Inspiration, Angels of Art and Angels of Music.
Seraphim, the highest angelic order, surround the throne of God. Cherubim are the guardians of the fixed stars and of the records of all knowledge in the Universe. Contrary to the current archetype, cherubs, bestowals of knowledge upon all life forms in the Cosmos, are actually imposing beings, and shouldn't be confused with putti - the winged babies of Renaissance art that are often mistakenly referred to as cherubs.
The Thrones are the bringers of justice, while the Dominations regulate angelic duties. Virtues work miracles on Earth and Principalities are protectors of religion. Powers are the fighters of demons - or, if one is to believe St. Paul, they are the demons themselves. The purpose of Angels and Archangels, according to St. Gregory, is to guard and guide all life forms on Earth. Archangels are more the guardians of nations and institutions while Angels are guardians of individuals.
According to Hildegard, angels are in awe of human beings and of the magnificent cultural institutions which they create, and thus feel honored to protect them. Both Hildegard and St. Thomas Aquinas agree that angels have neither bodies nor language. They can assume bodies and communicate telepathically with humans, but they can also shed those bodies whenever they are through with them.
Nor do angels really have wings. The archetype of the wings is a very old one, going back as far as ancient Sumer, and is probably symbolic of the great speed at which angels can move. When people report visitations by angels with wings, they are reporting contact with beings who assume bodies in accordance with an archetypal image that will allow the contacted to recognize them for what they are. According to Hildegard, angels do not have wings as birds do, but can fly many times faster. In The Physics of Angels, Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake propose the idea that angels are somehow connected with photons, which travel at the speed of light or faster to bring light to all they reach. This makes sense in view of the legend of Lucifer, one of the most famous of angels. His name means "bringer of light."
Lost or Forgotten Books of the Bible.
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