Cherubs – T’rumah
The Ark of the Covenant, from the 1728 Figures de la Bible
The name “cherub” derives from the Torah and because of the difficulty of its etymology, countless commentaries have tried to explain what the word really means (Ex. 25:18).
Because they had wings (verse 20), Josephus thinks the cherubim were flying creatures, and since God rides upon the cherubim (Psalm 18:11), they might be a symbol that the Divine message permeates the universe (Psalm 19:5) and His Presence is manifest everywhere in Creation.
The Torah itself is not so much concerned about whether the cherubim fly with their wings but how their outstretched wings provide protection. They are a symbol of how God is a covering shelter for His world and its people (Psalm 80:2).
Don’t make the mistake of thinking they were idols; they are poetical, metaphorical and symbolic.
