Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 9
EXERCITAT. IX. Of the Cherubims. A ceremoniall appendix of Command. 2.
Exod. 25.18. And thou ſhalt make two Cherubims of Gold: of beaten Gold ſhalt thou make them, in the two ends of the MercieMercy-ſeat.
THey are called Cherubims from the Hebrew word Racabh to ride,foreign Cherubinus foreign equitare. foreign Seraphin angeli quia celeritate & aſpectus ſplendore quaſi flammantes & ignei viſi ſunt a foreign uſſit. becauſe the Lord did ride betwixt them, Pſal. 18.10. He rode upon a Cherub, and he ſitteth betweene the Cherubims, Pſal. 99.1. therefore they are called Mercahhak haſhekina, the Chariot of Gods Majeſtie.
They are alſo called Seprahim from Saraph to burne, becauſe the Angels his Miniſters are a ſlaming fyre, Pſal. 104.4. and the fyrie Angel or the Seraphin touched the lips of the Prophet Eſay with a live-coale which hee had taken with the Tongs from off the Altar, Eſa. 6.6.
The firſt place that we reade of theſe Cherubims, is, Gen. 3.24. He placed at the eaſt end of the Garden of Eden Cherubims and a flaming Sword. And hence it is probable that the hiſtory of Geneſis was written after that the Tabernacle was erected in the wilderneſſe, for Moyſes writeth of them, as of things heard and knowne amongſt the people.
They are painted as young men and not like boyes or children,The Angels are painted as young men. and ſo the Angels appeared in the likeneſſe of young men, Mark. 16.5. And entring into the Sepulchre they ſaw a young man ſitting on the right ſide cloathed in a long white garment.
They are made in a comely forme and wel favoured,They are painted in a comely forme. whereas the Divell (although he can transforme himſelfe into an Angel of light) appeareth uſually in terrible and evill favoured ſhapes,foreign corvus atramentum diabolus therefore there is but one word in the Syriacke both for the Raven, Inke, and for the Divell; becauſe he appeareth blacke like the Raven.The Cherubims had not foure faces but foure ſhapes or habits. foreign fignificat aſpectum, formam vel habitum.
They are not painted with foure faces, as it is commonly holden, for panim, facies, Eze. 1.10. is not taken for the face, but for the forme or habite. Luk. 9.53. And they did not receive him, becauſe his face was, as though he would goe to Ieruſalem, that is, his habite; hee lookt as though hee would goe to Ieruſalem. So the Cherubims in ſomethings they lookt like man, in their faces; they went ſtreight up as having legges and thighs, then they were like the Lion in ſomething, in their necke and breſt like the creſt of the Lion; and like the Eagle in their wings; and like the Calfe or the Oxe in their feete. Therefore thoſe are miſtaken who thinke that they had foure faces, and from them the Egyptians borrowed their Sphinges, 1 Macchs. 3.48. And they layd open the booke of the Law wherein the heathen had ſought to paint the likeneſſe of their Images, that is, they ſought to paint their Images like the Cherubims; the man in the Cherub hath the face, becauſe man of all viſible creatures is the moſt underſtanding, and is Lord over the reſt.
What their wings ſignified.They had wings to ſignifie their readineſſe and protection, and David alludeth to this, Pſal. 17.18. Hide me under thy wings, and the King of Tyrus is called a Cherub, becauſe of his protecting the people that were under him, Ezek. 28.14.
When one forme of the Cherubims is expreſſed all the reſt are underſtood.When a Cherub is deſcribed by any of theſe foure, all the reſt are to be underſtood. Example, 1 King. 7.29. And on the borders that were betweene the ledges, were Lions, Oxen, & Cherubims; [And] here, is exegeticum, and not copulativum, that is, he made Cherubims which had the likeneſſe of Oxen and Lyons.
They had ſixe wings, with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feete, and with two they did flee, and it is probable that the Cherubims in the Tabernacle and Temple had ſixe wings alſo, although they did not flie, two to cover their faces, two to cover their feete, and two ſtretched out: their feete was covered,The Lord would have the Cherubims covered and not to appeare naked. the Lord would not have them to appeare naked; therefore yee ſhall ſee when they appeared to men they appeared cloathed, Act. 1.10. Two men ſtood by them in white apparell. So Mark. 16.5. and the Preſts are commanded to put on breaches, when they come before the Lord, to cover their nakedneſſe. Lev. 10.26. Ezek. 24.18.
The wings are put for their hands.They are made with wings, and, in that viſion of Ezekiel, with hands under their wings, Eze. 1.8. but where they are deſcribed with wings, and no mention made of their hands, then their wings ſerved them for hands, and ſo the Hebrews put a wing for a hand, Pſal. 7.4. If there be iniquitie in mine hands, foreign in alls vel manibus meis.in the Hebrew it is becaphai, in my wing.
And they appeared in theſe formes, quae notant Chriſti trophaeum, The divers formes of the Cherubims ſignifie Chriſt glorious triumph.which ſheweth Chriſts triumph and victorie; who was borne as a man; killed as a Calfe; roſe like a Lyon; and aſcended like an Eagle: and ſo in the revelation made to Iohn, were foure beaſts full of eyes before and behind and the firſt beaſt was like a Lyon, and the ſecond beaſt like a Calfe, and the third beaſt had the face of a man, and the fourth beaſt was like a flying Eagle, Revel. 4.7.
Now let us obſerve the difference betwixt the Cherubims in the Tabernacle and the Cherubims in the Temple;The difference betwixt the Cherubims in the Temple and Tabernacle. there were but two in the Tabernacle, and foure in the Temple; thoſe who ſtood in the Tabernacle looked downeward with their faces towards the propitiatorie, but two of the Cherubims which were in the Temple, and ſtood upon the ground, looked with their faces to the entrie of the Temple, and they had their wings ſtretched out, not as their wings which ſtood upon the Arke in the Tabernacle; and the ſignification was this, that now their charge was to be extended, and the Gentiles were to be called to waite upon them alſo.
Againe,Difference betwixt the Cherubims which Ezekiel ſaw, and them in the Tabernacle and Temple. marke a difference betwixt the Cherubims in Ezekiels viſion, and theſe in the Tabernacle and Temple. In Ezekiels viſion they are deſcribed full of eyes, but in the Tample and Tabernacle they are not ſo deſcribed: they are deſcribed full of eyes, foreign to ſignifie that the Lord whom they attend is full of eyes, and ſeeth all things.
Thoſe Cherubims in Ezekiels viſion moved, but theſe in the Temple and Tabernacle ſtirred not; when theſe moved, they moved forwards but never backeward or in a circle, they ſtood ſtill at the commandement of the Lord or went forward at his commandement.
In Eſaiahs viſion they cryed holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hoſts, Eſa. 6.13. but in Ezekiels viſion they made but a ſound or a noyſe.
What an Angell is.Of this which hath beene ſayd wee may deſcribe a Cherub or an Angell after this manner. An Angell is a creature moſt underſtanding, moſt ſtrong, moſt ſwift, and moſt obedient. Firſt, they are moſt underſtanding, therefore they have the face of a man, and they are full of eyes, to teach us that they exceede man in knowledge, men are but ratiocinantes creaturae, and they are intelligentes creatura, they learne hoc poſt hoc, ſed non hoc ex hoc, as men doe.
Quest. Why was the blood then commanded to be ſprinkled upon the Lintels of the doores of the Iſraelites in Egypt, but to teach them to paſſe by their houſes, as we are led by the Signe to know the houſe?
Anſw. The blood was not ſprinkled upon the Lintels of the doors for the Angels cauſe, that they might be led to know the houſes by this ſigne, but it was to confirme the Iſraelites that the Angels ſhould not deſtroy them.
The ſecond property of Angels is their ſtrength, repreſented by the Lyon,foreign Robuſtiſſimi. and therefore they are called the ſtrong ones, Pſal. 78.25. one of them killed an hundred foureſcore and five thouſand in one night, 2 King. 19.35.
The third property of the Angels is their ſweetneſſe repreſented by the Eagle, one Angell killed all the firſt borne of Egypt in one night, Exod. 12.29.
The fourth propertie is their obedience repreſented by the Oxe, therefore we pray, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven, Matth. 6.10.
Concluſion. The Concluſion of this is, this doth miniſter great comfort to the faithfull, that they have ſuch miniſtering ſpirits attending upon them continually,The children of God have protection by the Angels. to keepe them in all their wayes; Alexander the Great ſlept ſoundly one night when the enemie was neare by him; and being asked how he could ſleepe ſo ſoundly; he anſwered, becauſe Parmenio waked:foreign vigilantes. So may the children of God lye downe in peace and ſleepe, Pſal. 4.8. becauſe they have gnirin, the watchfull ones attending them, Dan. 4.17. Salomon had ſixtie valiant men of the valiant of Iſrael having all ſwords becauſe of feare in the night, Cant. 3.7. but the children of God have more ſtrong and valient on…s waiting upon them, ſo that they neede not be affrayd neither in the day or in the night.