cherub
ke.ruv denotes winged figures made for sacred spaces and portrayed as active beings in visionary and poetic scenes.
The term chiefly identifies winged figures made, carved, or woven for sacred furnishings and spaces, including figures placed over the ark. It also identifies active figures in Ezekiel’s vision and in individual poetic or descriptive scenes.
Senses in use
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Winged figures in sacred furnishings and decoration · dominant
Plural forms name two figures made from gold at the ends of the mercy seat in Exodus 25:18 and Exodus 25:19; in Exodus 25:20 the APB renders their wings as covering the mercy seat. The same plural form marks figures engraved on temple walls and doors in 1 Kings 6:29 and 1 Kings 6:32, while 2 Chronicles 3:14 places them on the curtain.
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Active figures in visionary and descriptive scenes · common
In Ezekiel 10:16, the plural figures move alongside wheels and lift their wings to rise; Ezekiel 10:19 likewise describes them rising from the land with the wheels beside them. Singular occurrences identify one figure in the description of four faces in Ezekiel 10:14 and in the poetic statement that one is ridden in 2 Samuel 22:11.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the supplied verses, the APB regularly presents the term as “cherub” or “cherubim,” including crafted figures, ark-covering figures, and Ezekiel’s moving figures. These English terms confirm the verse-level presentation rather than supplying separate definitions.