Ezekiel 1 vs 10 - The Cherubim has a face of an Ox, what's the face of a Cherub?



Cherub or Cherubim (plural) are angelic beings involved in the worship and praise of God. The cherubim are first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis.


Prior to his rebellion, Satan was a Cherub (Ezekiel 28:12-15). The tabernacle and temple along with their articles contained many representations of Cherubim (Exodus 25:17-22; 26:1, 31; 36:8; 1 Kings 6:23-35; 7:29-36; 8:6-7; 1 Chronicles 28:18; 2 Chronicles 3:7-14; 2 Chronicles 3:10-13; 5:7-8; Hebrews 9:5).

Chapters 1 and 10 of the book of Ezekiel describe the “four living creatures” (Ezekiel 1:5) as the same beings as the cherubim (Ezekiel 10). Each had four faces—that of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10; also 10:14)—and each had four wings. In their appearance, the cherubim “had the likeness of a man” (Ezekiel 1:5). The distinction of the face of the cherub in Ezekiel chapter ten, is a distinction without a difference with respect to the face of the Ox in Ezekiel chapter one. The word cherub, originally signifies an ox as derived from Akkadian.

These cherubim used two of their wings for flying and the other two for covering their bodies (Ezekiel 1:6, 11, 23). Under their wings the cherubim appeared to have the form, or likeness, of a man’s hand (Ezekiel 1:8; 10:7-8, 21).

The imagery of Revelation 4:6-9 also describes cherubim. The cherubim serve the purpose of magnifying the holiness and power of God. This is one of their main responsibilities throughout the Biblical text.


Revelation 5:6–14 describes the duties or purposes of the four living creatures. They fall down and worship the Lamb, Jesus Christ, offering the same reverence to Him that they do to the Father (Revelation 4:6–9), substantiating Biblically the deity of Jesus the Christ. Along with the twenty-four elders, they have “harps and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8). Harps are frequently associated with worship in the Old Testament, as well as with prophecy (2 Kings 3:15; 1 Chronicles 25:1). Incense represents the prayers of the saints. Therefore, taken together, the four living creatures and twenty-four elders hold in their hands all that prophets ever prophesied and believers ever prayed for—all about to come to pass.



Cherubim are of the first hierarchy or choirs of angels, second to Seraphim making them of the highest order of angels.

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