Study on
CHERUBIM
Prof. M.M.Ninan
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.
It was commonly used of those heavenly spirits, who closely surrounded the
Majesty of God and paid Him intimate service.
Hence it came
to mean as much as "Angelic Spirit". (The change from K
of Karâbu, to K of Kirub is nothing unusual in Assyrian.
The word has been brought into connection with the Egyptian Xefer by
metathesis from Xeref=K-r-bh.) A similar metathesis and play upon sound
undoubtedly exists between Kerub and Rakab, "to ride",
and Merkeba, "chariot". The late Jewish explanation by analogy
between Kerub and Rekűb, "a youth", seems worthless.
The word ought to be pronounced in English qerub and querubim,
and not with a soft ch.
“So the
Christian Church from the first accepted the personality of the cherubim and
early adopted Philo's interpretation of the name. Clem. Alex.: "The name
Cherubim intends to show much understanding (aisthesin pollen)."
(Stromata, V, 240.) Though counted amongst the angels during the first
centuries of Christianity, the cherubim and seraphim were not mentioned in the
lists of the angelic hierarchy. At first but seven choirs of angels were
reckoned, i.e. those enumerated (Eph., i, 21 and Col., i, 16), with the
addition of angeli et archangeli. Thus St. Irenaeus, Haer.II, xxx, and
Origen, Peri archon, I, v. But soon it was realized that the Apostle's
list was not intended to be a complete one, and the Old Testament angelic
beings mentioned by Ezechiel and Isaias, the cherubim and seraphim, and others
were added, so that we have eight, nine, or ten, or even eleven ranks in the
hierarchy. The cherubim and seraphim were sometimes thought to be but other
names for thrones and virtues (Gregory of Nyssa, "Contra Eunom.", I;
Augustine in Ps., xcviii, 3). Since Psuedo-Dionys., De Caelesti Hier. (written
about A.D. 500), the ninefold division of the angelic order has been
practically universal; and the cherubim and seraphim take the highest place in
the hierarchy, a rank which was ascribed to them already by St. Cyril of
Jerusalem (370) and by St. Chrysostom (about 400), and which Pope Gregory the
Great, once aprocrisarius or nuncio at Constantinople, made
familiar to the West. Pope Gregory divided the nine angelic orders into three
choirs, the highest choir being: thrones, cherubim, and seraphim. Of the
cherubim he says (Hom. in Ev., xxxiv, 10), that cherubim means "the
fulness of knowledge, and these most sublime hosts are thus called, because
they are filled with a knowledge which is the more perfect as they are allowed
to behold the glory of God more closely". This explanation of St. Gregory
is ultimately derived from Philo's similar statement, and was already combined
with the Old Testament function of the cherubim by St. Augustine in his sublime
comment on Ps., lxxix, 2, "Who sitteth upon the Cherubim":
Cherubim means the Seat of the Glory of God and is
interpreted: Fulness of Knowledge. Though we realize that cherubim are exalted
heavenly powers and virtues; yet if thou wilt, thou too shalt be one of the
cherubim. For if cherubim means, Seat of God, remember what the Scripture says:
The soul of the just is the Seat of Wisdom. “
(Catholic Encyclopaedia)
That is the summary of the stand of the early
Christians.
Now let us look into what the Bible reveals with
regard to the Cherubims and how the bible interpreters try to explain them.
T Cherubim are first mentioned in connection with the
expulsion of our Adam and Eve from Eden
Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man;
and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of
a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
There is no intimation given of their shape or form.
But their job description here is certain – to keep the way of the tree of
life. It was to guard the Garden from being invaded and the fruit of the tree
of life be taken by Man. If we accept
the story of Adam and Eve as a physical historical reality then we will have to
accept Cherubim also as a physical entity
T They are
next mentioned when Moses was commanded to provide furniture for the
tabernacle:
In these they are images of Cherubim. No claim is made as regard to whether they
are living beings or not. This is
claimed only in the visions of Ezekiel and John.
Exo 25:17 And
thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the
length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
Exo 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold; of beaten work shalt thou make them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat.
Exo 25:19 And
make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end: of one piece
with the mercy-seat shall ye make the cherubim on the two ends thereof.
Exo 25:20 And
the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with
their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy-seat shall the
faces of the cherubim be.
Exo 25:21 And
thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put
the testimony that I shall give thee.
Exo 25:22 And
there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the
mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the
testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the
children of Israel.
Evidently here the cherubim are angelic mythical
figures which God ordained to be made .
Mercy seat is evidently a seat or throne of YhVh. The function of the
mercy seat is for public audience. God
says “I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the
mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim”
Num 7:89 And
when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with him, then he heard the
Voice speaking unto him from above the mercy-seat that was upon the ark of the
testimony, from between the two cherubim: and he spake unto him.
They were placed one at each end of the mercy-seat,
with wings stretched upward, and their faces "toward each other and toward
the mercy-seat." They were anointed with holy oil, like the ark itself and
the other sacred furniture.
These are the representations of the mercy seat which has been in vogue till recently. However in recent archeological discoveries the cherubims are not seated on the ark but are standing on either side. There is no statement in the Bible as to the Cherubims sitting on the ark, They are always by the two sides covering the ark. The modern rendition is as follows which fits more to the Revelation scene.
On the curtains of Tabernacle:
Exo 26:1 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with cherubim the work of the skilful workman shalt thou make them.
Here cherubim figures are woven into the curtains that
separates the tabernacle from the rest of the world. This is symbolic of the function of the cherubim described in
Gen. 3:24 They guard the entry into the
holy places within the tabernacle. Only
the elect will be able to enter the holies.
On the veils that separate the Holy of Holies from the
Holies:
Exo 26:31 And
thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen:
with cherubim the work of the skilful workman shall it be made.
Exo 26:32 And
thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold; their hooks
shall be of gold, upon four sockets of silver.
In Solomon’s temple also we see Cherubim everywhere including the
temple walls.
Two cherubim were placed on the mercy-seat of the ark;
two of colossal size overshadowed it in Solomon's temple.
Ki 6:29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved
figures of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, within and without.
The idea that the throne of God is Cherubim is certainly ridiculous, because God do not have a physical form. Yet God did talk to Moses from amidst the Cherubim. Was this a picturesque way of telling that Yhvh is King or was there a real form. Unless we want to think that God was fooling man we should think that there indeed was a form of God. Lord having a form is not new even in the Old Testament as indicated in Gen 18 and Ex 24:10. The concept of The Angel of Yhvh as the visible appearance of God in an experiential way is evidently clear through out the Old Testament. Without such an assumption many of the biblical terms and stories will become absurd. Here then is the real Yhvh as can be seen and heard by Moses and Abraham and elders of Israel. So in the world we are in – in the material dimension of Man, God entered and reacted with him long before Jesus himself incarnated. One of these expression was the appearance from between the mercy seat.
Here Cherubim throne expresses his Kingship.
T The Throne of God: Yhvh sits on the cherubim throne:
1Sa 4:4 So the
people sent to Shiloh; and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of
Jehovah of hosts, who sitteth above the cherubim: and the two sons of Eli,
Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
Isa 37:16 O
Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest above the cherubim, thou art
the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made
heaven and earth.
Psa 80:1 Give
ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that
sittest above the cherubim, shine forth.
Psa 99:1
Jehovah reigneth; let the peoples tremble: He sitteth above the
cherubim; let the earth be moved.
T Thrones
of Cherubims were seats of Kings
These can be seen from the art of the period.
Canaanite nobleman or prince sitting in sphinx-chair.
This scene is drawn from an ivory carving found at the Canaanite stronghold of
Megiddo. It appears in Readers' Digest Great People of the Bible and How
They Lives (Readers' Digest Association, 1974), p. 100.
Throne of Tutankhamen found in his tomb (1361-1352 BC). Made of wood, it is overlaid with sheet gold, inlaid with precious stones, and ornamented with animal shapes such as winged cobras wearing the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. It is fround in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, photo by Egyptian Expedition. In ISBE 4:845
Ahiram, king of Byblos, seated on a cherub throne,
before an offering table, from the National Museum, Beirut. ANEP 458. Appears
as plate 126 in James B. Pritchard (ed.), The Ancient Near East: An
Anthology of Texts and Pictures (Princeton University Press, 1958)
Solomon on his throne meeting the Queen of Sheba, by
Henry J. Soulen appears in Everyday Life in Bible Times (National
Geographical Society, 1967) pp. 230-231
While the Tabernacle and the temple figures were
representations, visions of Ezekiel and John presents them as real living
beings. So it appears that the
replication of Tabernacle images were simply modeled out of the reality that
was in heaven. They were visual
communications of heavenly reality in concrete form to the Israel and to the
Church.
Cherubim as the Vehicle of God.
Then we have the concept of Cherubim as the vehicle of God.
2Sa 22:11 And
he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he was seen upon the wings of the
wind.
2Sa 22:12 And
he made darkness pavilions round about him, Gathering of waters, thick clouds
of the skies.
Psa 18:10 And
he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he soared upon the wings of the
wind
But this picture is common in Hinduism.
In Indian terms, Vishnu is the expressed form of
Brahman. Vishnu is identified as YhVh in the Bhavishya Purana when it talks about Adam, Enoch and Noah. In
Hindu mythology Garuda the Eagle is the Vehicle – Vahana - of Vishnu. Is this a coincidence? I have elsewhere proposed that these
concepts came into Indian thought only after the first century AD after the
widespread Apostolic mission of St. Thomas.
If this is true these pictures entered into Indian thought through such
pictures of Cherubim as interpreted in Indian terms.
In
Ezekiel's vision (Eze. 10:1-20) they appear as living creatures supporting the
throne of God.
Ezekiel (Eze_1:4-14) speaks of four cherubs
Eze 1:10 As
for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had
the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on
the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle.
Here is an artist’s view of the Cherubim
Many of the members of my Bible Study Group were
shocked by this picture which are very similar to the pagan idols and Hindu
gods. The fact is that these are
heavenly beings if we accept the visions of Ezekiel and John as true scenes
of the opened heaven. This shock has been expressed in various
ways to try to explain away these pictures.
I must mention that these are the likenesses. Or they appeared to the visionaries like those faces. Since the visionaries cannot explain what
they say except in terms of what they know and understand they have made the
best likeness of the heavenly beings.
In the idol worship the heavenly beings are worshipped and they take the
form of creatures below.
Eze 1:11 And
their faces and their wings were separate above; two wings of every one were
joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
Eze 1:12 And
they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went;
they turned not when they went.
Eze 1:13 As
for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning
coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: the fire went up and down among
the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth
lightning.
Eze 1:14 And
the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of
lightning.
Eze 1:15 Now
as I beheld the living creatures, behold, one wheel upon the earth beside the
living creatures, for each of the four faces thereof.
Eze 1:16 The
appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto a beryl: and they four
had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel
within a wheel.
Eze 1:17 When
they went, they went in their four directions: they turned not when they went.
Eze 1:18 As
for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full
of eyes round about.
Eze 1:19 And
when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the
living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
Eze 1:20
Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went; thither was the spirit to
go: and the wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living
creature was in the wheels.
Eze 1:21 When
those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were
lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up beside them: for the spirit
of the living creature was in the wheels.
Eze 1:22 And
over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of a firmament,
like the terrible crystal to look upon, stretched forth over their heads above.
Eze 1:23 And
under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every
one had two which covered on this side, and every one had two which covered on
that side, their bodies.
Eze 1:24 And
when they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great
waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of a
host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
Eze 1:25 And
there was a voice above the firmament that was over their heads: when they
stood, they let down their wings.
Eze 1:26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above.
Eze 1:27 And I
saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it round about,
from the appearance of his loins and upward; and from the appearance of his
loins and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was
brightness round about him.
The same vision is repeated in Ez 10
We should remember that Ezekiel is describing
something of which he has no idea. He
sees the four living beings with several wings and several heads He also sees wheels and wheels within the
wheels. He sees all the four cherubs as
one unity, united in motion and somehow related to the wheels. They rose up and flew and landed. They used the wings to fly and let drop it
when landed. Wheels turned and guided
the flight. It is most like an man of
the first centuary being asked to describe what he sees when a boeing 747 lands
and take off. There is a vehicle
involved. Inside Ezekiel could see the
living beings. Did he believe that the
wheels had life. He is not trying to give an interpretation, but was simply describing
what he saw.
In Revelation we do not see the wheels. We only see the Throne of God and the four
living being around it. The vision of
the wheels within wheels suggests that the living beings were in some
mechanical vehicle. They are thus seen
united with the vehicle itself. The human figure actually walks into it.
Eze 10:1 Then
I looked, and behold, in the firmament that was over the head of the cherubim
there appeared above them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the
likeness of a throne.
Eze 10:2 And
he spake unto the man clothed in linen, and said, Go in between the whirling
wheels, even under the cherub, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from
between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my
sight.
Eze 10:3 Now
the cherubim stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and
the cloud filled the inner court.
Eze 10:4 And
the glory of Jehovah mounted up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold
of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full
of the brightness of Jehovah's glory.
Eze 10:5 And
the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, as
the voice of God Almighty when he speaketh.
Eze 10:6 And
it came to pass, when he commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, Take fire
from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim, that he went in,
and stood beside a wheel.
Eze 10:7 And
the cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim unto the fire
that was between the cherubim, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of
him that was clothed in linen, who took it and went out.
Eze 10:8 And
there appeared in the cherubim the form of a man's hand under their wings.
Eze 10:9 And I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside one cherub, and another wheel beside another cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like unto a beryl stone.
Eze 10:10 And
as for their appearance, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel have been
within a wheel.
Eze 10:11 When
they went, they went in their four directions: they turned not as they went,
but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as
they went.
Eze 10:12 And
their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the
wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.
Eze 10:13 As
for the wheels, they were called in my hearing, the whirling wheels
Eze 10:14 And
every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the
second face was the face of a man, and the third face the face of a lion, and
the fourth the face of an eagle
Eze 10:15 And
the cherubim mounted up: this is the living creature that I saw by the river
Chebar.
Eze 10:16 And
when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim
lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels also turned not
from beside them.
Eze 10:17 When
they stood, these stood; and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them:
for the spirit of the living creature was in them.
Eze 10:18 And
the glory of Jehovah went forth from over the threshold of the house, and stood
over the cherubim.
Eze 10:19 And
the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight
when they went forth, and the wheels beside them: and they stood at the door of
the east gate of Jehovah's house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over
them above.
Eze 10:20 This
is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar;
and I knew that they were cherubim.
Eze 10:21
Every one had four faces, and every one four wings; and the likeness of
the hands of a man was under their wings.
Eze 10:22 And
as for the likeness of their faces, they were the faces which I saw by the
river Chebar, their appearances and themselves; they went every one straight
forward
There are four Cherubim in this vision. The number four appear again in John’s
vision. This is also number of
"living creatures" is mentioned in Rev 4:6. Here the position of the cherubim are slightly changed and
appears to be in the Guarding position.
These have led to the explanation that Cherubim are bodyguards and
vehicle carriers of the Lord. Ezekiel's vision of the Cherubim, which is
practically the same in the tenth chapter as in the first, is one of the most
difficult in Scripture, and has given rise to a multitude of explanations.
“The prophet first saw a luminous cloud coming from
the north; from a distance it seemed a heavy cloud fringed with light and some
intense brilliancy in the centre thereof, bright as gold, yet in perpetual
motion as the flames of a fire. Within that heavenly fire he began gradually to
distinguish four living beings with bodies as men, yet with four faces each: a
human face in front, but an eagles face behind; a lion's face to the left and
an ox's face to the right. Though approaching, yet their knees did not bend in
their march, straight and stiff they remained; and for feet they had the hoofs
of oxen, shod as it were with shining brass. They had four arms, two to each
shoulder, and attached along each arm a wing. Of these four winged arms two
were outstretched above, and two were let down and covered their bodies. These
four living beings stood together, facing in four opposite directions, and
between them were four great wheels, each wheel being double, so that it could
roll forward or sideways. Thus this angelic chariot, in whatever of the four
directions it moved, always presented the same aspect. And both angels and
wheels were all studded with eyes. And over the heads of the cherubim, so that
they touched it with the points of their outstretched wings, was an expanse of
crystal, and on this crystal a sapphire throne, and on the throne one
resembling a man, the likeness of the glory of Jehovah.” (Catholic
Encyclopaedia)
T Cherubim as
Shekina Glory
Cherubim on the ark are called the "cherubim of
glory" i.e., of the Shekinah, or
cloud of glory, for on them the visible glory of God rested. So in Hebrews we read:
Heb 9:5 and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat; of which things we cannot now speak severally.
T Are they
Real or Imaginary?
Eston and other protestant theologicans interprets them as simply symbolic and not real. This may be traditional obstinacy to accept other living beings. While western rationalistic period refused to acknowledge extraterrestrials simply because it might overthrow the superiority of man., all the rest of the world accepted the coexistence of other beings both embodied and disembodied here on earth as well as outside the earth in this dimension and in other dimensions as well. For the Africans and the Indians a spiritual world is always near us and inside and around us.
“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. This sentence would bear no sense at all if cherubim did not stand
for ministerial beings, differing from man, carrying out the behest of God. Likewise, it is difficult to read
Ezechiel and to persuade oneself that the Prophet does not presuppose the
actual existence of real personal beings under the name of Cherubim; in chaps.
i and x he speaks again and again of "living beings", and he says the
spirit of life was within them, and repeatedly points out that the bodily forms
he sees are but appearances of the living beings thus mentioned” (Catholic
Encyclopaedia)
The office of the Cherubim were,
(1.) on the expulsion of our first parents from Eden, to prevent all access to
the tree of life; and
(2.) to form the throne and chariot of Jehovah in his manifestation of himself
on earth. He dwelleth between and sitteth on the cherubim
1Sa 4:4 So the
people sent to Shiloh; and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of
Jehovah of hosts, who sitteth above the cherubim:
Psa 80:1 Give
ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that
sittest above the cherubim, shine forth.
But the Cherubims are not the throne as is evident in
the Revelation scene.
Since the human rulers imitated the living beings and made themselves carved
thrones of cherubim. They all wanted to
be like God. In the ark these carved
images represented the living beings which actually exist in the heavenly
dimension. These apparently had a
material existence just like man while being an exalted spiritual being.
T The Ark and the Cherubim
were symbolic illustrations and not
Real living beings.
It is possible for us to think of the cherubim as an
artistic expression of Gods throne of grace and presence. The Israelites were in Egypt for a very long
time and assimilated most of the Egyptian culture. Among them was their art.
“Ark may have
been illustrated by an artist using the conventions of Egyptian art in the
historic period of 1220 BCE. It is a characteristic of Egyptian art that was
nothing in the compositions was left to chance. Within Egyptian illustration,
every gesture, symbol and glyph has a very specific meaning and the meaning of
the whole is often enhanced significantly depending on the additive nature of
its parts. As I built this illustration I couldn't help but marvel at the
cumulative significance and consistency the Egyptian symbology had with
literary and scriptural references to the Ark.
It is characteristic of Egyptian iconography is to be
read as if it were part of a text. The way the iconography is read and applied
to an illustration gives its own meaning. These subtleties are rooted in the
fact that the Classical Egyptian language was written in Hieroglyphics.
Hieroglyphs and their meaning often were directly derived from pictographs and
iconography, making the language replete with double meaning and pun. The
ancient Egyptian language was very conservative in its evolution throughout its
history and was the instrument of the scribes and the ruling classes. It was
not until the time of the creation of the Phoenician Alphabet and its
derivatives languages that words were written entirely phonetically and with no
pictorial references.”
The earliest artistic representation and our first
form of cherub is found in the walls of Zedekiah’s cave. Because
of its typical Assyrian style, it was dated to the time when Jerusalem was
under the cultural influence of Assyria, which was the time of the first temple
period. It also fit the Biblical description of a cherub. Ron theorized that it
was possible that when the Ark and other items were hidden just prior to the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, this "cherub" was carved
on the wall near the tunnel through which they were taken, symbolizing the
protection of God's angels over these holy things
In this sense the Tabernacle and all that is within
and without which the Lord has described were a symbolic communication to the
people. It is this Paul illustrates in
Hebrews in detail. Hence there is in
some sense to interpret Cherubim of the Tabernacle and furniture of Temple as
symbolic expressions of the message of Salvation.
These are symbolic of aa very high order angel whose
primary duty is to guard the things of God.
Thus -- the many eyes for vigilance, the many wings for swiftness, and their
nearness to the throne of God. (See: Genesis 3:24 and Exodus 25:18-22). They
are often called as covering angels.
T God in the
midst of His People
"According to rabbinical tradition, the standard
of Judah bore the figure of a lion, that of Reuben the likeness of a man or of
a man’s head, that of Ephraim the figure of an ox, and that of Dan the figure
of an eagle." (Keil-Delitzsch)
These four tribes tented on the four sides of the tent
of meeting and their standards were always flying on the four sides of the tent
of meeting. Yhvh is he who resides on
the praises of his people.
After the covenant the arrangement of the tribes
around of the tabernacle were ordered by God.
Num 2:17 Then the tent
of meeting shall set forward, with the camp of the Levites in the midst
of the camps: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his
place, by their standards.
At the center
of this order was the tabernacle itself; the tribes would arrange themselves to
the east, south, west, and north in relation to the tabernacle. Since the
tabernacle was symbolically the presence of God with them, this meant all order
in Israel began being centered around God Himself.
Num 2:1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron,
saying,
Num 2:2 The children of Israel shall encamp every
man by his own standard, with the ensigns of their fathers' houses: over
against the tent of meeting shall they encamp round about.
Num 2:3 And those that encamp on the east side
toward the sunrising shall be they of the standard of the camp of Judah,
according to their hosts …
Num 2:5 And those that encamp next unto him shall be
the tribe of Issachar: …
Num 2:7 And the tribe of Zebulun: ….
Num 2:10 On the south side shall be the
standard of the camp of Reuben according to their hosts:
Num 2:12 And those that encamp next unto him shall be
the tribe of Simeon:
Num 2:14 And the tribe of Gad