Hybrid creatures

A man named Ezekiel was exiled in Babylon, specifically on the river Chebar, when God manifested Himself to call him to the prophetic vocation (Ezek. 1:1-3). In the first chapter of his book, the man who would become a prophet begins to describe a scene in an ascending direction, where he contemplates floating wheels, cherubim, a dome (or firmament) and above all of this, God seated on his throne. And it is in verses 4 to 14 that the cherubim are described:

“I looked, and behold, a stormy wind came from the north, and a great cloud, with fire rolling about it, and brightness all around it, and in the midst of it something like glowing metal coming out of the midst of the fire. And out of the midst of the cloud came the likeness of a four living beings, whose appearance was this: they had the likeness of man. Each one had four faces, as well as four wings. Yours legs were straight, the sole of whose feet was like the sole of a calf and shone like the shine of burnished bronze.. Under the wings they had man's hands, on all four sides; so all four had faces and wings. These were joined to one another; they did not turn when they went; each one went straight ahead. The shape of their faces was like that of a man; on the right, the four had lion face; on the left, ox face; and also eagle face, all four. Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each being had two wings, each joined to the other; two others covered their bodies. Each one went straight ahead; wherever the spirit was to go, they went; they did not turn when they went. The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals, like torches; the fire ran resplendently among the beings, and lightning came out of it, the living creatures zigzagged like lightning” (Ezekiel 1:4-14, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here we have the description of hybrid creatures clearly above the plane of common reality. They are beings that express power and greatness, a terrible beauty, like that of a predator in search of its prey, an erupting volcano. It is no wonder that at the end of the vision the prophet says that he falls facedown on the ground before the scene (Ezek. 1:28). In Ezekiel 1:4-14, however, there is no mention of the name “cherubim.” The term used is “living creatures” (Ezek. 1:5). How then can we maintain that these creatures are the same ones seen protecting the Garden of Eden?

As we move on to chapter 10 of Ezekiel, the prophet again contemplates the appearance of living creatures and now identifies them as "cherubim." These appear once again alongside the floating wheels beneath the firmament and the throne of God (Ezekiel 10:1-4). Later, he states that these are "the same living creatures that I saw by the River Chebar" (Ezekiel 10:15, NKJV) and then adds: "I knew that they were cherubim" (Ezekiel 10:20, NKJV). It is noteworthy that this time Ezekiel introduces a new characteristic not described in the first chapter: "The whole body of the cherubim, their backs, their hands, their wings, and also the wheels that the four had were full of eyes all around " (Ezekiel 10:12, NKJV, emphasis added).

There is a hypothesis that the “eyes” spread throughout the body are, in reality, precious stones. This is because there is a possible parallel between the Hebrew term עַיִן (Heb. Ayin – “eyes”) with the Akkadian word īnu, which means both “eye” and “jewels” (RIBEIRO, 2022, p. 21-23). Regardless of whether the cherubim are covered in jewels or eyes, this characteristic adds another divine aspect to them, beyond the ordinary.

Finally, a final visual aspect of the cherubim occurs when we observe an apparent inconsistency in their descriptions. Sometimes with four faces (Ezek. 1:6), they are also described with only two (Ezek. 41:18-19) or with only one (Rev. 4:7). They have two wings when depicted in the temple (1 Kgs. 6:27), four in Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:6) and six in Revelation (Rev. 4:8). Thus, the question arises: would there be a certain variation among them or are they polymorphic beings?