For people who are interested in what cherubim really were (not angels, not messengers, not female praying intermediary deities):

Cherubim: כְּרוּב / [kerubim]

"Mesopotamian [karibu] was an intermediate deity who prayed on behalf of the faithful. It was also known that a female version of them was called [karibatu]. The [karibu] had similar forms and functions to other minor deities called [shedu] and [lamashu], and they too were usually placed at the gates of shrines (the term shedu also recalls the shedim Moses mentions in Deuteronomy 32:17, as objects of worship.)"

"First, they are not the object of special worship; thus, they are not “divine.” Moreover, they have no female counterpart, do not take the place of the faithful in prayer, and are usually mentioned in the plural. They also appear in the presence of the glory of “God” with which they move, as we shall see.

"The cherubim of the Old Testament can thus hardly be reconciled with the angelic iconography we are familiar with."

"We only know that they were accompanied by — or perhaps associated with — a “rotating (burning) blade.”

"Translation of the word “blade,” [kherev], we have includ- ed “burning” in brackets because this is the meaning of the Hebrew root (Clark). In traditional translations, this word is usually rendered with “sword,” thus losing a detail of some importance.

Even without an accurate description, however, it seems clear that the traditional depiction of the cherub (singular), seen as a winged angel holding a sword to defend the entrance, is not consistent with what the Bible says.

At any rate, the cherub with his “side parts” or opened “wings” mea- sured about 14 feet from one end to the other.

At this point, the reader will surely have noticed at least one oddity. The term [kanaf] — usually translated with “wing” — does not appear in connection with any “angel.” No “angel” or “malakhim” is mentioned here. Thus, we must assume that this structure does not belong to the figures of the [malakhim], the “angels,” traditionally depicted as winged beings.

As we shall see soon, the [malakhim], of which we spoke in chapter 11 and the [kerubim] belong to completely different categories.

Let us, therefore, summarize what we have found out so far. The cherubim:

• are associated with flaming blades/circles which rotate rapidly (Genesis 3:21-24; Ezekiel 10:9-12);
• have considerable dimensions (1 Kings 6:24);
• when not moving on their own they must be transported in a special chariot (1 Chronicles 28:18);
• have wheels that can move in all directions without turning, always remaining structurally joined to the flying object as a whole (Ezekiel 10:16-18);
• these wheels have a central-circular part that rotates/turns rapidly (Ezekiel 10:13);
• when they are connected to Yahweh’s chariot they have a space un- derneath them in which at least one person can fit (Ezekiel 10:2);
• are equipped with structures that cover and protect when closed, while they are used for flight when open (Ezekiel 10:5-19);
• when moving they produce a noise audible at a distance (Ezekiel 10:5);
• the Elohim can rest, sit, stand, ride, and fly on them (1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Samuel 22:10-11; 1 Chronicles 13:6; 1 Chronicles 28:18);
• they move together with the [kavod/ruach] of the Elohim, but also independently of it, as is seen in the following sequence of move- ments in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 8:10-11): the cherubim are present with the chariot of the Elohim; they position themselves to the right of the temple when the chariot rises and enters the inner part of the temple; they make a sound audible to those who cannot see them; when the chariot returns, they open their wings and rise; the whole structure rises from the temple and positions itself at the east gate, whence it rises again to leave the city and lands on the hill to the east of the settlement.

The cherubim [kerubim] present themselves as highly articulated mechanical structures, possibly even of a different nature:

– Those connected to the [kavod] appear to be flying objects that move with it, ascending and descending; aircraft capable of autonomous travel thanks to propulsion systems we can surmise to see in those flaming structures coherently described in the Bible as rapidly rotat- ing circles (turbines).

– On the other hand, the objects found on the ark could have forms and functions closely related to the nature of a capacitor, a receiv- er-transmitter system, and even a potential weapon.

Finally, the types of cherubim defined as “spiritual, incorporeal beings [...] whose wings symbolize rest in contemplation and testify to the ability of the spirit to rise and hear the divine voice...” — and belonging to the angelic hierarchies — are not [within] the biblical narratives. In the Bible, this particular type of “beings” does not appear.

From : Gods of the Bible , Mauro Biglino (2023)