cherub

Some key biblical terms that were directly transliterated from the Hebrew have ended up with unforeseen meanings in the lexicons of various recipient languages.

Take, for example, the English word “cherub,” from Hebrew “kĕrȗb.” Whereas the original Hebrew term meant something like “angelic being that is represented as part human, part animal” (…), the English word now means something like “a person, especially a child, with an innocent or chubby face.” Semantic shift has been conditioned in English by the Renaissance artistic tradition that portrayed cherubim in the guise of cute little Greek cupids. This development was of course impossible to foresee at the time when the first English translations borrowed this Hebrew word into the English Bible tradition, following the pattern of borrowing set by the Greek and Latin translations of the Old Testament.

In Russian, the semantic shift of this transliteration was somewhat different: the -îm ending of “kĕrūbîm,” originally signifying plurality in Hebrew, has been reanalyzed as merely the final part of the lexical item, so that the term херувим (kheruvim) in Russian is a singular count noun, not a plural one. (A similar degrammaticalization is seen in English writers who render the Hebrew plural kĕrūbîm as “cherubims.”) Apparently, this degrammaticalization of the Hebrew ending is what led the Russian Synodal translator of Genesis 3:24 to mistakenly render the Hebrew as saying that the Lord God placed a kheruvim (accusative masculine singular in Russian) to the east of the garden of Eden, instead of indicating a plural number of such beings. (Source: Vitaly Voinov in The Bible Translator 2012, p. 17ff. )

In Ngäbere the Hebrew that is translated in English as “cherub” is translated as “heavenly guard” (source: J. Loewen 1980, p. 107), in Nyamwezi as v’amalaika v’akelubi or “Cherubim-Angel” to add clarity, in Vidunda as “winged creature,” in Makonde as “winged creature from heaven” (source for this and two before: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext), in Bura-Pabir as “good spirit with wings,” and in Northern Pashto it is either translated as “heavenly creature” (Afghan Pashto Bible, publ. 2023) or “winged creature” (Holy Bible in Pakistani [Yousafzai] Pashto, publ. 2020) (source for Bura-Pabir and Northern Pashto: Andy Warren-Rothlin).

In French Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines “angel” and “spinning sword” (referring to Genesis 3:24):


“Cherub” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

See also seraph and ark of the covenant.

complete verse (2 Chronicles 3:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 3:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “Solomon covered every side/area of that house with gold, including the wall, posts, doors and doorframes. Then he carved cherubs on the wall.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He overlaid those walls, rafters, door frames and doors with gold, then he engraved the walls with images of cherubim.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He caused-to-be-overlaid with gold the frames, the doors and its doorpost, and walls. And he designed the walls with kerubin/cherubim.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They covered the ceiling beams, the door frames, the walls and the doors of the temple with very thin sheets of gold. They also carved statues of winged creatures on the walls.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Chronicles 3:7

So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors: The common Hebrew conjunction at the beginning of this verse is taken by Revised Standard Version as a logical connector and rendered So. New Revised Standard Version and English Standard Version do the same. But Good News Translation and many other modern versions omit this connector. The verb lined may be translated “overlaid” (New International Version, Revised English Bible). It renders the same Hebrew verb translated “lined” and “covered” in verse 5. In other languages it may be necessary to begin this verse simply with “He put gold on the beams…” or “He added gold to the beams….”

Beams are relatively long, stout timbers that support a roof. “Rafters” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Anchor Bible) and “ceiling beams” (Contemporary English Version, New International Version) are other words with the same meaning.

Thresholds translates a Hebrew noun whose precise meaning is not certain. It refers to something involving the entry of a building or the framework of a door. The variety of translations in English reflects this uncertainty: “thresholds” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible), “entryways” (Good News Translation), “frames” (Revised English Bible), and “doorframes” (New International Version). In most occurrences of this noun in the Old Testament, it seems to mean thresholds. The threshold was the foundational part of the entryway and was made of a single piece of stone or of several stones stuck together (see the comments on 1 Chr 9.19). This stone slab was higher than the surrounding ground and helped keep water from running into the building. In some languages threshold will be expressed as “stone(s) at the base of the door” or “stone(s) at the bottom of the mouth of the house.”

And he carved cherubim on the walls: Once again the pronoun he refers to Solomon. However, he himself did not do this work. Good News Translation makes this explicit by stating that “the workers” did it. The Hebrew verb rendered carved has the same root as the one translated “engraving” in 2 Chr 2.6 and 13. New Jerusalem Bible uses “engraving” in this context. For cherubim see the comments on 1 Chr 13.6, and compare 1 Kgs 6.23, 32, 35.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Chronicles 3:7

3:7a He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold,

He covered the ceiling beams, the doorframes, the walls and the doors of the hall with gold.
-or-
The whole main room was plated with gold: the ceiling beams, the doors with their frames, and the walls.

3:7b and he carved cherubim on the walls.

He carved cherubs on the walls.
-or-
He carved pictures of angels on the walls.

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