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 5:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 5:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “Those wings were open/spread and had covered that Box and the trees/poles it was carried with.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Above the place where the Ark had been placed the cherubim were spreading out their wings, and the wings covered the Ark and its carrying poles.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The wings of the cherubim were-spreading-out, so the Box and its carrying poles were-covered-up.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The wings of those statues spread out over the Sacred Chest and over the poles by which it was carried.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Chronicles 5:8

For renders the common Hebrew conjunction. Here it introduces that the purpose of the cherubim in the Most Holy Place was to cover the ark, and this should be clear in translation. Good News Translation omits this connector and the repetition in the verse.

The cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark is literally “the cherubim were spreading out their wings….” New Century Version says “The wings of these creatures were spread out….” Obviously the cherubim were not living creatures capable of moving their wings but representations of these creatures with the wings fixed in an outspread position (see 2 Chr 3.11-13). A literal translation may suggest that their wings actually moved. For this reason Good News Translation says “Their outstretched wings covered…,” which may be a helpful model for other languages. Over the place of the ark means simply “over the Ark” (New Living Translation), and in some languages a literal translation such as that of Revised Standard Version would give the impression that the ark was not actually present at the time. Perhaps the expression is intended to show that the wings of the cherubim covered the whole area and not just the box itself.

So that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles: So that renders the common Hebrew conjunction. Here it introduces a further explanation of the first half of the verse, so a better rendering is “that is” (Anchor Bible). For made a covering, Revised English Bible says “formed a canopy,” and La Bible du Semeur has “formed a vault.” Many languages will use simply a single verb such as “covered” (New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Dillard) or “sheltering” (New American Bible). The Hebrew does not state here the purpose of the poles, which were used to carry the ark (see the comments on 2Chr 5.4). Some translations make it explicit that the poles were used to carry the ark by rendering it poles as “its carrying poles” (New International Version, New Living Translation, New Century Version; similarly Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

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 5:8

5:8a For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark

The cherubs had their wings open over the place where they put the ark
-or-
The wings of the guardians stretched out over the place where the box sat.
-or-
The wings of the angels were spread out over the chest.

5:8b and overshadowed the ark and its poles.

and they covered it and the poles for carrying it.
-or-
The wings were like a canopy over the box. They also covered the poles that they used to carry it.
-or-
They covered the chest and the poles for carrying it.

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