I came across an interesting concept regarding the Cherubim that surround God’s throne and Noah’s Ark. It’s not a particularly important theological point, but I found it interesting either way. Noah had three categories of animals on his Ark along with his family. Unclean land animals (carnivores, scavengers, certain kinds of herbivores), clean land animals (herbivores, with specific anatomy), and flying creatures both clean and unclean (Genesis 7:2-3). This representation depicts the four cherubim.

The lion cherub represents unclean land animals, the bull cherub represents clean land animals, the eagle cherub represents flying creatures, and the last cherub represents humans (Noah and his family). There were seven pairs of flying creatures, seven pairs of clean land animals, one pair each of unclean land animals, and four pairs of humans. I suspect the birds had many pairs to help scatter seeds and spread post-flood vegetation. The clean animals were prey for the unclean animals, so there needed to be more of them; additionally, these animals were used in sacrifice.

The cherub represents the distinguished categories of land creatures (clean and unclean) and flyers. The Bible categorizes animals by domain —land, sea, and air —and separates the clean from the unclean of each domain, so that pattern seems consistent. Humanity is the fourth category because we are also land creatures, set apart and made in God’s image. Sea creatures are omitted since they live in the water, so a flood would not affect them. Also, sea creatures are never sacrificed, since one doesn’t have to “kill” a sea creature because they die from not being in the water. When sea creatures eat each other, the blood likely diffuses through the water, so if it were killed underwater, the blood could not be poured out on an altar. These cherubs seem to represent only creatures who spill blood on land and are categorized in a way that matches the division on Noah’s Ark. Is there something to this? Possibly, I’m not sure about its significance, but it was fascinating anyway.