<P> A cherub (/ ˈtʃɛrəb /; also pl . cherubim; Hebrew: כְּרוּב ‎ kərūv, pl . כְּרוּבִים ‬, kərūvîm; Latin cherub, pl . cherubin, cherubim; Syriac ܟܪܘܒܐ; Arabic قروبيين) is one of the unearthly beings who directly attend to God according to Abrahamic religions . The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles; their original duty having been the protection of the Garden of Eden . Angelic status is not attributed to cherubim in the Old Testament (at least not explicitly); only in later sources such as De Coelesti Hierarchia are they identified as a hierarchical rank of angels . </P> <P> Different sources give conflicting information as to the physical appearance of cherubim . An early, traditional Jewish notion supposes that cherubim had youthful, human features (although some early midrashic literature conceives of the cherubim as non-corporeal). In the Book of Ezekiel and (at least some) Christian icons, the cherub is depicted as having a number of wing pairs, and four faces: that of a lion (representative of all wild animals), an ox (domestic animals), a human (humanity), and an eagle (birds). Their legs were straight, the soles of their feet like the hooves of a bull, gleaming like polished brass . In Western Christian tradition, cherubim have become associated with the putto and the Greco - Roman deity Cupid / Eros, resulting in depictions of cherubim as small, plump, winged boys . </P>

What is the meaning of cherubim in the bible