What does כְּרוּב (kərûḇ) mean in the Bible?
כְּרוּב (kərûḇ): Celestial guardian figure with wings, positioned at God's throne and guarding sacred spaces in temple imagery
Hebrew · H3742
כְּרוּב
A cherub or imaginary figure
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כְּרוּב H3742
Pronunciation kərûḇ
What does כְּרוּב (kərûḇ) mean in the Bible?
כְּרוּב (kərûḇ): Celestial guardian figure with wings, positioned at God's throne and guarding sacred spaces in temple imagery
Full entry for כְּרוּב (H3742) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3742?
The BSB source-word alignment has 91 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include cherubim (17), the cherubim (15), cherub (12), - (8), of the cherubim (5).
Where does כְּרוּב (kərûḇ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 3:24. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (31), 1 Kings (20), Exodus (17), 2 Chronicles (11).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It cherubim 17× Genesis 3:24, Exodus 25:18, Exodus 25:22, Exodus 37:7
the cherubim 15× 1 Kings 6:27, 1 Kings 6:28, 1 Kings 6:32, 1 Kings 8:7
cherub 12× Exodus 25:19, Exodus 37:8, 1 Kings 6:24, 1 Kings 6:25
- 8× Exodus 25:19, Exodus 25:20, Exodus 37:8, Exodus 37:9
of the cherubim 5× 1 Kings 8:6, 2 Chronicles 3:11, 2 Chronicles 5:7, Ezekiel 10:1
. . . 4× 1 Kings 6:26, Ezekiel 10:9, Ezekiel 41:18
between the cherubim 3× 1 Samuel 4:4, 2 Samuel 6:2, 2 Kings 19:15
with cherubim 3× Exodus 26:31, Exodus 36:8, 2 Chronicles 3:14
[between] the cherubim 2× 1 Chronicles 13:6, Psalms 80:1
a cherub 2× 2 Samuel 22:11, Psalms 18:10
above the cherubim 2× Psalms 99:1, Isaiah 37:16
And the cherubim 2× Exodus 25:20, Exodus 37:9
Then the cherubim 2× Ezekiel 10:15, Ezekiel 11:22
[and even when they] 1× Ezekiel 10:16
[and] cherubim 1× Exodus 26:1
[them] 1× Ezekiel 10:7
[with] cherubim 1× Exodus 36:35
and cherubim 1× 1 Kings 7:29
Each cherub 1× Ezekiel 41:18
of a cherub 1× Ezekiel 10:14
of cherubim 1× 1 Kings 6:29
Since their 1× 1 Kings 6:27
Then one of the cherubim 1× Ezekiel 10:7
were cherubim 1× Ezekiel 10:20
When the cherubim 1× Ezekiel 10:16
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 3:24 הַכְּרֻבִ֗ים to cherubim Article | Noun - masculine plural Exodus 25:18 כְּרֻבִ֖ים to cherubim Noun - masculine plural Exodus 25:19 כְּר֨וּב to cherub Noun - masculine singular Exodus 25:19 וּכְרוּב־ to - Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular Exodus 25:19 הַכְּרֻבִ֖ים to Article | Noun - masculine plural Exodus 25:20 הַכְּרֻבִים֩ to And the cherubim Article | Noun - masculine plural Exodus 25:20 הַכְּרֻבִֽים׃ to - Article | Noun - masculine plural Exodus 25:22 הַכְּרֻבִ֔ים to cherubim Article | Noun - masculine plural Exodus 26:1 כְּרֻבִ֛ים to [and] cherubim Noun - masculine plural Exodus 26:31 כְּרֻבִֽים׃ to with cherubim Noun - masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 3:24
Aligned rows 91
Books represented 12
Genesis 1 Exodus 17 Numbers 1 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 2 1 Kings 20 2 Kings 1 1 Chronicles 2 2 Chronicles 11 Psalms 3 Isaiah 1 Ezekiel 31
Source forms
הַכְּרֻבִ֔ים 5x hak·kə·ru·ḇîm Exodus 25:22, 2 Kings 19:15, Isaiah 37:16, Ezekiel 10:1
הַכְּר֣וּב 4x hak·kə·rūḇ 1 Kings 6:26, 1 Kings 6:27, Ezekiel 10:9
הַכְּרֻבִ֖ים 3x hak·kə·ru·ḇîm Exodus 25:19, Exodus 37:8, 2 Samuel 6:2
הַכְּר֥וּב 3x hak·kə·rūḇ 1 Kings 6:26, 2 Chronicles 3:11, 2 Chronicles 3:12
הַכְּרוּבִים֙ 3x hak·kə·rū·ḇîm 1 Kings 8:7, 2 Chronicles 5:8, Ezekiel 11:22
הַכְּרוּבִ֔ים 3x hak·kə·rū·ḇîm 2 Chronicles 3:11, Ezekiel 10:5, Ezekiel 10:16
הַכְּרוּבִ֣ים 3x hak·kə·rū·ḇîm 2 Chronicles 3:13, Psalms 80:1, Ezekiel 10:19
הַכְּרוּבִֽים׃ 3x hak·kə·rū·ḇîm 1 Kings 8:6, 2 Chronicles 5:7, Ezekiel 10:18
Parsing patterns
Article | Noun - masculine plural 40x Genesis 3:24, Exodus 25:19, Exodus 25:20, Exodus 25:22
Noun - masculine plural 18x Exodus 25:18, Exodus 26:1, Exodus 26:31, Exodus 36:8
Article | Noun - masculine singular 15x 1 Kings 6:24, 1 Kings 6:25, 1 Kings 6:26, 1 Kings 6:27
Noun - masculine singular 6x Exodus 25:19, Exodus 37:8, 2 Samuel 22:11, Psalms 18:10
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine plural 4x Ezekiel 10:2, Ezekiel 10:6, Ezekiel 10:7, Ezekiel 10:8
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular 2x Exodus 25:19, Exodus 37:8
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular 2x Ezekiel 10:2, Ezekiel 41:18
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural 1x 1 Kings 7:29
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Celestial guardian figure with wings, positioned at God's throne and guarding sacred spaces in temple imagery
Source Gloss
a cherub or imaginary figure
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Celestial guardian figure with wings, positioned at God's throne and guarding sacred spaces in temple imagery
a cherub or imaginary figure BDB: cherub Usage: cherub, (plural) cherubims.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
Cherub; a composite celestial being associated with God's throne and royal transport
Showing 1 selected witness from 91 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
כְּרוּב is of uncertain origin - no further derivation.
Canonical Themes
Cross-Language Connections
Greek words that correspond to or develop the meaning of this Hebrew word in the New Testament.
G5502 LXX equivalent Greek
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain