Both the angels are found in the books of the Bible. They have many likenesses, but they differ a lot when we see the aspects of their rank, physical appearance, and function.
They have different positions and purposes of fulfilling. They are found in different books too. They do not have a meet point.
Cherubim vs Seraphim
The difference between Cherubim and Seraphim is that Cherubim are known to have four wings, and Seraphim are described with six wings. Cherubim’s main function is to help God, but Seraphim are only supposed to praise God. The mention of Cherubim can be found numerous times in books of the Bible, but the mention of Seraphim is limited to just once.
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Cherubim are angels that can be found several times in Bible. They are the helper of God, and they first appear as the guards of the garden of Eden. They work on God’s wish.
They have four faces, the faces are of different animals, and they use their wings to wrap their body.
Seraphim can be seen only once in the 6th chapter of the book Isaiah. They are described as serpents. They have spiritual powers, and they are devoted to God.
They spend their days and nights in the praises of God. They have six wings, and they have the highest rank among the angels. They sit on the throne and pursuit the will of God.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Cherubim | Seraphim |
|---|---|---|
| Mention | They have been mentioned in several books of the Bible. | They have been mentioned only in one book of the Bible. |
| Appearance in books | Cherubim appears in the books of the Bible, like Genesis, Ezekiel, Kings and Revelations. | Seraphim appear only in one book, which is the book of Isaiah. |
| Wings | Cherubim have four wings. | Seraphim retains six wings. |
| Rank | Cherubim have the second-highest rank in the hierarchy among angels. | Seraphim have the rank of being the most senior among the angels. They are the highest in rank among the angelic beings. |
| Role | They are depicted as the helpers of God. | They are known to praise God. |
What is Cherubim?
Cherubim or Cherubs are angels who can be found in several books of the Bible. They have been mentioned in Genesis, Ezekiel, Kings, and Revelations. They have obtained the second-highest rank among the angels.
They are described as having four faces and four wings. But all the four faces are not of humans. The four faces are of ox, lion, man, and eagle. Their body is covered by their wings. They are known to move very fast as they use wheels.
Cherubim are described as the helper of God. They serve the will of God. Their job is to perform divine duties on the face of the earth.
As we find in the book of Genesis, they were in charge of protecting the Garden of Eden, and this is their first appearance we get. The central objective of Cherubim is to sit on the throne and attend to God. They embody the likeness of glory.
What is Seraphim?
Seraphim are angels. The name means “burning ones, flying serpents,” and as their name implies, they are the fiery ones. They are represented as serpents, and they look like one too.
They are the senior-most, and they have occupied the highest rank in the angelic hierarchy. We can find them only in one book of the Bible, and that is the 6th chapter of the book Isaiah.
They praise God, and they possess utter devotion and eternal love and for God and his principles.
They come up as the agents of purification for Isaiah. They look like humans, but they are holy spirits. Their physical appearance tells us that they retain six wings, among which only one pair is used to fly the other two pairs are used to cover the face and the feet.
Even though the exact number of the seraphim are not known, it can be said unquestionably that they were many in number. They sing the praise of the lord in such a loud voice that it shakes the core of the palace.
They sit at the throne and offer their worship to God.
Main Differences Between Cherubim and Seraphim
- We can find the mention of Cherubim several times in several books of the Bible, but Seraphim appeared only in one book of the Bible.
- Mention of Cherubim can be found in the books of the Bible, like Genesis, Ezekiel, Kings and Revelations. Seraphim, on the other hand, can be found only in chapter 6 of the book of Isaiah.
- Cherubim have four wings and four faces. Their wings are used to cover their bodies, while on the other hand, Seraphim have six wings, among which only one pair is used for flying the other two pair covers this face and feet.
- Cherubim have four faces, and all of them can be seen, whereas Seraphim cover their face with their wings.
- Cherubim have obtained the second-highest rank in the hierarchy among angels, whereas Seraphim are the highest among the angelic beings. They are the seniors of the rest.
- Cherubim are known and designated as the helpers of God, while Seraphim praise God and offer their devotion.
- https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:7e6701bd-90ae-4fa3-b269-79e1dad9f504
- https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110192957.2.155/html
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
