Curious references to the cherubim in Ezekiel 1.5-3.13.
The Chariot of the Lord's Presence is viewed by the holy prophet, not in figure, but in direct vision.
Here the four cherubim, acting in unison, surround the cloud, travelling like lightning, driven by the Spirit, each accompanied by a living, watching wheel, wherever they turn (v.15-21). The sight is amazing and fills the prophet with dread (v.18).Above them an expanse, above the expanse a glorious throne, with the Similitude of Divine Glory, as a man (v.28).
At the sight of Him, Ezekiel worships (v.28).
Here is the real substance of 1 Chr.28.18, the Divine Presence, shadowed by the cherubim, not as in the Tabernacle only 2 (Ex.25.18), or in the Temple (1 Ki.6.23-8), as two on the Ark and two sheltering the Ark, but four living beings acting as one.
Here is a reiteration of Ps.18.10, 'YHVH rode upon a cherub, and did fly'.
Here is a glimpse of the Presence of God we also see in Rev.4.6-8 with the four living beings surrounding the Divine Throne, and it also reminiscent of the Throne scenes in Isaiah 6, with two seraphim and Daniel 7 with myriads of angels.
However in all this glory, there is a grammatical curiosity to observe.
A message on this.
In v.6, the Hebrew words for being and likeness are used of the cherubim, these are both female, and the suffix of the noun for 'their' appearance and the pronoun 'to them' are also female.
In the next verse, as we might expect, the pronoun reverts to the masculine, but the two numerals are feminine. Unlike the numbers from 3 to 19, and the last digit of higher numbers, in Hebrew, the first two numerals do not complement the gender of the nouns they describe, like adjectives they match it.
In v.7, there are masculine plural suffixes.
In v.8, there are five, and one singular masculine suffix describing each cherub.
In v.9, as is common in Hebrew, body parts are in the female gender, so one wing is described as a woman bound to her sister, the wing of another cherub. The first suffix is masculine plural, but curiously the second descrbing their travel is feminine plural, perhaps this describes the travelling of the wings? A representative cherub is then described as male and going straight forward with a masculine suffix and verb form, but face is a plural noun which may be either male or female.
Davidson's Analytical Concordance, Hendriksen. Two other places with similar phenomena are noted (v.12,17).
Clips from this interlinear resource.
In v.10, something peculiar happens, there are four faces described for each cherub, each has an unambiguously masculine likeness, man, lion, ox or eagle, the nouns are all male. The first suffix to the numeral four, describing the first two faces, on the right, of all four cherubim is male, however the last two suffixes are both female. Why? There is no grammatical necessity for this, in fact no grammatical need at all, as far as I can see.
In v.11, there are two masculine, plural suffixes, two singular masculine nouns to describe each cherub, but the last suffix for 'their backs' [bodies, AV] is female.
In v.12, there are two masculine forms, a singular noun and plural verb, but after the appearance of the Spirit (usually a female noun), the verb form 'their going', not for the Spirit, but for the cherubim becomes female. Why is there this dance of genders?
In v.14, the living wheels are introduced. Wheel is a male noun. The numeral is masculine.
In v.16, 3 pronominal suffixes describing the wheels are unsurprisingly masculine, but perhaps under the influence of the plural feminine noun for appearance, the suffix for four describing the wheels is feminine, while the numeral for one representative wheel is masculine.
In v.17 the occurrence of two plural, female suffixes for the wheels, enclose three plural, male forms, two verbs and one verbal suffix, is less easy to account for. Is this another dance?
Again in v.18, the two feminine suffixes embrace three masculine ones.
In v.20, the female word for Spirit actuates and guides the masculine forms for the wheels.
The contrast between the plural for the living beings of the cherubim v.5 and the singular for living Being actuating the wheels, in v.20 and 21 is interesting and indicative of a uniting harmony of purpose and action.
In v.23, we return briefly to the cherubim, before the chapter's climax. Again the wings are described as a woman to her sister, and as a man covering two (female) of them (female pronoun) of their backs (male suffix).
As the vision closes, in 3.13, the noise of the cherubim's wings and the wheels ascending startles the prophet, and for the third and last time, the wings are 'a woman to her sister', and, this time only, the curious word for their contact, may also be used for a kiss.
23% of the direct references to the cherubim here and to the wheel spirits are feminine.
To show just how unusual this is, ponder:
A few observations on Hebrew grammar
From Gesenius, 2nd Eng ed., 1909.
Gesenius' etymological and philological assumptions are often unbelieving and his conclusions must be treated with caution.
The general rule is one of gender agreement between nouns and their descriptors.
A reticence to use female verbal forms.
Again, a reticence to use female predicates.
A reticence to use the female imperative.
A reticence to use female adjectives.
Masculine suffixes are often used for female substantives.
The exceptions in which a female pronoun or verbal form describes a group including men are unusual and contain a lesson.
Gesenius primary section on gender is below, it is tainted with undue Hellenic misogyny, inaptly summarises revelation and does despite to the Spirit of grace, so I have put it last.
If it should be argued, the use here of a female for the chariot is of a collective noun or a uniting name (nomen unitatis), three objections arise, one angels are personal and females for collective nouns are usually not personal, (though there are exceptions), second the plural is used, third the female usage is quite specific to this passage, and does not occur in the judgement texts in ch.10 and 11.
To show I have revealed the substance, if not all, of Gesenius' offering on this subject, here is the index.
