Cherubims and Seraphims

Q. The words cherubim and seraphim are plural. The King James Bible adds an unneeded “s” to these words. Isn’t that an error?

A. No, it is not an error. It is true that the King James Bible does not reflect the common modern spellings of these words. However, it reflects the standard English usage at the time of the translation of the King James Bible. Here are some samples of how these words were spelled in Bibles prior to the 1611 King James translation.

Genesis 3:24

• 1382 Wycliffe, cherubyn
• 1530 Tyndale Pentateuch, Cherubin
• 1535 Coverdale, Cherubes
• 1537 Matthew, Cherubin
• 1539 Taverner, Cherubin
• 1541 Great Bible, Cherubins
• 1560 Geneva, Cherubims
• 1568 Bishops, Cherubins

1 Samuel 4:4

• 1382 Wycliffe, cherubyn
• 1535 Coverdale, Cherubins
• 1537 Matthew, Cherubyns
• 1539 Taverner, Cherubyns
• 1541 Great Bible, cherubyns
• 1560 Geneva, Cherubims
• 1568 Bishops, Cherubims

Isaiah 6:2, 6

• 1382 Wycliffe, serafyn
• 1535 Coverdale, Seraphins
• 1537 Matthew, Seraphins
• 1539 Taverner, Seraphins
• 1541 Great Bible, Seraphins, Seraphyns
• 1560 Geneva, Seraphims
• 1568 Bishops, Seraphims

Other languages

Genesis 3:24

• Olivetan French, Cherubins
• Reina Valera Spanish, cherubines (now querubines)
• Latin Vulgate, cherubin (Douay-Rheims, Cherubims)

1 Samuel 4:4

• Olivetan French, Cherubins (hard to read in the printing I checked; looks more like “Cherubis” but may have a mark over the i that represents the n)
• Reina Valera Spanish, Cherubines (now querubines)
• Latin Vulgate, cherubin (Douay-Rheims, cherubims)

Isaiah 6:2, 6

• Olivetan French, Seraphins
• Reina Valera Spanish, Seraphines (now serafines)
• Latin Vulgate, seraphin (Douay-Rheims, seraphims)

Early in the 17th century, preference began to change from “cherubims” to “cherubim” (and similarly with “seraphims”). We see that illustrated in the popular hymn by Reginald Heber:

Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore thee,

Casting down their golden crowns, around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,

Which wert and art and evermore shalt be!

The spellings of “cherubims” and “seraphims” seem fairly fixed from at least the time of the Geneva Bible to the King James. In modern times, “cherubs” and “seraphs” have been replacing “cherubim” and “seraphim” as the plural form. However, it appears most Bibles and theological works continue to use “cherubim” and “seraphim.”

The English usage seemed to be mediated through the French from the Latin and Greek. Though the words are plural in Hebrew, English translators, at least as far back as Coverdale in 1535, saw a need to represent the plural in the standard English plural form ending in “s”. When translating into English, the foreign language does not automatically govern the pluralization of words. We Texians eat “tamales” and “kolaches”. Mexicans say tamal (singular) and tamales (plural). Texians say tamale (singular) and tamales (plural). “Tamale” would be wrong if we made Spanish grammar rules the standard for English singular/plural. Czechs say kolach (singular) and kolache (plural). Texians say kolache (singular) and kolaches (plural). Both “kolache” and “kolaches” would be wrong if we made Czech grammar rules the standard for English singular/plural. However, since we speak and write in English, the English form is correct for English. In fact, while both cherubim and seraphim are probably widely understood as plural, in modern Bibles they nevertheless could be “false friends” (using Mark Ward’s inexact terminology). People would expect a plural word in English to end in “s” may misunderstand cherubim and seraphim as singular, while cherubims and seraphims will obviously be recognized as plural, even if it does not comport with the more common current usage. Though there may be, I am not aware of any other words in the English language that use an “-im” ending to designate plural.

I first heard this “complaint” probably forty years ago, and it is still out there. Nevertheless, to charge the KJV with being in error because of the “s” on “cherubims” and “seraphims” reflects more on the complainers than the translation.

Some comments on these words, gleaned from various internet sources:

Cherubim are supernatural creatures associated with the throne of God. One of these being is called כרוב (kerub). The two spellings כרובים and כרבים alternate without a discernable rule.

From the verb karabu, to bless, or its adjective karabu, to be mighty.

The verb שרף (sarap) means to burn — to literally burn with fire, rather than metaphorically with passion or something like that — with an emphasis on a burning up or a destruction by means of fire.

The word שרפים (seraphim) is a plural word; single would be שרף (sarap), or Seraph.

From the verb שרף (sarap), to burn.