I must admit that all commentaries frustrate me as the Christian ones do not satisfy my curiosities as a Jew and the Jewish ones do not satisfy my curiosities as a Christian.
In any case, here are some good and bad points regarding Cherubim.
Isaiah…saw a seraphim, which is probably in the order of the cherubim…he saw the seraphim, who came to the altar of God with a live coal and touched his lips and said, “Now, are you clean”…[John saw] the throne of God and the cherubim about the throne of God, and the worship of God as He sits upon the throne.
Good points overall yet, that seraphim are probably in the order of the cherubim is an assertion. A helpful commentary would be to state that seraphim are probably in the order of the cherubim based on…and what would follow is quotations and citation not just a generic “probably.”
a. Four living creatures full of eyes: From comparison with Ezekiel 1:4-14 and 10:20-22, we understand these creatures to be cherubim, the spectacular angelic beings who surround the throne of God. Satan was once one of these high angelic beings, according to Ezekiel 28:14.
i. Cherubim were also prominent in design of the tabernacle, particularly in the Most Holy Place (Exodus 25:17-22 and 26:1, 31). The Scriptures show us that the tabernacle is a model of the throne of God, in some manner (Exodus 25:8-9).
Again, good overall and yet cherubim are referred to as being spectacular angelic beings and high angelic beings which is generically asserted. This is actually something that one cannot conclude from the Bible. The fact is that Angels, Cherubim and Seraphim are different categories of being: they look different and have different job functions from each other.
Can you imagine such majestic creatures seeing themselves depicted as chubby babies?
(2.) By their lion-like courage, their great labour and diligence (in which they resemble the ox), their prudence and discretion becoming men, and their sublime affections and speculations, by which they mount up with wings like eagles towards heaven (v. 7), and these wings full of eyes within, to show that in all their meditations and ministrations they are to act with knowledge, and especially should be well acquainted with themselves and the state of their own souls, and see their own concern in the great doctrines and duties of religion, watching over their own souls as well as the souls of the people.
The point in quoting this is to show how very many commentaries tend to sermonize. These comments are merely the author telling us what he is reading into the text. Even if accurate, the point is that all commentaries are not created equal: some focus on history, some theology, some etymology, etc. and the best would combine various considerations.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown
8. about him—Greek, “round about him.” ALFORD connects this with the following sentence: “All round and within (their wings) they are (so two oldest manuscripts, A, B, and Vulgate read) full of eyes.” John’s object is to show that the six wings in each did not interfere with that which he had before declared, namely, that they were “full of eyes before and behind.” The eyes were round the outside of each wing, and up the inside of each when half expanded, and of the part of body in that inward recess…The cherubim here have six wings, like the seraphim in Isa 6:2; whereas the cherubim in Eze 1:6 had four wings each. They are called by the same name, “living creatures.” But whereas in Ezekiel each living creature has all four faces, here the four belong severally one to each.
See on JF & B for Eze 1:6. The four living creatures answer by contrast to the four world powers represented by four beasts. The Fathers identified them with the four Gospels, Matthew the lion, Mark the ox, Luke the man, John the eagle…But here the context best suits the view which regards the four living creatures as representing the redeemed election-Church in its relation of ministering king-priests to God, and ministers of blessing to the redeemed earth, and the nations on it, and the animal creation, in which man stands at the head of all, the lion at the head of wild beasts, the ox at the head of tame beasts, the eagle at the head of birds and of the creatures of the water…In Isa 6:2 we read, “Each had six wings: with twain he covered his face (in reverence, as not presuming to lift up his face to God), with twain he covered his feet (in humility, as not worthy to stand in God’s holy presence), and with twain he did fly [in obedient readiness to do instantly God’s command].”
It is noted that (within Revelation 4) Cherubim have six wings yet in Ezekiel they have four but no attempt is made to deal with this issue—and I cannot blame him as it simply appears to be some form of textual issue.
We are told that “They are called by the same name, ‘living creatures’” but not told whereabouts. Ezekiel refers to them as living creatures and names them Cherubim (see Ezekiel chaps 1 and 10) but John simply refers to them as beasts.
It is stated that “in Ezekiel each living creature has all four faces, here the four belong severally one to each” but this is not necessarily the case as it is too generic. John does only mention one sort of face for each but it appears that this is because only one face of each one’s four is facing him. After all, Ezekiel 1 specifies that, “they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward…they went every one straight forward…and they turned not when they went…When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went…they went every one straight forward.”
As for the context best suiting the four living creatures representing the redeemed election-Church what then, pray tell, did they represent in Ezekiel? Well, they represent nothing, in a symbolic way, as they are that which they are: living creatures, beasts. This portion also goes off into the sermonizing route.