A cherub (Hebrew plural cherubim) was not a cherry-cheeked child, such as we might imagine Cupid with his bow and arrow. In the ancient Middle East a cherub was a man-headed lion or bull with eagles' wings that stood guard outside Mesopotamian temples. The term cherub appears to derive from the Akkadian word kuribu that was attached to such protector figures.

Layard (1850), page 76.