Bede

In the figure of the four living creatures the two designated by the man and the calf display the tokens of his passion and death, but the two prefigured by the lion and the eagle reveal the signs of the victory in which he destroyed death. For the man represents the Lord as he was made mortal through the incarnation; the calf stands for him as he was offered for us on the altar of the cross; the lion portrays him when he bravely conquered death; the eagle when he ascended into heaven.

The prophet Ezekiel clearly declares that “cherubim” is the name of the angelic powers that he describes as having appeared to him with wings, according to the pattern in which they are ordered to be deployed here.

Ezekiel the prophet mystically distinguishes them from one another when he foretells that there are only three men who will be delivered when the time of plagues comes, namely: Noah, Daniel and Job. For surely in Noah, who steered the ark over the waves, he shows those who are set over the church; in Daniel, who was zealous to live continently in the royal court, he shows the continent or virgins; in Job, who while married exhibited a wonderful example of patience to all, he shows the life of the virtuous married people.