The Genesis subject in which Adam and Eve are driven from Eden and the way to the tree of life is guarded by cherubim and a flaming sword.
Expulsion from Eden depicts Adam and Eve leaving Paradise after the Fall. Genesis states that cherubim and a flaming, turning sword guard the way to the tree of life; later artists frequently condense the action into a powerful expelling angel.
Etymology
Expulsion from Latin expellere, “to drive out”; Eden from Hebrew.
Sculptor Notes
The subject depends on directional force. The guardian's gesture, sword, wings, and forward step should drive Adam and Eve physically out of the composition. The expelled figures can bend and recoil against that single vector.
References
Genesis 3:23-24; https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_two/chapter_one/article_1/paragraph_5_heaven_and_earth.html