Ezekiel 10 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Ezekiel 10

The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple

10:1 Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire,¹ in appearance like a throne. 2 And he said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.”

And he went in before my eyes. 3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. 4 And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD. 5 And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

6 And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel. 7 And a cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. 8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings.

9 And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling beryl. 10 And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel. 11 When they went, they went in any of their four directions² without turning as they went, but in whatever direction the front wheel³ faced, the others followed without turning as they went. 12 And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings,⁴ and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels that the four of them had. 13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing “the whirling wheels.” 14 And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15 And the cherubim mounted up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the Chebar canal. 16 And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them. And when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them. 17 When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them, for the spirit of the living creatures⁵ was in them.

18 Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

20 These were the living creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the Chebar canal; and I knew that they were cherubim. 21 Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings the likeness of human hands. 22 And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the Chebar canal. Each one of them went straight forward.

Footnotes

[1] 10:1 Or lapis lazuli
[2] 10:11 Hebrew to their four sides
[3] 10:11 Hebrew the head
[4] 10:12 Or their whole body, their backs, their hands, and their wings
[5] 10:17 Or spirit of life

Commentary

v1-2: The vision continues, the man clothed with linen, 9.3-4,11. He is directed by the Lord, this time to collect fire (or coals) from among the cherubim.

v3-5: The glory of the Lord filled the inner court, and then the whole temple. The sound also of the cherubim's wings. There is something powerful, even frightening, about this vision.

God is holy and pure, and cannot tolerate anything evil. God is also not subject to the ways of man, not even His own people.

v6-8: The man sent to the cherubim collected fire from them.

v9-10: "I looked and I saw;" the Lord showed Ezekiel something wonderful. This is often the prophet's way; to see and declare (as well as to hear and declare). The ‘living creatures’ (chapter 1) are now identified as cherubim (see also v20).

v11: The cherubim are single-minded, going the way the head is facing; even as Jesus Christ set His face as a flint. Equally, the church must go the way its Head (Christ) is facing.

v12: Full of eyes, Rev 4.8.

v13: The whirling wheels; not restricted by movement along the ground.

v14: See 1.10, the ox's face replaced by a cherub; still carrying the idea of a servant.

v15: Ezekiel identifies the cherubim as those he saw previously, although the description is a little different; as in chapter 1, he sees more detail in the vision.

v16-17: The creatures' behaviour did not change; they continued to go where they were commanded, see 1.19-21.

v18-19: The glory of the Lord left the city, the place of abominations (words repeated at 11.23). There is something final to this description; a sad end, but fully deserved. Surely the Lord’s patience cannot be exhausted!

v20-22: Ezekiel recalls his previous vision; what he saw provided the backdrop for his ministry.