Ezekiel 9:3

3 Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherubim where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. He called to the man clothed in linen with the writing equipment at his side.

Ezekiel 9:3 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 9:3

And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub,
whereupon he was
That is, the glorious God of Israel; or the glorious Shechinah, and divine Majesty, which dwelt between the cherubim over the mercy seat in the most holy place, removed from thence, as a token of his being about to depart from the temple, which in a short time would be destroyed. The Targum is,

``the glory of the God of Israel departed in the cherub on which he dwelt, in the house of the holy of holies;''

the cherubim removed with him, and were his chariot in which he rode; see ( Ezekiel 10:18 ) ( 11:22 ) ; to the threshold of the house;
of the holy of holies, as Jarchi interprets it; and so was nearer to the brasen altar, where the seven men stood, to give them their orders; of which an account follows: and he called to the man clothed with linen, which [had] the writer's
inkhorn by his side;
he, being the principal person, is called first; and his business being to preserve the Lord's people shows that this was the first care of God.

Ezekiel 9:3 In-Context

1 Then He called to me directly with a loud voice, "Come near, executioners of the city, each [of you] with a destructive weapon in his hand."

2 And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a war club in his hand. There was another man among them, clothed in linen, with writing equipment at his side. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.

3 Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherubim where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. He called to the man clothed in linen with the writing equipment at his side.

4 "Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem," the Lord said to him, "and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations committed in it."

5 To the others He said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him and start killing; do not show pity or spare [them]!