Ezekiel 11:23

23 The Glory of God ascended from within the city and rested on the mountain to the east of the city.

Ezekiel 11:23 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 11:23

And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city,
&c.] Of Jerusalem, whither it was removed from the door of the east gate of the temple, ( Ezekiel 10:19 ) ; though no mention is made of such removal; and now, having left the temple, it leaves the city: and stood upon the mountain, which [is] on the east side of the city;
either waiting for the repentance of the inhabitants of it, leaving them with reluctance; or in order to bring down his judgments upon it, and behold its destruction and ruin: this mountain was the mountain of Olives, as the Targum interprets it: and so Jarchi and Kimchi; see ( Zechariah 14:5 ) . Christ stood on this mountain and wept over Jerusalem, and from hence he ascended to heaven. This Jarchi calls the third remove of the Shechinah or glory of the God of Israel. The Rabbins say F17 it removed ten times, and reckon them thus,

``from the mercy seat to the cherub; from the cherub to the cherub; from the cherub to the threshold; from the threshold to the court; from the court to the altar; from the altar to the roof; from the roof to the wall; from the wall to the city; from the city to the mountain; from the mountain to the wilderness; and from the wilderness it ascended and sat in its own place, according to ( Hosea 5:15 ) .''

FOOTNOTES:

F17 T. Bab. Roshhashana, fol. 31. 1.

Ezekiel 11:23 In-Context

21 "'But not those who are self-willed and addicted to their rotten images and obscene idols! I'll see that they're paid in full for what they've done.' Decree of God, the Master."
22 Then the cherubim spread their wings, with the wheels beside them and the Glory of the God of Israel hovering over them.
23 The Glory of God ascended from within the city and rested on the mountain to the east of the city.
24 Then, still in the vision given me by the Spirit of God, the Spirit took me and carried me back to the exiles in Babylon. And then the vision left me.
25 I told the exiles everything that God had shown me.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.