Ezekiel 9:3

3 And the glory of the Lord of Israel was taken up from cherub[im], which glory was on it, to the threshold of the house (of the Lord); and the Lord called the man that was clothed with linen clothes, and had a penner of a writer in his loins. (Then the glory of the Lord of Israel was taken up from above the cherubim, which glory was upon them, to the threshold of the House of the Lord; and the Lord called to the man who was clothed in linen clothes, and had a writer's inkhorn 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 And he cried in mine ears with great voice, and said, The visitings of the city have nighed, and each man hath in his hand an instrument of slaying. (And he cried in my ears with a loud voice, and said, The punishment of the city hath arrived, and each man have in his hand an instrument for killing, that is, a weapon.)
2 And lo! six men came from the way of the higher gate, that beholdeth to the north, and the instrument of death of each man was in his hand; also one man in the midst of them was clothed with linen clothes, and a penner of a writer at his reins; and they entered, and stood beside the brazen altar. (And lo! six men came from the way of the upper northern gate, and each man had an instrument of death in his hand; and one man in their midst was clothed in linen clothes, and had a writer's inkhorn at his side; and they entered, and stood beside the bronze altar.)
3 And the glory of the Lord of Israel was taken up from cherub[im], which glory was on it, to the threshold of the house (of the Lord); and the Lord called the man that was clothed with linen clothes, and had a penner of a writer in his loins. (Then the glory of the Lord of Israel was taken up from above the cherubim, which glory was upon them, to the threshold of the House of the Lord; and the Lord called to the man who was clothed in linen clothes, and had a writer's inkhorn at his side.)
4 And the Lord said to him, Pass thou by the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem, and mark thou Tau on the foreheads of men wailing and sorrowing on all [the] abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
5 And he said to them in mine hearing, Go ye through the city, and follow ye him, and smite ye; your eye spare not, neither do ye mercy. (And he said to the others in my hearing, Go ye through the city, and follow ye him, and strike ye them down; do not let your eye spare them, nor have ye any mercy on them.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.