Ezekiel 8:2

2 Then I looked and saw a figure like that of a man. From His waist down His appearance was like fire, and from His waist up He was as bright as the gleam of amber. ^[a]

Ezekiel 8:2 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 8:2

And then one beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of
fire
The Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "behold the likeness of a man"; reading (vya) , "a man", for (va) , "fire"; but without supposing such a reading, for which there is no foundation, this likeness may very well be understood of the likeness of a man; since mention is made of his joins in the next clause, and of his hand in ( Ezekiel 8:3 ) ; and the description agrees with the appearance of a man in ( Ezekiel 1:26 Ezekiel 1:27 ) ; it was usual for the Son of God, who doubtless is here meant, to appear in a human form; and so Junius and Tremellius supply the words,

``and lo a likeness "of a man", as in the appearance of fire:''

it was the form of a fiery man that was seen, as he is further described: from the appearance of his loins, even downward, fire;
his lower parts, thighs, legs, and feet; expressive either of the light of grace communicated from Christ to his people; or of his fervent love towards them, or flaming zeal for God and his house; or rather of his wrath against an idolatrous people; see ( Revelation 1:15 ) ; a like description is in ( Ezekiel 1:27 ) ; and from his loins, even upward, as the appearance of brightness;
his upper parts, back, belly, breast, shoulders, arms, head which may denote his incomprehensible majesty and glory; his glory being the glory of the only begotten, the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person. The Targum renders both the one and the other part of the description thus,

``and I saw, and twelve a likeness as the look of fire, the look of glory, which the eye cannot see, nor is it possible to look upon it; and beneath the look of fire, and the look of glory, which the eye cannot behold, nor is it possible to contemplate it; and above, as the look of brightness:''

as the colour of amber:
or "chasmal": which some take to be the name of an angel. The Syriac version is, "as the look of God"; (See Gill on Ezekiel 1:4); and (See Gill on Ezekiel 1:27).

Ezekiel 8:2 In-Context

1 In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me; and there the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me.

2 Then I looked and saw a figure like that of a man. From His waist down His appearance was like fire, and from His waist up He was as bright as the gleam of amber.

3 He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes jealousy was seated.

4 And there I saw the glory of the God of Israel, like the vision I had seen in the plain.

5 “Son of man,” He said to me, “now lift up your eyes to the north.” So I lifted up my eyes to the north, and in the entrance north of the Altar Gate I saw this idol of jealousy.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or as glowing metal