Ezekiel 10

The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple

1 Then I looked, and behold, ¹on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something ²like a sapphire,^[a] in appearance like a throne.

2 And he said to ³the man clothed in linen, "Go in among ⁴the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with ⁵burning coals from between the cherubim, and ⁶scatter them over the city."And he went in ⁷before my eyes.

3 Now the cherubim were standing ⁸on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and ⁹a cloud filled ¹⁰the inner court.

4 And ¹¹the glory of the LORD ¹²went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house ¹³was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with ¹⁴the brightness of the glory of the LORD.

5 And ¹⁵the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, ¹⁶like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

6 And when he commanded ¹⁷the man clothed in linen, ¹⁸"Take fire from between ¹⁹the 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 ²⁰the form of a human hand under their wings.

9 ²¹And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and ²²the appearance of the wheels was ²³like sparkling ²⁴beryl.

10 And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel.

11 ²⁵When they went, they went in any of their four directions^[b]26without turning as they went, ²⁷but in whatever direction the front wheel^[c] faced, the others followed without turning as they went.

12 ²⁸And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings,^[d] 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 ²⁹"the whirling wheels."

14 ³⁰And every one had four faces: ³¹the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was ³²a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15 ³³And the cherubim mounted up. These were ³⁴the living creatures that I saw by ³⁵the Chebar canal.

16 ³⁶And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them. And ³⁷when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them.

17 ³⁸When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them, for the spirit of the living creatures^[e] was in them.

18 ³⁹Then ⁴⁰the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.

19 ⁴¹And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth ⁴²before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the ⁴³east gate of the house of the LORD, and ⁴⁴the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

20 ⁴⁵These were the living creatures that I saw ⁴⁶underneath the God of Israel by ⁴⁷the Chebar canal; and I knew that they were cherubim.

21 ⁴⁸Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings ⁴⁹the likeness of human hands.

22 ⁵⁰And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the Chebar canal. ⁵¹Each one of them went straight forward.

Ezekiel 10 Commentary

Chapter 10

A vision of the burning of the city. (1-7) The Divine glory departing from the temple. (8-22)

Verses 1-7 The fire being taken from between the wheels, under the cherubim, ch. 1:13 , seems to have signified the wrath of God to be executed upon Jerusalem. It intimated that the fire of Divine wrath, which kindles judgment upon a people, is just and holy; and in the great day, the earth, and all the works that are therein, will be burnt up.

Verses 8-22 Ezekiel sees the working of Divine providence in the government of the lower world, and the affairs of it. When God is leaving a people in displeasure, angels above, and all events below, further his departure. The Spirit of life, the Spirit of God, directs all creatures, in heaven and on earth, so as to make them serve the Divine purpose. God removes by degrees from a provoking people; and, when ready to depart, would return to them, if they were a repenting, praying people. Let this warn sinners to seek the Lord while he may be found, and to call on him while he is near, and cause us all to walk humbly and watchfully with our God.

Cross References

• 1. [Ezekiel 1:22]
• 2. See Ezekiel 1:26
• 3. See Ezekiel 9:2
• 4. ver. 6, 13
• 5. Ezekiel 1:13
• 6. [Revelation 8:5]
• 7. ver. 19
• 8. [Luke 1:11]
• 9. See 1 Kings 8:10
• 10. See Ezekiel 8:16
• 11. See Ezekiel 1:28
• 12. ver. 18, 19
• 13. [See ver. 3 above]
• 14. [Ezekiel 43:2]
• 15. Ezekiel 1:24
• 16. Ezekiel 1:24
• 17. See Ezekiel 9:2
• 18. [ver. 2]
• 19. ver. 2
• 20. [ver. 21; Ezekiel 1:8; Ezekiel 8:3]
• 21. [Ezekiel 1:15]
• 22. Ezekiel 1:16
• 23. [Ezekiel 1:4]
• 24. [Ezekiel 1:16; Daniel 10:6]
• 25. Ezekiel 1:17
• 26. Ezekiel 1:9
• 27. [ver. 22]
• 28. [Ezekiel 1:18]
• 29. [See ver. 6 above]
• 30. [Ezekiel 1:6]
• 31. [Ezekiel 1:10]
• 32. [Ezekiel 1:5, 10; Ezekiel 41:19]
• 33. ver. 17, 19
• 34. Ezekiel 1:5
• 35. See Ezekiel 1:1
• 36. Ezekiel 1:19
• 37. Ezekiel 1:19
• 38. Ezekiel 1:20
• 39. [ver. 4]
• 40. Ezekiel 43:2; See Ezekiel 1:28
• 41. Ezekiel 11:22
• 42. ver. 2
• 43. Ezekiel 11:1
• 44. Ezekiel 43:2; See Ezekiel 1:28
• 45. Ezekiel 1:5
• 46. Ezekiel 1:22, 26
• 47. See Ezekiel 1:1
• 48. [Ezekiel 1:6]
• 49. [ver. 8]
• 50. Ezekiel 1:10
• 51. [ver. 11]

Footnotes

• [a]. Or lapis lazuli
• [b]. Hebrew to their four sides
• [c]. Hebrew the head
• [d]. Or their whole body, their backs, their hands, and their wings
• [e]. Or spirit of life

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 10

In this chapter is a vision, very much like that in the first chapter, with some difference, and with a different view, the design of it being to represent the wrath of God against Jerusalem, and his departure from the city and temple. A throne much like that in Eze 1:26 is described, Eze 10:1; orders are given from it to scatter coals over the city, Eze 10:2; the situation of the cherubim when these orders were given, Eze 10:3; the removal of the glory of the Lord from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the consequences of it; the house filled with smoke; the court with the brightness of the Lord's glory; and the sound of the cherubim's wings heard to the outer court, as the voice of God, Eze 10:4,5; the orders of taking and scattering fire over the city executed, and the manner in which they were, Eze 10:6,7; a description of the cherubim and the wheels, much like that in the first chapter, Eze 10:8-17; the departure of the glory of God from the threshold to the east gate of the Lord's house, with the motion of the cherubim and wheels along with him, Eze 10:18,19; and the chapter is concluded with observing, that the cherubim are the same with the living creatures seen in the vision of the first chapter, and had the same form, likeness, and motion, Eze 10:20-22.