Ezekiel · chapter 10 of 48
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Ezekiel 10 resumes the throne vision: Ezekiel again sees the cherubim and the wheels full of eyes, and identifies them as the same creatures he saw by the Chebar. The man in linen takes coals from between the cherubim to scatter over the city, and the glory of the Lord leaves the temple threshold and stands over the cherubim at the east gate.
Ezekiel 10 is the direct continuation of chapter 9 and the link with the opening vision of chapter 1. The same mobile throne Ezekiel saw in Babylon now appears above the temple in Jerusalem. God is preparing to leave his house, and that movement is the center of the chapter.
Ezekiel looks and sees above the expanse over the cherubim's heads something like a sapphire, in the appearance of a throne. The Lord speaks to the man clothed in linen and tells him to go in among the wheels beneath the cherubim, take coals of fire from between them and scatter them over the city. The man goes in as Ezekiel watches.
The cherubim are standing on the south side of the house when the man enters, and a cloud fills the inner court. The glory of the Lord rises from the cherub and stands over the threshold of the house; the temple is filled with the cloud and the court with the brightness of the glory. The sound of the cherubim's wings is heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks. One cherub stretches out his hand to the fire and takes coals to put into the hands of the man in linen, who takes them and goes out.
The four wheels beside the cherubim are described, gleaming like topaz and each within another, and the cherubim are full of eyes all over their bodies. They move in any direction without turning, because the spirit of the living creatures is in them. Ezekiel says these are the same beings he saw by the Chebar canal, and he recognizes that they are cherubim. At the end, the glory of the Lord departs from the threshold and stands over the cherubim; they lift their wings and mount up from the earth before Ezekiel, with the wheels, and stop at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, with the glory of the God of Israel over them.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord tells the man in linen to take coals from between the cherubim and scatter them over Jerusalem. The fire of the throne, which purifies in another vision, here announces judgment on a defiled city.
The glory of the Lord rises from the cherub and stands over the threshold; the house is filled with the cloud. God's presence is not limited to a box or a building: it can approach or withdraw according to the people's faithfulness.
Ezekiel declares that these cherubim are the creatures he saw by the Chebar. The vision in Babylon and the one in the temple are the same, which confirms that the God who reigns in exile is also the Lord of the temple.
The glory of the Lord leaves the threshold of the temple and stands over the cherubim, which rise and stop at the east gate. The departure is gradual and leaves the door open to repentance, but it is one of the gravest scenes in the book.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: To take coals of fire from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city. — Ezekiel 10:2
Answer: A cloud. — Ezekiel 10:3
Answer: The sound of the cherubim's wings. — Ezekiel 10:5
Answer: Eyes all around. — Ezekiel 10:12
Answer: With the living creatures he saw by the Chebar canal. — Ezekiel 10:20
Answer: At the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, above the cherubim. — Ezekiel 10:19
When God withdraws from the temple, the building may still stand and the ceremonies may continue, but the presence is gone. Churches can also keep running programs while losing what is essential. This chapter invites us to ask humbly whether we seek God's presence or only his forms.
But the same chapter offers comfort: the throne chariot is mobile, and whoever saw God in Babylon knows he is not tied to one place. If you feel far from a place that once gave you security, remember that the Lord of glory can accompany you in exile.
Ezekiel 10 shows the glory of the Lord leaving the threshold and stopping at the east gate. In chapter 11 the departure is completed, and alongside it comes a promise of a new heart for the exiles.
In Ezekiel 10:14 the first face of each creature is that of a cherub, while in Ezekiel 1:10 it was an ox. The text does not explain the difference. Some think it is a variation in the description or another way of naming the same face; the important thing is that Ezekiel affirms they are the same beings.
The coals of fire taken from between the cherubim are scattered over Jerusalem as a sign of judgment. Many readers think of the fire that would destroy the city in 586 BC; the text presents the act as God's command without explaining more.