Ezekiel witnesses a command for a man clothed in linen to scatter coals of fire over Jerusalem, symbolizing divine judgment. The glory of the LORD then ascends from the cherubim to the temple threshold, filling the house with its brightness. Subsequently, the glory departs from the threshold and ascends with the cherubim and their accompanying wheels. They ultimately move towards and stand at the east gate of the temple.
Then I looked, and see, in the expanse that was over the head of the cherubim there appeared above them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.
He spoke to the man clothed in linen, and said, Go in between the whirling wheels, even under the cherub, and fill both your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city. He went in as I watched.
the LORD’s glory mounted up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory.
It came to pass, when he commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim, that he went in, and stood beside a wheel.
The cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took of it, and put it into the hands of him who was clothed in linen, who took it and went out.
I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside one cherub, and another wheel beside another cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like a beryl stone.
When they went, they went in their four directions: they didn’t turn as they went, but to the place where the head looked they followed it; they didn’t turn as they went.
Their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes all around, even the wheels that the four of them had.
Every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third face the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels also didn’t turn from beside them.
The cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight when they went out, and the wheels beside them: and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’s house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
As for the likeness of their faces, they were the faces which I saw by the river Chebar, their appearances and themselves; they went every one straight forward.
Study Notes for Ezekiel 10
Verse 1
This vision confirms the appearance of the sapphire throne above the cherubim, recalling the description of God’s glory in the initial call vision (Ezek 1:26) and the revelation at Sinai (Exod 24:10).
Verse 2
The fire taken from the mobile throne symbolizes divine judgment and wrath, paralleling the destruction of Jerusalem with the purification of the temple by fire. The man clothed in linen is the executioner of God’s decree (cf. Ezek 9:2).
Verse 4
The *kavod* (glory) moving to the threshold is the first step in the divine withdrawal from the temple. The cloud filling the house recalls the dedication of Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11), but here it precedes judgment, not consecration.
Verse 7
The cherubim, guardians of the holy space, actively participate in the judgment by delivering the coals of fire to the linen-clothed man, emphasizing the divine origin of the impending destruction.
Verse 11
The description of the wheels moving without turning emphasizes the instantaneous and directed nature of God's judgment and movement; the divine vehicle is always ready to move in any direction.
Verse 12
The creatures and wheels being 'full of eyes' symbolizes their comprehensive knowledge and vigilance. This detail reinforces the theme of divine omnipresence and the absolute awareness of God’s judgment.
Verse 14
Ezekiel clarifies the identity of the four faces. The 'face of a cherub' here likely corresponds to the 'ox' or 'bull' face found in the initial vision (Ezek 1:10), serving as a clarification of the nature of these angelic guardians.
Verse 17
The unity of movement between the wheels and the cherubim is explained by the 'spirit of the living creature' being within the mechanism, confirming that the entire apparatus is animated by divine power and intelligence.
Verse 18
This verse marks the theological climax: the visible departure of the *kavod* (Glory of the Lord) from the inner temple. This signals that God has permanently withdrawn his presence due to the temple's defilement, sealing the city’s fate.
Verse 19
The glory settles over the East Gate, the outer boundary of the temple complex. This position prepares for the final departure eastward, toward the location of the exiles in Babylon (Ezek 11:23).
Verse 20
Ezekiel confirms the identity of the complex, mobile creatures he saw by the Chebar river. Recognizing them as cherubim links his vision to the traditional temple guardians and the protectors of Eden (Gen 3:24).
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