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Ezekiel 10

KJV · Chapter 10/48

1Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

2And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.

3Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.

4Then the glory of the Lord went 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.

5And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.

6And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels.

7And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out.

8And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

9And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.

10And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.

11When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.

12And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.

13As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel.

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

15And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.

16And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them.

17When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them.

18Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.

19And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one 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.

20This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.

21Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

22And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Ezekiel sees the glory of the Lord rise up from within the temple and rest upon the cherubim, who are finally identified as the same living creatures seen by the Chebar River.

Explanation

This chapter marks the crucial turning point of God's presence departing from the temple of Jerusalem, a process that continues in chapter 11. Symbolically, this means God does not abandon his people on a whim, but withdraws because the temple itself had been defiled by the idolatry seen in chapter 8. The explicit identification of the creatures as 'cherubim' connects this vision to the cherubim embroidered on the temple veil and above the ark of the covenant, reinforcing that what Ezekiel saw was, in fact, God's mobile throne. The central message is that the true tragedy of Jerusalem would not be physical destruction, but the absence of the divine presence.

Fun facts

  • The Hebrew word for 'wheels' used here is the same one from which 'Galgal' derives, cited in the text as the name given to them — a rare moment where the text explains its own terminology.
  • The gradual departure of God's glory (temple → threshold → east gate, chapters 9-11) is read by commentators as a careful, sorrowful portrayal, almost like a reluctant farewell rather than an abrupt expulsion.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Ezekiel 10:1The vision returns to the image of the sapphire throne already seen in chapter 1, now directly tied to the cherubim sustaining the scene inside the temple.
  2. Ezekiel 10:2The coals scattered over the city, taken from among the cherubim, tie the scene of destruction to a source: the fire of judgment comes from the temple’s own most sacred space, not from outside.
  3. Ezekiel 10:3A thick cloud fills the inner court, a recurring biblical sign of God’s presence manifesting itself in a visible, intense way.
  4. Ezekiel 10:4The movement of God’s glory continues, step by step: it now moves to the threshold, filling temple and court with cloud and brightness.
  5. Ezekiel 10:5The sound of the wings becomes so intense it is heard even in the outer court — compared to the very voice of God, to show the magnitude of the scene.
  6. Ezekiel 10:6The man in linen receives a new instruction, tied to the earlier order to scatter coals over the city — the scene loops back to this point to spell out how the fire was taken.
  7. Ezekiel 10:7One of the cherubim hands the fire directly to the man in linen — the fire of judgment literally comes out from within the most sacred presence.
  8. Ezekiel 10:8This repeats a detail already seen in chapter 1: human hands under the creatures’ wings, reinforcing that this is the same vision revisited in greater detail.
  9. Ezekiel 10:9The same wheels from chapter 1 reappear here, one for each cherub, with the same bright appearance of precious stone.
  10. Ezekiel 10:10It confirms this is exactly the same strange shape of the wheels described before — one wheel set inside another, allowing free movement in any direction.
  11. Ezekiel 10:11The movement of the wheels follows the same pattern as before: always toward wherever the “head” pointed, with no need to turn the whole assembly.
  12. Ezekiel 10:12Bodies, hands, wings, and wheels — all covered with eyes all around, reinforcing once again the idea of total watchfulness, with no blind spot.
  13. Ezekiel 10:13The wheels of the vision are given a name here, galgal, a word suggesting spinning or a whirl; it is the same assembly described in chapter 1, now named because the vision is being repeated and expanded.
  14. Ezekiel 10:14The creatures’ four faces reappear, but here the first one is called the face of a “cherub” instead of an ox — the text uses “cherub” as the name for these same creatures described in chapter 1.
  15. Ezekiel 10:15The text explicitly confirms that the cherubim in this vision are the same “living creatures” described by the river Chebar in chapter 1 — it is the same scene seen again, up close.
  16. Ezekiel 10:16This repeats the synchrony between wheels and cherubim already seen before: wherever one goes, the other follows, without separation.
  17. Ezekiel 10:17The explanation for this perfect synchrony is given again: the same spirit that animates the cherubim is also in the wheels, joining the two as a single thing.
  18. Ezekiel 10:18This is one of the most important moments in the book: the glory of the LORD departs from inside the temple and stops at the east gate, still within the complex, but already preparing to leave for good. For those hearing this at the time, it was about the gravest news possible.
  19. Ezekiel 10:19The cherubim go out carrying the glory of God to the east gate of the temple — the second stage of a departure that will still continue on to the Mount of Olives.
  20. Ezekiel 10:20Ezekiel confirms for the second time that he recognized these creatures as the same ones from chapter 1, now identified by the name “cherubims.”
  21. Ezekiel 10:21This sums up once more the details already described: four faces, four wings, and human hands — the text reaffirms each element before the vision moves forward.
  22. Ezekiel 10:22The chapter closes by confirming once more that this vision is identical to the one from the beginning of the book, only now revisited with Ezekiel already inside the temple itself in Jerusalem.

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