Ezekiel 10

Ezekiel sees again the throne-chariot of God that he first saw by the River Kebar, now at the temple in Jerusalem. Burning coals from among the cherubim are scattered over the city as a sign of coming judgment. Then the glory of the LORD slowly leaves the temple threshold and moves to the east gate, because the people’s sin has driven Him from His house.

Ezekiel 10:1

Above the cherubim Ezekiel sees what looks like a sapphire throne. It is the same vision of God’s rule that he saw in chapter 1. The King who sits there is not confined to a building. He is present in Jerusalem, and He is in command.

BSA: throne (“seat of power, authority”): This is a seat of rule, so what follows is a royal verdict and not mere spectacle. sapphire (“a precious blue gemstone”): The deep blue gem shows the splendor and heavenly character of the throne.

See also: Ezekiel 1:26; Exodus 24:10.

Ezekiel 10:2

The LORD speaks to the man in linen, who in chapter 9 marked the faithful. He is sent into the wheelwork to take burning coals and scatter them over Jerusalem. Fire from God’s own throne becomes the sign of judgment on the city.

BSA: burning coals (“hot embers, fiery coals”): These are real glowing embers taken from the very presence of God, so the judgment comes from Him.

Hebrew: גַּלְגַּל (galgal, H1534) — “wheel, whirling wheel.” The word sounds like rolling and turning. It gives the picture of a great wheel in constant motion beneath God’s throne.

See also: Isaiah 6:6-7.

Ezekiel 10:3

As the man goes in, the cherubim stand at the south side of the temple, and a cloud fills the inner court. The cloud once marked God’s welcome among His people. Here it veils a holy God who is about to act in judgment.

BSA: cloud (“to make full, complete”): The gloss on the verb ‘filled’ suggests the cloud fills the court completely, so God’s presence is unmistakable.

See also: Exodus 40:34.

Ezekiel 10:4

The glory of the LORD rises from the cherubim and moves to the temple threshold. The house and court are filled with cloud and dazzling light. God is leaving the place where He once chose to dwell, but He does so in majesty.

BSA: brightness (“nogah, shining, radiance”): The word means shining light, so the court is lit up by the glory of God. threshold (“the base of a door”): The glory stands at the doorway, ready to leave.

Hebrew: כָּבוֹד (kavod, H3519) — “glory, weight.” The word carries the sense of heaviness or weight. It points to God’s real, weighty presence, and not only to light.

See also: 1 Kings 8:10-11.

Ezekiel 10:5

The beating of the cherubim’s wings is so loud that it is heard in the outer court. Ezekiel compares it to the voice of God Almighty speaking. The sound is not only noise. It declares the power of the One who is about to act.

BSA: Almighty (“Shadday, all-powerful”): This name stresses that God is all-powerful and able to do what He says.

Hebrew: שַׁדַּי (Shaddai, H7706) — “Almighty.” This is an old name of God, first known from the fathers of Israel. It speaks of His strength and sufficiency.

See also: Psalm 29:3-4.

Ezekiel 10:6

The LORD repeats His command, and the man in linen obeys. He goes in and stands beside a wheel. The one who has marked the faithful now acts for God, and he does exactly what he is told.

BSA: stood (“to stand in a strong sense, like a sentinel”): He stands steadily at his post, ready to carry out the task he is given.

Ezekiel 10:7

One of the cherubim hands the fire to the man in linen. God’s judgment is not random. The fire comes from the throne through the cherub and into the hands of a chosen servant, who then goes out to do his work.

BSA: hand (“the palm or hollow of the hand”): The picture is of an open palm passing the fire carefully to the man.

Ezekiel 10:8

Ezekiel notes that the cherubim have what look like human hands under their wings. These are the hands that served the fire in the last verse. They show that these beings act and serve, and are not only wonders to look at.

BSA: hands (“an open hand; strength, a side or share”): Hands stand for strength and action, so these beings carry out God’s work.

Ezekiel 10:9

Ezekiel sees four wheels, one beside each cherub, shining like beryl. The wheels belong to the throne-chariot. They show that God’s glory is not fixed to one place but can move wherever He wills.

BSA: beryl (“tarshish, a precious stone, possibly jasper”): The gem is named after a far-off land, and it gives the wheels a rare, sparkling look.

Hebrew: תַּרְשִׁישׁ (tarshish, H8658) — “a precious stone (beryl).” Its exact color is uncertain. The name suggests a gem with a sea-like gleam, shining and costly.

Ezekiel 10:10

All four wheels look alike, each like a wheel set inside another wheel. This likely means they can run in any direction. The picture speaks of God’s perfect order and of a throne that goes wherever He sends it.

BSA: within (“in the midst of”): One wheel sits right in the middle of another, crossing it, so it can turn any way.

See also: Ezekiel 1:16.

Ezekiel 10:11

The creatures move in any of the four directions without turning. They simply go where the head faces. Nothing about the movement of God’s throne is clumsy or uncertain. His purposes advance directly and without delay.

BSA: without turning (“changing course”): They never change course, and this shows how steady and sure God’s purposes are.

Ezekiel 10:12

The bodies of the cherubim, and the wheels also, are covered with eyes all around. Nothing escapes the notice of the throne. God sees everything, and He is not caught off guard by anything in Jerusalem or anywhere else.

BSA: eyes (“sources of vision, understanding”): The eyes stand for full knowledge, so God’s judgment is based on complete knowing.

See also: Proverbs 15:3.

Ezekiel 10:13

Ezekiel hears the wheels called ’the whirling wheels.’ The name catches their quick, sweeping motion. It also suggests the sudden force of God’s movements, as when a whirlwind arrives.

BSA: whirling wheels (“a wheel or whirlwind”): The name joins the idea of a wheel with that of a storm wind, which suggests speed and power.

Hebrew: גַּלְגַּל (galgal, H1534) — “whirling wheel.” The same word as in verse 2. It is also used elsewhere for a rolling thing blown by the wind.

Ezekiel 10:14

Each cherub has four faces: cherub, man, lion and eagle. In chapter 1 the first face was an ox, so the wording here differs. These faces together suggest the highest of creation, such as the strong, the noble, the swift and the wise, all serving the Creator.

See also: Ezekiel 1:10.

Ezekiel 10:15

The cherubim rise upward, and Ezekiel says they are the living creatures he saw by the River Kebar. The glory he saw in exile in Babylon is the same glory now seen at the temple. God is not shut up in one land.

BSA: Kebar (“in Mesopotamia, a place of exile”): Ezekiel first met God’s glory in a foreign land, among exiles far from the temple.

See also: Ezekiel 1:1.

Ezekiel 10:16

When the cherubim move, the wheels move with them, and when they rise on their wings, the wheels stay at their side. Creature and chariot act as one. Everything in the vision answers together to the one will on the throne.

BSA: veer away from (“stay close, remain nearby”): The wheels never drift off but remain close beside the cherubim.

Ezekiel 10:17

When the cherubim stop, the wheels stop. When they rise, the wheels rise. This is because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. One life and one purpose drive the whole chariot.

BSA: spirit (“breath of life, divine energy”): A single living force moves all the parts, so the whole chariot acts as one.

Hebrew: רוּחַ (ruach, H7307) — “spirit, breath, wind.” The same word covers breath, wind and spirit. Here it is the living power that moves the whole chariot.

Ezekiel 10:18

The glory of the LORD leaves the temple threshold and stands above the cherubim. This is the first step of a sad departure. The nation had trusted in the temple, but God will not stay where He is shut out by idols and sin.

BSA: moved away (“departed, went out”): The glory truly leaves the house, so this is a departure and not a pause.

Hebrew: יָצָא (yatsa, H3318) — “went out, departed.” This common word for going out marks a real departure. God’s glory leaves the temple.

See also: Ezekiel 8:6.

Ezekiel 10:19

The cherubim lift off with the wheels and stop at the east gate of the LORD’s house, with the glory above them. The glory has moved from the inner place toward the outside. The way out to the east shows a God who is leaving, step by step.

BSA: east (“direction of sunrise”): The glory heads toward the sunrise side, the side from which the temple was entered.

See also: Ezekiel 11:22-23; Ezekiel 43:1-4.

Ezekiel 10:20

Ezekiel says again that these are the living creatures he saw under the God of Israel at the Kebar. Now he knows they are cherubim. The glory of Israel’s own God is not a stranger to him. It is the very same Lord who met him in exile.

BSA: knew (“ascertained, perceived”): Ezekiel comes to a settled understanding of what he first saw only in wonder.

Ezekiel 10:21

Ezekiel again describes each cherub: four faces, four wings, and human hands under the wings. The repeated description is to assure us that what he now sees is the very vision he saw earlier. The same God is at work.

BSA: four (“exactly, precisely”): The exact number stresses careful, deliberate order in the vision.

Ezekiel 10:22

Their faces match those at the Kebar, and each creature goes straight ahead. The vision closes by stressing that God’s purposes move forward without turning back. What He has begun in judgment, He is carrying out.

BSA: straight ahead (“directly, forward”): The cherubim move forward directly with no wandering, so God’s purpose is steady.