Ezekiel 10
DortA further vision of the glory of the Lord being like unto the former which the prophet had seen by the river Chebar and of the fiery coles which the man clothed with linen received for to scatter them in the city vers 1 & c The glory of the Lord seemeth here to have changed its place three times first from the Cherubims to the threshold of the temple 4 secondly from thence again upon the Cherubims 18 thirdly upon the Cherubims to the east-gate or foremost gate to go forth out of his house 19.
1. Then I looked [to wit in the spirit for the prophet was in a trance]and behold above the firmament [see above chap 1 on vers22 and compare there vers 26]which was over the head of the Cherubims [that is the likeness of the Cherubims see of these Genes 3 on vers 24 they are above chap 1 on vers. 26 and he [to wit God who is called below the Lord vers 18 and the God of Israel vers14] appear upon them [to wit the firmament and the throne or upon them to wit the Cherubims.]
2. And he spake to the man clothed with linen see of this man above chap 9 on vers 3 if by him here he understood the Lord .Christ then he is here considered as the judge of the wicked ] and he said go in even between the wheels [that is into the very midst of them so in the sequel understand by these the wheels whose description and signification see above chap 1 on vers 15] under the very Cherub [for the wheels where by the Cherubims]and fill thy fists with fiery coles [which were representations of Gods just judgments see above chap 1 on vers 13 and compare Psal 18.9] from between the Cherubims [Heb from betweenesses of the Cherubims that is from the place which is between the Cherubims]and scatter them over the city [for a token that it shall be consumed by a burning of the sword famine and pestilence yea also with material fire 2 Kings 25:9] and he [namely the man clothed with linen] went in before mine eyes [that is so as I beheld him with mine eyes in this vision .]
3. Now the Cherubims stood on the right side [that is on the north-side which looked towards the land of the Chaldeans to signifie the destruction of the temple and of the Jews to come from thence] of the house [that is of the temple of the Lord meaning in the inner court as appeareth by the following words of this vers]when that man went in and a cloud which signifieth Gods wrath and the destruction that was neerhand ready to light upon the temple So that the cloud here is a token of Gods anger and approaching calamities as Psal 18.13 and not of his gracious co-habitation as Exodus 40:34 Numb 9.15 1 Kings 8:10,`11]filled the innermost court [which was the court of the priest see 1 Kings 6 o vers 36.]
4. Then the Glory of the Lord [see above chap 1 on vers 28]lifted up itself from high above its Cherub [upon which the Lord had his ordinary dwelling place in the holy of holies 1 Sam 4.4 Psal 8.20 Isaiah 37:16 or from upon these four Cherubims to the threshold of the house as followeth the Cherub or Cherubims for the singular number is here taken for the plural see above on vers 1 and chap 9 on vers 3] upon the threshold of the house [to signifie that God would remove from the temple and from that people by house is here meant that part of the temple which was called the holy place First God departed from the most holy place above c 9.3 Now he departeth also from the holy place and the house was filled with a cloud with a court [to wit the innermost court otherwise called the court of the priest]was full of the brightness of the Lords glory .
5. And the noise of the wing of Cherubims [to wit who thus as it were with praise and thanksgiving applauded the just removal of God or as it were with astonishment foretold the fearful misery that would follow thereupon of the Cherubims wings see above on chap 1 on vers6] was heard unto the outermost court [this is further described by similitudes above chap 1.24 the outermost court was otherwise called the great court see 1 Kings 7:9 and the annotate]as the voice of the almighty God[see above chap I on vers 24 of the almighty God see Gen 17 on vers 2] when he speaketh .
6. Now it came to pass when he[namely the Lord whose glory is described above v 4] had commanded the man clothed with linen saying take fire [called above vers 2 fiery coles fire signifieth Gods wrath and vengeance see Job 22 n vers 20] from between the wheels [see above on vers 2]from between the Cherubims that he went in and stood by a wheel [to wit by one of these four wheels that were by the Cherubims .Others wheels and so the singular number is taken for the plural compare above vers 4the annotate on the above Cherub.]
7. Then one Cherub [to wit one of the four of which see above chap 15 and the annotate]put forth his hand from between the Cherubims unto the fire which was between the Cherubims and took thereof and gave it into the fists of him that was clothed with linen he took it and went out .
8. For there was seen onto the Cherubims the likeness of a mans hand under their wings see above chap 1 on vers 8 Nevertheless understand that each of them had two hands The singular number for the plural compare above vers 4 on the word Cherub also below vers 21 .]
9. Then I looked and behold four wheels [see above chap 1on vers 15]were by the Cherubims [which were also four in number above chap 1 vers 5 were they are called beasts see the annotate]one wheel was by every Cherub [Heb one wheel by one Cherub and one wheel by one Cherub that is by every Cherub a wheel see of this phrase Genes 7 on vers 2 and Numb 7 vers 11 and 13 on vers 2] and the form of the wheels was as the colour of the beryl-stone a precious stone of which see above chap 1 on vers 16 ]
10. And as for their forms these four had one manner of likeness which signifieth that in all the works of God there is a wonderful likeness in manner order and perfection ]as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel [see above chap 1 vers 15 on the words four faces likewise see the annotate in the same place on vers 16 .]
11. When those [to wit the Cherubims by whom the wheels were see above chap 1 on vers 9.] then these [to wit the wheels see above chap 1 on vers 17 went upon their four sides they turned not about when they went [see above chap 1 on vers 17] but the place whither the head looked [meaning one of the four head which every Cherub had which looked towards the four winds]they followed it they turned not about as they went .
12. Now their [to wit the Cherubims]whole body [Heb flesh for mans body consisteth of flesh see Job 12 on vers 10]and their hands and their wings together with the wheels were full of eyes round about [eyes are here ascribed unto the Cherubims though not in the first vision chap 1 which signifie the providence of God which enlightened and whereby all their works is wisely ordered and performed compare above chap 1 on vers 18 where mention is made of the eyes of the wheel]those four [to wit Cherubims see above chap 1 on vers 15 likewise here verse 9] had their wheels the meaning is that every Cherub had one wheel .]
13. As for the wheels everyone of them was called before man ears Galgal [that is in my hearing or so that I heard it every wheel was called Galgal that is wheel or globe or ball or thus it was cried unto them o wheel or the wheel &c.]
14. And everyone had four faces and the first face [to wit of everyone of the Cherubims now this first face of the Cherub was that which looked forward the second that looked towards the right hand the third towards the left hand the forth looked backward such four faces they all four had Heb the face of the first]was the face of the Cherub [some are of opinion that here instead of the face of an ox is put the face of a Cherub to shew that they were all Cherubims others give other reasons] and the second face was the face of a man and the third was that of a lion and the fourth the face of an eagle [in the vision is some difference both in order and appellation from the former vision mentioned above c1 though indeed it was the very same see above chap 15 .22.]
15. And those Cheribims lifted themselves on high this was the very beast [or these were the very beasts the singular number before the plural he speaketh of the four beast whereof see above chap 1.5] that I had seen by the river Chebar .
16. And when the Cheribims ran then those wheels went by them and when the Cheribims lifted up their wings to lift themselves on high from the earth then those same wheels also turned not themselves about from besides them .
17. When those [to wit the Cheribims] stood these[to wit the wheels so in the sequel] stood and when those were lifted up they also lifted up themselves for the spirit of the beasts [To wit the holy Ghost see above chap 1 on vers 12 others the spirit of life] was in them .
18. Then the Glory of the Lord [that is God that is glorious see above chap 1 on vers 28] departed from above the threshold of the house [to wit upon which was come before from the Cherubims see above vers 4 and the annotate] and stood or set itself above the Cherubims .
19. And the Cherubims lift up their wings and lift up themselves on high from the earth before mine eyes [that is that I beheld it to wit with the eyes of my spirit being in a trance] when they went out the wheels were over against them or besides them and everyone stood or stayed at the door of the east gate or foremost gate of the Lord house [some understand by this gate the gate of the priest court others the gate of the people court this signified that God would at length utterly remove from his house compare above chap 9 the annotate on vers 3 and in this chap on vers 4 and the glory of God from Israel was from above over them namely over the Cherubims .]
20. This is the beast see above vers 15 ]that I saw under the God of Israel [for these beasts stood under the firmament above which the Glory of God appeared see above chap 1 .26 and here vers 1]by the river Chebar [see above chap 1.3] and I perceived that they were Cherubims [so that the vision of the prophet served for interpretation of the first vision described above chap 1.]
21. Everyone had four faces and everyone had four wings and the likeness of mens hands was under their wings .
22. And as for the likeness of heir faces they were the same faces that I had seen by the river Chebar their forms and themselves they went everyone straight on before his face [see above chap 1 on vers 9.]