Ezekiel 10

Ezekiel 10 BY GOD A VISION OF FIERY Eze_10:1-8A Divine Directive (Ezekiel 10:1-2) It came from the throne (Ezekiel 10:1): Then I looked, and behold, upon the platform that was above the head of the cherubim there appeared something like a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. The man clothed in linen had completed his God-assigned task of marking the faithful for salvation (9:11). It was time for the six executioners to expand their work from the court of the temple to the rest of Jerusalem. Yet in all of ch 10, these agents of God are not mentioned. They disappeared from the scene. Only the man clothed in linen remained.

To this beneficent character, however, a new role was assigned. He now became the agent of fiery judgment. Jerusalem was to be destroyed by sword and by fire. These two aspects of the judgment are successively portrayed to the prophet in chs 9-10.

Again the throne-chariot of the Lord appears before the prophet’ s mind. He saw the platform over the heads of the cherubim upon which stood the sapphire-like throne of the Almighty (v 1; cf. Ezekiel 1:26). The throne was initially empty, awaiting the moment when the Lord once again occupied it (cf. Ezekiel 10:18). The relationship between the glorious presence of God and the throne in these chapters is a bit difficult to follow. The following tabulation of references may assist in tracing this aspect of the vision. OF THE GLORY OF GODIn the Holy of HoliesT emple ThresholdIn the Holy of HoliesAt the East GateMt. East of JerusalemOn the ThroneSeparate from the ThroneOn the ThroneOn the ThroneOn the Throne8:49:3; 10:410:1810:1911:23 For the first time it becomes clear in 10:1 that the living creatures in Ezekiel’ s throne vision (Ezekiel 1:5 ff.) were cherubim. It is useless to speculate as to why Ezekiel waited until this point to make this identification. The delay is surely not due to the fact that Ezekiel will not have known what cherubim actually looked like until he saw the interior of the temple. Surely as a member of a priestly family he had received such information. The cherubim are assigned a variety of roles in the Old Testament. They first appear in connection with the Garden of Eden where they guarded the entrance to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24).

In Solomon’ s temple, they served as symbolic guardians of the holy of holies (1 Kings 6:23). They were depicted on the lid of the ark of the covenant with their heads bowed and their faces looking downward toward the mercy seat as if in silent adoration (Exodus 25:18-20). Ezekiel sees the cherubim in their traditional role as guardians. They protect access to the holy fire.

In a number of passages, the Lord is described as being enthroned on (or above) the cherubim. In at least one passage, God is said to ride on a cherub (Psalms 18:10). This is very much like the function performed by cherubim in Ezekiel’ s vision where these heavenly beings bear up the throne of God and provide locomotion for the entire throne-chariot. The connecting link between the previous and the present chapter— the man with the linen garment— appears inEze 10:2. Ezekiel heard the voice of the Almighty speaking again to this anonymous angel. In Ezekiel 9:3 the divine Presence had departed from the throne-chariot and had stood at the threshold of the sanctuary. But now the divine Presence is connected with the throne-chariot again. It came to the man clothed in linen ( Ezekiel 10:2): He spoke unto the man clothed in linen and said, Go in between the wheels under the cherubim and fill your hands with coals of fire found between the cherubim. Scatter them over the city. And he went in my sight. The man in linen garb was instructed to go into the midst of the wheels of the throne-chariot and pick up with both hands the hot coals that he found there (cf. Ezekiel 1:13). Hot coals apparently symbolize judgment and purgation (Isaiah 6:6 f.). That both hands are to be employed in the task points to the severity of the anticipated judgment. The agent was to scatter the coals over the wicked city of Jerusalem. As the vision continued, Ezekiel actually saw the linen-clad man begin to carry out those instructions.

The symbolic import of this part of the vision is obvious. The judgmental fire that was to fall on Jerusalem will come from the Holy One of Israel. The tragic theology of the day denied that God could ever turn against the city where he was enthroned between the cherubim. The Babylonian exiles could not (or would not) listen to Ezekiel. Desperately the prophet proclaimed the incredible truth that Yahweh will purge Jerusalem. Six years later, when Jerusalem received that awful baptism of fire, only a few recognized it as being the fire of God. Those few had been prepared by the preaching of men like Ezekiel.

Circumstances of the Directive (Ezekiel 10:3-5) Verses 3-5 parenthetically describe in vivid detail the situation in the temple at the moment the linen-clad man proceeded to execute the command of the Lord.

The inner court (Ezekiel 10:3): Now the cherubim were standing on the right of the house as the man entered. Smoke filled the inner court. The cherubim were standing on the right (i.e., south) side of the temple, far removed from the ritualistic abominations being practiced on the north side of that house (cf. Ezekiel 8:14). The cloud that accompanied the divine glory filled the inner court.

The house (Ezekiel 10:4 a): The glory of the LORD had arisen from over the cherubim and was over the threshold of the house. The house was filled with the cloud. That deep and dark cloud filled the inner court and house because the glory of the Lord had risen up and was now over the threshold of the house. This is the first stage of the God’s departure from that place (cf. Ezekiel 9:3). The cherubim had been left behind to perform a significant task, viz., to give the divine messenger of destruction the means of destroying the city. The house (i.e., the holy place) was also filled with the divine glory. This explains the presence of the glory in the inner court in the previous verse. The outer court (Ezekiel 10:4 b-5): The courtyard was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD. (Ezekiel 10:5) The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard to the outer court, like the voice of almighty God, when He spoke. Because of the presence of the glory of the Lord, the outer court was filled with ineffable radiance (nogah). From within the temple, the sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard even to the outer court. The sound resembled the voice of God Almighty (El Shaddai). Psalms 29 equates the voice of Yahweh with the roar of thunder. Probably Ezekiel intends the same comparison here.

Normally the wings of the cherubim were motionless and made no sound. In this vision, however, they made a loud noise when God spoke (cf. Ezekiel 1:24). Nevertheless, the voice of God was not thereby drowned out, for it was heard both by Ezekiel and the linen-vested minister. The thundering pulse of those angelic wings signaled the imminent departure of those heavenly creatures. Obedience to the Directive (Ezekiel 10:6-8) Directive to the seventh agent (Ezekiel 10:6): It came to pass when he had commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubim, that he went and stood beside the wheels. Ezekiel 10:6 continues the narrative from Ezekiel 10:2 following the parenthetical interjection of Eze 10:3-5. The divine voice had bidden the linen-clad angel to enter among the cherubim and take hot coals from between the wheelwork or chariot (galgal)Without any hesitation the man made his way to one of the magnificent wheels that moved in conjunction with the cherubim.

Assistance of the cherub (Ezekiel 10:7): The cherub put forth his hand from between the cherubim unto the man who was between the cherubim and he lifted up and gave unto the hands of the man clothed with linen. He took it and went out. (Ezekiel 10:8) The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’ s hand under their wings. Before the man dressed in linen could fill his hands with hot coals, one of the cherubim— presumably the one closest to Ezekiel— put forth his hand into the fire, drew forth hot coals and placed them in the hands of the “ man.” This was possible, Ezekiel 10:8 parenthetically explains, because there appeared under the wing of each of the cherubim the form of a man’ s hand. Perhaps the lesson here is that even an angelic messenger like the man clothed in linen had to keep his distance from the awful throne of God.

As guardians of the fire, it was appropriate that one of the cherubim should actually give the fire to the destroying angel. Having received those coals of judgment fire, the man with the linen garment went out from the temple to execute the command to set fire to the city (cf. Ezekiel 10:2). This visionary and symbolic representation of the burning of Jerusalem found fulfillment in 586 B.C. THRONE-CHARIOT OF GODEze_10:9-17 Focus on the Wheels (Ezekiel 10:9-13): I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, a wheel beside one cherub, and another wheel beside another cherub. The appearance of the wheels was as the color of a tarshish stone. (Ezekiel 10:10) Now as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness as when a wheel is in the midst of a wheel. (Ezekiel 10:11) When they moved, they moved unto their four sides. They did not turn as they moved, but to the place that the head turned, they followed. They did not turn as they moved. (Ezekiel 10:12) All their body, their backs, their hands and their wings, as well as the wheels were full of eyes round about, i.e., the wheels that the four had. (Ezekiel 10:13) As for the wheels, they were given the name the chariot. One might expect to find in the remaining verses of ch 10 a graphic description of the conflagration that was to befall Jerusalem. Such, however, is not the case.

Instead, the prophet again describes the throne-chariot that had occupied his attention in ch 1. The variations in the two descriptions serve to underscore the visionary and symbolic import of the entire narrative.

Five points of new information are brought out here. A tarshish-colored wheel appeared alongside each of the four cherubim (v 9). The four wheels were identical, each appearing to consist of a wheel within a wheel (v 10; cf. 1:16). The wheels were such that they could move in any direction without benefit of a turning mechanism (v 11; cf. 1: 17). Whichever direction the head, i.e., the cherub, looked, the wheel followed. The cherubim were the principal driving force of the chariot. The spirit of the living creatures (cherubim) was in the wheels. That gave unity to the whole operation.

Whereas in ch 1 the rims of the wheels were full of eyes (1:18), here the eyes are everywhere. The entire bodies of the cherubim, their backs, hands and wings, as well as the wheels, are covered with eyes (v 12). Multiplied eyes are here, as always in Scripture, symbolic of omniscience. The elaborate wheels were identified in the hearing of Ezekiel as being the chariot (haggalgal). He recognized that as the correct name for the mysterious and complex visionary object (v 13).

Focus on the Cherubim (Ezekiel 10:14-17): Each one had four faces. The first face was the face of the cherub, the second the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. (Ezekiel 10:15) The cherubim were lifted up. These were the living creatures that I saw at the river of Kebar. (Ezekiel 10:16) When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them. When the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise above the earth, these same wheels did not turn from beside them. (Ezekiel 10:17) When these stood, they stood; and when they were lifted up, they lifted themselves up, for the spirit of the living creature was in them. Attention shifts in Ezekiel 10:14 from the wheels to the cherubim themselves. As in ch 1, each cherub had four faces.

Three of the faces are the same as those seen in ch 1— the man, the lion, and the eagle. The face of the ox (Ezekiel 1:10), however, is now described as the face of the cherub. In ch 1 this face was third in order; here it is first. The ox-like face that looked straight forward is thus assumed to be the primary or real face of each cherub. The definite article — the face of the cherub — possibly indicates that this was the particular cherub that had given the coals of fire in Ezekiel 10:7.

Ezekiel then observed the cherubim— the living creatures of ch 1—mount up (Ezekiel 10:15). The method by which the throne-chariot became air-borne is described in vv 16-17. The main point here is that the wheels moved in conjunction with the flight of the cherubim (Ezekiel 10:16-17; cf. Ezekiel 1:19; Ezekiel 1:21). OF THE GLORYEze_10:18-22 At the Eastern Gate (Ezekiel 10:18-19) Beginning of the departure (Ezekiel 10:18): The glory of the LORD went out from over the threshold of the house and stood over the cherubim. The throne-chariot was ready for the heavenly rider. The glory-cloud took its place again upon that throne. Route of the departure (Ezekiel 10:19): The cherubim lifted their wings. They went up from the earth in my presence. When they went out, the wheels were beside them. It stood at the entrance of the eastern gate of the house of the LORD. The glory of the God of Israel was over them above. The departure route was by way of the eastern gate of the temple, where for a time the throne-chariot stood. The eastern gate was the most important gate since it faced the front of the temple. The temporary stand at the eastern exit has no further significance other than to dramatize the divine departure. The departure clears the way for the destruction of the city. Through this same gate, Ezekiel will later see the glory of the Lord return to his temple (Ezekiel 43:4). Details about the Cherubim (Ezekiel 10:20-22): These were the living creatures that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Kebar. I knew that they were cherubim. (Ezekiel 10:21) Each had four faces. Each had four wings. The likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. (Ezekiel 10:22) As for the likeness of their faces, they were the faces that I saw beside the river Kebar, their appearances and themselves. Each went straight ahead. In the last three verses of ch 10, Ezekiel underscores the fact that the throne-chariot that he saw in the temple was the same that he had seen in his first vision by the river Kebar.

The living creatures were cherubim (Ezekiel 10:20) each of which had four faces, four wings and the likeness of man’ s hand under their wings (Ezekiel 10:21). The faces of the creatures in both visions were the same. So also was the fact that the heavenly vehicle could move straight forward in any of the four directions that the four faces faced (Ezekiel 10:22). Ezekiel Chapter TenVerse 1 BURNING OF ; AND OF GOD’S Here we have a continuation of the major theme of Ezekiel 8-11, which particularly deals with the final departure of the presence of God from the apostate capitol of the Once Chosen people. Ezekiel 10:1-8 prophesy the burning of Jerusalem; and Ezekiel 9:9-11 show preparations for the withdrawal of God’s presence, his final departure being revealed in the next chapter. GOD’S COMMAND TO BURN THE CITYEze_10:1-4"Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament 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. And he spake unto the man clothed in linen, and said, Go in between the whirling wheels, even under the cherub, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight. Now the cherubim stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. And the glory of Jehovah 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 Jehovah’s glory.““Coals of fire … scatter them over the city …” (Ezekiel 10:2). This sentence of Jerusalem’s destruction took place in the Temple itself, “Thus making it manifest that the judgment is in vindication of the affronted holiness of God, caused by the sins of Israel against his covenant."[1]“And he spake …” (Ezekiel 10:2). The speaker here is the person enthroned, namely, God. The fire spoken of in this passage is far different from the fire of the altar. “That fire spoke of God’s grace (Leviticus 6:12-13); here it speaks of the destruction of the wicked."[2]Pearson noted that in Ezekiel 10:2 a singular noun is used to describe the whole complex of whirling wheels, etc., supporting the sapphire throne.[3] This indicates that the entire apparatus had the utility of standing as a representation of the presence and glory of the Almighty. “The glory of Jehovah mounted up from the cherub …” (4). Cook used the past perfect tense here. “‘The glory of the Lord had gone up from the cherub to the threshold of the house,’ to describe what had happened before the man went in (v. 3)."[4] This description runs through verse 6. Verse 5 “And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of God Almighty when he speaketh. And 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. And the cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim unto the fire that was between the cherubim, and took fire thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed in linen, who took it and went out. And there appeared in the cherubim the form of a man’s hand under their wings.““The sound of the wings …” (Ezekiel 10:5). This great sound is variously described as very loud, as the voice of the Almighty, as of a “rushing mighty wind,” etc. Significantly, in the New Testament on the Day of Pentecost, when God’s glory was manifested by the appearance of the Holy Spirit upon the holy apostles, that event also was marked by forked flames as of fire and the “sound of a rushing mighty wind” (Acts 2:2). The great significance of this chapter is that the very manifestation of God’s glory which had appeared to Ezekiel in Babylon at the Chebar river (canal) is here seen in the process of deserting the Temple in Jerusalem, strongly indicating that God’s concern in the future from the destruction of Jerusalem would rest with the exiles in Babylon and not with any stragglers left in Jerusalem. “Who took it and went out …” (Ezekiel 10:7). “Nothing is said here of the actual scattering of fire over the city."[5] The same author explained that no account of his actually doing so is necessary, “Because, it often happens in Scripture that a prophet mentions a command without describing the actual execution of it."[6] It must always be assumed, if not stated to the contrary, that God’s commandments were executed exactly as commanded. “The form of a man’s hand …” (Ezekiel 10:8). “The appearance of this indicates that human agencies would be utilized in the execution of God’s judgment upon Israel."[7] It would never have been necessary for the Angel of Jehovah himself, the one clad in linen, to scatter coals of fire in any personal sense over Jerusalem. As Beasley-Murray stated it, “This vision prophesies the fires that destroyed Jerusalem in 587 B.C. (2 Kings 25:9), by the armies of the Chaldeans."[8] In a very similar way, the fires that again destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. were prophetically identified by Jesus Christ himself as “God’s armies” (Matthew 22:7). Such passages as these indicate that God is the prime agent in all human history, whatever human agencies may be employed from time to time in the achievement of God’s eternal purpose. “The most significant thing here is the identity of the Destroyer as God."[9] “The maneuvering of God’s Glory in this chapter shows that God, whom men thought to be inseparably bound to his sanctuary and to his city of Jerusalem is about to destroy both of them and to abandon their ruins."[10]Verse 9 “And 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 whole was like a beryl stone. And as for their appearance, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been within a wheel. When they went, they went in their four directions: they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went. And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and the wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had. As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing the whirling wheels. And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second was that of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.“FURTHER OF THE VISIONEze_10:9-12 is nearly identical with Ezekiel 1:15-18; and this writer cannot visualize any consistent apparatus that fits the vision.

Wheels that are whirling, but do not turn as they go, and that go in four directions somehow fail to form any clear picture. The complex, complicated vision is here changed in the particular of so many eyes so widely distributed, and “the face of the cherub,” is apparently substituted for the “face of an ox” in Ezekiel 1. Perhaps we are not supposed to be able thoroughly to understand it. Dummelow is the only author we have studied who offered an adequate explanation of why the face of “the cherub” is not referred to as the “face of an ox.” “The whole vision was about to move Eastward; and from where Ezekiel stood, the face of the cherub on the east side was that of an ox (as in chapter 1); but it is here called “the face of the cherub, because that was the direction in which the vision would move, and so might be called `the cherub.’"[11]If the vision should have been poised to move in any other direction, the man, the lion, or the eagle would have been the “face of the cherub,” depending on the direction indicated, whether North, West, or South. It was the eastward projection here that made the “ox face” the “face of the cherub.” All of the eyes depicted here is a reference to the all-knowing, all-seeing God. Cooke tells us that the pagans also illustrated this characteristic of their gods by making idols covered with eyes.[12]Another example of this is found in Zechariah 3:9, where one reads of the Stone that had seven eyes, which stands for the Lord Jesus Christ. The actions of the great Vision in this second appearance of it to Ezekiel, “Enable us here to witness the beginning of the gradual withdrawal and departure of the glory of the Lord from the city. God was not leaving it permanently, some day he would return."[13]Yes, this was true; (see Ezekiel 43); but only in a typical sense. God’s glory would never again dwell in “a temple made with hands.” God’s glory would indeed dwell with Israel forever; but it would be within the holy temple, namely, the Church, the New Israel of God, and not in any sense whatever with the old racial Israel that so long had denied and rebelled against God Himself. That return of God’s glory to the “temple of God” occurred on the Day of Pentecost, the birthday of God’s church. As Matthew Henry said, “It was sad to see that God was forsaking his sanctuary, where his honor and glory had so long dwelt; but it was pleasant to see that God was not forsaking the earth, as the idolaters had proclaimed (Ezekiel 9:9)."[14]Where was God’s glory, or the manifestation of his Presence, located during that time between the destruction of Jerusalem until the Day of Pentecost? Its appearance in Babylon in Ezekiel 1 indicates very strongly that God’s presence was with the “righteous remnant,” with those “Israelites indeed,” who waited for the kingdom of God (John 1:47). There does not appear to have been a very large number of those “true Israelites.” The apostles of Christ, Nathaniel, Elizabeth and Zecharias, Mary and Joseph, some of the brothers of Jesus, Zacchaeus, Simeon, Anna and others were some whom we can identify. Verse 15 “And the cherubim mounted up: this is the living creature that I saw by the river Chebar. And 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 turned not from beside them. When they stood, these stood, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them: for the spirit of the living creature was in them. And the glory of Jehovah went forth from over the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight when they went forth: and they stood at the door of the east gate of Jehovah’s house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.“THE OF GOD’S GLORY"Cherubim … this is the living creature …” (Ezekiel 10:15). Note how the cherubim (plural), along with all of the other details of the vision, nevertheless refer only to One, namely, the enthroned One, who is God. “The living creature that I saw by the river Chebar …” (Ezekiel 10:15). “It was a matter of importance that the identities of these two theophanies should have been established, in order to show their real meaning."[15] Bluntly stated, those appearances meant simply that God’s glorious presence was forsaking the old racial Israel, and forever afterward concentrating upon the “righteous remnant,” at that time identified with the captives in Babylon. Only when we come to Ezekiel 10:15, here, does Ezekiel identify the “living creatures” of Ezekiel 1:5 ff as “cherubim."[16] It is not surely known exactly why this was not made known earlier. See article at end of this chapter regarding the creatures called “cherubim,” “The cherubim lifted up from the earth …” (Ezekiel 10:18). As Plumptre noted, “From that hour, the temple would be what Shiloh had been, a God-deserted place."[17]As for the notion that the second temple received the same honor as the first as the resting place of the Glory and the Spirit of God, Jesus Christ took care of that falsehood forever when he denominated the temple as “a den of thieves and robbers,” which it most assuredly was. Furthermore the sons of Satan who had charge of that Second Temple were the principal agents in the contrived execution of the Son of God. In Ezekiel 10:18, “The glory of Jehovah now moves from the threshold of the temple and stands upon the Cherubim, ready to leave."[18] Indeed, God’s presence had forsaken the temple, but it would not depart from the area until the event recorded in the next chapter (Ezekiel 11:22-23). The episode recorded in Ezekiel 11:1-21 have the effect of delaying the account of the final departure. Verse 20 “This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim. Every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And 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.“The purpose of Ezekiel in this reiteration of what has already been revealed surely indicates the importance of this identity of the two visions, an importance which we have already stressed. “And I knew that they were cherubim …” (Ezekiel 10:20). We are indebted to Anton T. Pearson for most of the information cited here.[19] Cherubim are emblematic, composite figures representing glorified human life, or angelic life, spiritualized and exalted to have a part in the service of God Himself. In the sacred Scriptures, they are seen as performing a number of functions: (1) Here, they are bearers of the sapphire throne of God. (2) They guard the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). (3) They are honored with a place above the Mercy Seat in the ancient Tabernacle (Exodus 25:18-20; Exodus 37:7-9). (4) They are personified as wind or cloud. (5) They form the chariot of Deity (2 Samuel 22:11; Psalms 104:3; 1 Chronicles 28:18). They worship God perpetually (Revelation 4:6; Revelation 5:6; and Revelation 6:1). In our opinion, there is no way to be absolutely certain about the nature and work of these creatures, which seem to this writer to have many characteristics which lift them above any connection with humanity.

Ezekiel 10:1

Ezekiel 10:1. The objects named in this verse are used figuratively and refer to the glory that is to be attributed to the Lord.

Ezekiel 10:2

Ezekiel 10:2. He is a pronoun standing for the Personage described in verse 1; the man to whom he spoke was the one with the inkhorn. We have previously learned (Ezekiel 9:2) that this ruan repersented the priestly services of the house of God. The regular order of those services had been discontinued since the invasion of Judah by the Babylonians, but. there were other things needed to be done and this man would be the appropriate one to do them. The wheels and cherub will be explained later in this chapter. Coals of fire is figurative and refers to the fiery wrath of God, because the literal fire in the Mosaic service was on the brazen altar and not in the inner court (verse 3). Scatter them over the city indicated that God’ s wrath was to be poured out over the place in general.

Ezekiel 10:3

Ezekiel 10:3. There is a popular saying, “Wherever there is smoke there is fire.” The saying may well be reversed and. with a slight change in the wording, make it say, “Wherever there Is fire there may be a cloud (of smoke).’’ Verse 2 reveals the fire of God’s wrath and this verse speaks of the cloud that arose from that fire. It was so extensive that it filled the inner court.

Ezekiel 10:4

Ezekiel 10:4. The cloud of this verse was different from the preceding one. This was described as springing from the cherub (not the fire) and was the glory of the Lord. This cloud, also, filled the area of the court

Ezekiel 10:5

Ezekiel 10:5. Voice of the Almighty God indicates that He had some connection with the institutions being represented in the imagery. (See Daniel 4:17.)

Ezekiel 10:6

Ezekiel 10:6. Upon being commanded to get the fire, the man with the ink-horn entered the place containing the wheels.

Ezekiel 10:7

Ezekiel 10:7. The cherub participated in the activities by placing the fire in the hands of the man clothed with linen and who had the inkhorn. That indicated that the work of the man was approved by the institutions rep-resented by the cherubs and wheels.

Ezekiel 10:8

Ezekiel 10:8. The appearance of a man’s ‘hand- indicated the institutions in the imagery possessed the skill of human beings.

Ezekiel 10:9

Ezekiel 10:9. These wheels do not introduce any new subject matter as we sbali learn in course of this chapter. Color of a beryl stone is merely a comparison to the brilliancy and manysided faces for reflection of that stone.

Ezekiel 10:10

Ezekiel 10:10. These four wheels refer to the “four world empires” and the creatures of Eze 1:5, and the wheel in the midst of a wheel is explained in verse 16 of that chapter. The following verses of this chapter will also deal witii those empires, and many of the same symbols will be used that were used in the former chapter. There may be some variation in a part of them, but that is because more than one trait can be said of different creatures and things, and a writer may select one, now another, for his comparison, and all of them would be true. Let the reader please see the comments on verse 10 of the first chapter.

Ezekiel 10:11

Ezekiel 10:11, This apparently impossible movement refers to tbe universal spread of tbe world empires. A thing that would be physically impossible may be supposed in a symbol, if it will truly represent a possibility in some spiritual or other intelligent institution. If an object had a head on each of Its four sides, then the body of that object could follow the head in any of tbe directions without turning about.

Ezekiel 10:12

Ezekiel 10:12. Naming the several parts of these creatures or institutions was for the purpose of emphasizing the completeness of the quality soon to be mentioned. Full of eyes round about indicates that quality to have been Intelligence.

Ezekiel 10:13

Ezekiel 10:13. The key in this verse is in the words 0 man, and the meaning is that the wheels were called upon to give attention.

Ezekiel 10:14

Ezekiel 10:14. The description of each of tbe four creatures in this verse differs in only one item from the corresponding picture in chapter 1: 10. That has an ox while this has the cherub, but there is no difficulty involved, for both traits were possessed by these institutions being represented, Having the face of a cherub would indicate they were invested with something heavenly (1: 24; Daniel 4:17), man indicates intelligence and also that the institutions included humanity, lion means boldness and eagle indicates exaltation and fleetness.

Ezekiel 10:15

Ezekiel 10:15. This verse settles the identity of the creature with that described in chapter 1. and represents the “ four world empires” named in the first chapter.

Ezekiel 10:16

Ezekiel 10:16. The performances of the cherubims and wheels in this chapter are in the same line as those of the living creatures and wheels in chapter one. The figure is a representation of the four world empires. The co-operation between these objects is for the purpose of emphasis.

Ezekiel 10:17

Ezekiel 10:17. They and these are pronouns standing for the cherubims and wheels. The original word for spirit means life, and the clause means the cherubims and wheels had the same life as the living creatures that the prophet saw by the river Chebar,

Ezekiel 10:18

Ezekiel 10:18. Departed, is not used in the sense of desertion, but tbe glory fixed itself upon the creatures.

Ezekiel 10:19

Ezekiel 10:19. The effect of the glory upon the cherubims is stated here. It caused them to mount from, the earth or be exalted. Such a thought corresponds with the idea that God was Interested in the four world empires. (See Daniel 4:17.) Every one stood indicates an attitude of reverence for the demonstration.

Ezekiel 10:20

Ezekiel 10:20, This is virtually the same statement as Ezekiel 10:15.

Ezekiel 10:21

Ezekiel 10:21. This verse also is a repetition of previous statements, and the central thought in the four faces is the world-wide extent of the empires. Hands of a man indicates that the creatures were composed of human beings.

Ezekiel 10:22

Ezekiel 10:22. The concluding verse is a summing up of the imagery that has been considered throughout the first and present chapters of the book