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The Prophets · Old Testament

Ezekiel 10

Ezekiel 10: coals from between the cherubims and the glory leaves the threshold

General context

The prophet looks and sees, in the firmament above the heads of "the cherubims," something like a sapphire stone with "the appearance of the likeness of a throne." The one speaking tells the man clothed with linen to go in between the wheels, under the cherub, fill his hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and "scatter them over the city"; he goes in. The cherubims stand on the right side of the house; the cloud fills the inner court; the glory of the Lord goes up from the cherub to the threshold, the house fills with the cloud, and the court is full of the brightness. The sound of the wings is heard in the outer court "as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh." One cherub reaches into the fire and puts coals into the hands of the man in linen, who goes out. The prophet then describes the cherubims again: a man's hand under their wings, four wheels like beryl, "as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel," bodies, backs, hands, wings and wheels "full of eyes," and the cry "O wheel." Each has four faces, "the face of a cherub," a man, a lion and an eagle. He states, "This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar." The glory departs from the threshold and stands over the cherubims; they mount up and stand at the door of the east gate with the glory above them. The prophet says, "I knew that they were the cherubims," and confirms their faces are the same ones he saw by Chebar.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 10:1, Ezekiel 10:2, Ezekiel 10:3, Ezekiel 10:4, Ezekiel 10:5, Ezekiel 10:7, Ezekiel 10:8, Ezekiel 10:9, Ezekiel 10:10, Ezekiel 10:12, Ezekiel 10:13, Ezekiel 10:14, Ezekiel 10:15, Ezekiel 10:18, Ezekiel 10:19, Ezekiel 10:20, Ezekiel 10:22

Ezekiel 10 (KJV)

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.

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Historical context

This chapter is where the book names the living creatures of chapter 1: the prophet says twice, "This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar," and adds, "I knew that they were the cherubims." The identification is his own statement inside the vision. The list of faces differs from chapter 1 in one item: there the four were man, lion, ox and eagle; here "the face of a cherub" stands where the ox stood, and the text does not comment on the difference. The command to scatter coals "over the city" is given and the coals are handed over, but the chapter does not narrate the scattering itself; the man "went out" and the text moves on. The glory's movement is told in stages, from the cherub to the threshold (already reported in 9:3 and repeated in 10:4), then from the threshold to over the cherubims, then to the east gate; the departure from the city is not completed until 11:23. The scene remains inside the 8:1 vision, in Jerusalem's temple, though the text keeps the prophet's own position vague apart from "in my sight." The cry "O wheel" is reported as something "cried unto them in my hearing" with no speaker named. The chapter does not say what the coals mean or what happened when they fell.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 10:20, Ezekiel 10:14, Ezekiel 10:6, Ezekiel 10:4, Ezekiel 10:18, Ezekiel 10:19, Ezekiel 10:13, Ezekiel 10:2

Literary context

The chapter interleaves action and description. The action is short: the command to take coals, the cherub's hand passing fire to the man in linen, and the glory's two moves. Between these the prophet stops to describe the cherubims and wheels again, using the language of chapter 1 almost word for word, "the colour of a beryl," "as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel," "they turned not as they went," "when they stood, these stood," "for the spirit of the living creature was in them." That repetition is the point; the chapter exists to say that what stands in the temple is what stood by Chebar. The fire that was among the creatures in chapter 1 now becomes fire to be thrown on the city, so a detail of the first vision is turned into judgment. Cloud and brightness fill the house and court, and sound reaches the outer court, so the scene is described by what fills space rather than by any figure. The glory moves in three named places, "from the cherub," "over the threshold," "over the cherubims," and the chapter ends at "the door of the east gate," the direction the sun worshippers faced in 8:16. The prophet's closing statements of recognition are in the first person and stand outside the flow of events.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 10:9, Ezekiel 10:11, Ezekiel 10:17, Ezekiel 10:7, Ezekiel 10:4, Ezekiel 10:5, Ezekiel 10:16, Ezekiel 10:19, Ezekiel 10:21

Key moments

  1. Throne above the cherubims (Ezekiel 10:1). A sapphire-like throne appears in the firmament over the cherubims.
  2. Coals for the city (Ezekiel 10:2). The man in linen is told to take coals from between the cherubims and scatter them over the city.
  3. The house filled with cloud (Ezekiel 10:4). The glory stands over the threshold and the court fills with brightness.
  4. A cherub hands over fire (Ezekiel 10:7). One cherub puts fire into the hands of the man in linen, who goes out.
  5. Full of eyes (Ezekiel 10:12). Bodies, backs, hands, wings and wheels are full of eyes.
  6. The same creature as at Chebar (Ezekiel 10:15). The prophet identifies the cherubims with the living creature he saw by the river.
  7. Glory over the east gate (Ezekiel 10:19). The cherubims mount up and stand at the east gate with the glory above them.

For reflection

The prophet interrupts the movement of the glory to say, at length, that these are the same creatures he saw by Chebar. Why might recognizing them matter so much to him at the moment the glory is leaving the house?

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