Ezekiel 10 Study Notes: The Glory Leaves the Temple
In Ezekiel’s vision the man dressed in linen is sent to take fiery coals from beside the cherubim and spread them across Jerusalem. Ezekiel recognizes the cherubim, who move with their wheels, as the creatures of his first vision, and God’s glory moves with them to the temple’s eastern gate.
General
True or False: Ezekiel recognized that the cherubim he saw at the temple were the same creatures from his first vision beside the Kebar.
Answer: True
This is true. Cherubim are heavenly creatures that guard God’s holiness. Twice Ezekiel says these cherubim were the very creatures he had seen beside the Kebar River (10:15, 20), the beings that bore up God’s throne in his opening vision (1:5). He adds that he now knew they were cherubim (10:20); they bore four wings, four faces, and what seemed to be human hands beneath the wings, and their faces matched what he had seen before (10:21-22). The point is that the glory now leaving Jerusalem is the very same glory of the LORD that had appeared to Ezekiel among the exiles by the Kebar in the land of the Chaldeans (1:28). Cherubim are linked throughout Scripture with God’s throne, as on the cover of the ark where God promised to meet with Moses (Exodus 25:22).
- Ezekiel 10:15 (BSB)“Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the River Kebar.”Ezekiel says the rising cherubim were the same creatures from his vision beside the Kebar.
- Ezekiel 10:20-22 (BSB)“These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Kebar, and I knew that they were cherubim. Each had four faces and four wings, with what looked like human hands under their wings. Their faces looked like the faces I had seen by the River Kebar. Each creature went straight ahead.”He repeats the identification, says he knew they were cherubim, and notes their faces, wings, and hands matched the first vision.
- Ezekiel 1:5 (BSB)“and within it was the form of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human form,”The first vision introduced the four living creatures, the same beings now named as cherubim.
- Ezekiel 1:28 (BSB)“The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.”In the first vision Ezekiel saw the LORD’s glory above these creatures, the same glory now departing the temple.
- Exodus 25:22 (BSB)“And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony; I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.”God promised to meet Moses at the ark’s cover, where the two cherubim stood, linking cherubim with the place of His throne.
Theological
True or False: Ezekiel identifies the cherubim of the temple vision with the living creatures he saw beside the Kebar.
Answer: True
This is true. Ezekiel explicitly identifies the cherubim with the living creatures of his inaugural vision (10:15, 20; compare 1:5), adding that he now knew them to be cherubim, with four faces, four wings, and the likeness of human hands beneath the wings (10:21-22). The identification links the two visions: the glory departing the defiled temple is the same glory that had already appeared to the prophet in exile by the Kebar (1:28). The God who withdraws from Jerusalem is not diminished or absent; He has been present with His people even in Babylon. The cherubim are throne-bearers associated with the place where God meets His people, as above the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:22).
- Ezekiel 10:15 (BSB)“Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the River Kebar.”Ezekiel says the rising cherubim were the same creatures from his vision beside the Kebar.
- Ezekiel 10:20-22 (BSB)“These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Kebar, and I knew that they were cherubim. Each had four faces and four wings, with what looked like human hands under their wings. Their faces looked like the faces I had seen by the River Kebar. Each creature went straight ahead.”He repeats the identification, says he knew they were cherubim, and notes their faces, wings, and hands matched the first vision.
- Ezekiel 1:5 (BSB)“and within it was the form of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human form,”The first vision introduced the four living creatures, the same beings now named as cherubim.
- Ezekiel 1:28 (BSB)“The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.”In the first vision Ezekiel saw the LORD’s glory above these creatures, the same glory now departing the temple.
- Exodus 25:22 (BSB)“And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony; I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.”God promised to meet Moses at the ark’s cover, where the two cherubim stood, linking cherubim with the place of His throne.
General
In 10:2, what did the LORD tell the man in linen to do with the burning coals?
Answer: Fling them out across all of Jerusalem’s streets
In Ezekiel’s vision, the LORD sends the man in linen, the same figure who had earlier marked the foreheads of those grieving over Jerusalem’s sins (9:4, 9:11), to go in among the wheels beneath the cherubim (the majestic heavenly creatures that carry God’s throne). He is to fill both hands with live coals and fling them out over the city (10:2). A cherub reaches out, takes fire from among them, and puts it into his hands, and he goes out (10:6-7). Fire taken from the very presence of God pictures judgment coming from God Himself upon Jerusalem, echoing the earlier sign-act in which fire was to go out against the whole nation (5:4). Revelation uses a similar picture when an angel hurls fire taken off the altar down to the earth (Revelation 8:5).
- Ezekiel 10:2 (BSB)“And the LORD said to the man clothed in linen, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.”The LORD orders the linen-clad man to gather live coals from the cherubim’s wheelwork and fling them across Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 10:6-7 (BSB)“When the LORD commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel. Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand and took some of the fire that was among them. And he put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who received it and went out.”A cherub hands the fire to the man in linen, who receives it and goes out.
- Ezekiel 9:4 (BSB)““Go throughout the city of Jerusalem,” said the LORD, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed there.””This same figure had first been sent to mark those who grieved over the city’s abominations, so the one who protected the faithful also carries the judgment.
- Ezekiel 9:11 (BSB)“Then the man clothed in linen with the writing kit at his side reported back, “I have done as You commanded.””The man in linen had reported back that the marking was done, just before this new task with the coals.
- Ezekiel 5:4 (BSB)“Again, take a few of these, throw them into the fire, and burn them. From there a fire will spread to the whole house of Israel.”Ezekiel’s earlier sign-act ended with a warning that fire would go out to all Israel, the judgment now pictured by the scattered coals.
- Revelation 8:5 (BSB)“Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”Revelation pictures an angel casting the altar’s fire down onto the earth, a similar image of judgment sent from God’s presence.
Theological
What command does the LORD give the man in linen concerning the fire taken from between the cherubim (10:2)?
Answer: Fling them out across all of Jerusalem’s streets
The linen-clad messenger had just reported completing the marking of those who mourned over the city’s abominations (9:4, 9:11), and now he receives a second commission: to enter the wheelwork under the cherubim, load his hands with live coals, and strew them across Jerusalem (10:2). A cherub hands him the fire from among the living creatures (10:6-7). The source of the fire matters: the judgment on Jerusalem comes out from the throne of God Himself, not merely from human armies, echoing the earlier warning that fire would reach the whole nation (5:4). The same messenger who marked the faithful now carries judgment, showing that both mercy and wrath proceed from the one holy God. Revelation 8:5 draws on a similar image of fire cast from the altar to the earth.
- Ezekiel 10:2 (BSB)“And the LORD said to the man clothed in linen, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.”The LORD orders the linen-clad man to gather live coals from the cherubim’s wheelwork and fling them across Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 10:6-7 (BSB)“When the LORD commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel. Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand and took some of the fire that was among them. And he put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who received it and went out.”A cherub hands the fire to the man in linen, who receives it and goes out.
- Ezekiel 9:4 (BSB)““Go throughout the city of Jerusalem,” said the LORD, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed there.””This same figure had first been sent to mark those who grieved over the city’s abominations, so the one who protected the faithful also carries the judgment.
- Ezekiel 9:11 (BSB)“Then the man clothed in linen with the writing kit at his side reported back, “I have done as You commanded.””The man in linen had reported back that the marking was done, just before this new task with the coals.
- Ezekiel 5:4 (BSB)“Again, take a few of these, throw them into the fire, and burn them. From there a fire will spread to the whole house of Israel.”Ezekiel’s earlier sign-act ended with a warning that fire would go out to all Israel, the judgment now pictured by the scattered coals.
- Revelation 8:5 (BSB)“Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”Revelation pictures an angel casting the altar’s fire down onto the earth, a similar image of judgment sent from God’s presence.
General
In 10:3-4, as the LORD’s glory lifted off the cherubim and went to the temple doorway, what filled the house and its court?
Answer: A cloud, and the bright radiance of the LORD’s glory
As the man in linen goes in, a cloud fills the inner court (10:3). Then the LORD’s glory lifts off the cherubim and moves to the temple’s doorway; cloud fills the house, while the court shines bright with His glory (10:4). The rushing of the cherubim’s wings is heard all the way to the far court, sounding like God Almighty speaking (10:5). The scene recalls the day God’s glory first filled the tabernacle and later Solomon’s temple in a cloud so dense that no one could stand inside (Exodus 40:34-35; 1 Kings 8:10-11). Now that same glory is not arriving but preparing to leave a house defiled by idolatry, having already come to the doorway (9:3).
- Ezekiel 10:3-4 (BSB)“Now when the man went in, the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple, and a cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.”A cloud fills the inner court, and the glory rises to the threshold while its brightness fills the court.
- Ezekiel 10:5 (BSB)“The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.”The beating of the cherubim’s wings is heard in the far court and sounds like the Almighty speaking.
- Ezekiel 9:3 (BSB)“Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side.”The glory had already lifted off the cherubim and moved to the temple doorway, the first stage of its departure.
- Exodus 40:34-35 (BSB)“Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”When the tabernacle was finished, the cloud covered it and God’s glory filled it, keeping Moses outside, the same signs of God’s presence.
- 1 Kings 8:10-11 (BSB)“And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud. For the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.”At the dedication of Solomon’s temple the cloud was so thick that the priests were unable to keep serving, for God’s glory filled it.
Theological
What filled the house and the court as the glory moved to the temple’s doorway (10:3-4)?
Answer: A cloud, and the bright radiance of the LORD’s glory
The cloud fills the inner court (10:3), and as the glory rises from the cherubim to the doorway, cloud fills the house and the LORD’s brilliance fills the court (10:4), while the beating of the cherubim’s wings reaches the far court, sounding like the Almighty speaking (10:5). The imagery deliberately echoes the inauguration of the tabernacle and of Solomon’s temple, when the cloud of glory filled the sanctuary and barred even Moses and the priests (Exodus 40:34-35; 1 Kings 8:10-11). Here, however, the movement runs the other way: the glory, already at the threshold (9:3), is in the process of withdrawing from a sanctuary given over to abominations. God’s holy presence is not bound to a building that His people have profaned.
- Ezekiel 10:3-4 (BSB)“Now when the man went in, the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple, and a cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.”A cloud fills the inner court, and the glory rises to the threshold while its brightness fills the court.
- Ezekiel 10:5 (BSB)“The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.”The beating of the cherubim’s wings is heard in the far court and sounds like the Almighty speaking.
- Ezekiel 9:3 (BSB)“Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side.”The glory had already lifted off the cherubim and moved to the temple doorway, the first stage of its departure.
- Exodus 40:34-35 (BSB)“Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”When the tabernacle was finished, the cloud covered it and God’s glory filled it, keeping Moses outside, the same signs of God’s presence.
- 1 Kings 8:10-11 (BSB)“And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud. For the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.”At the dedication of Solomon’s temple the cloud was so thick that the priests were unable to keep serving, for God’s glory filled it.
General
After the glory moved off the temple doorway and back onto the cherubim, where did the cherubim stop (10:18-19)?
Answer: At the mouth of the gateway on the temple’s east side
The LORD’s glory leaves the temple doorway and rests over the cherubim again (10:18). The cherubim then spread their wings and lift off the earth, wheels alongside, halting where the LORD’s house has its eastern gateway, with God’s glory over them (10:19). The departure happens in stages: from its place over the cherubim to the doorway (9:3; 10:4), back onto the cherubim (10:18), to the eastern gateway (10:19), and finally out of Jerusalem to the height on its east side (11:23). God’s presence leaves in stages, but it does leave the temple His people had filled with idols. Later in the book Ezekiel sees the glory return to the temple through that same eastern gateway (43:4-5).
- Ezekiel 10:18-19 (BSB)“Then the glory of the LORD moved away from the threshold of the temple and stood above the cherubim. As I watched, the cherubim lifted their wings and rose up from the ground, with the wheels beside them as they went. And they stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, with the glory of the God of Israel above them.”The glory leaves the doorway, rests over the cherubim, and they rise and halt at the eastern gateway of the LORD’s house.
- Ezekiel 9:3 (BSB)“Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side.”The first stage of the departure, when the glory left its place over the cherubim for the doorway.
- Ezekiel 11:23 (BSB)“And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.”The final stage, when the glory leaves the city altogether and stands over the mountain to its east.
- Ezekiel 43:4-5 (BSB)“and the glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.”In the later vision the glory comes back through the east-facing gate and fills the temple.
Theological
Where did the cherubim halt after the glory moved from the threshold back above them (10:18-19)?
Answer: At the mouth of the gateway on the temple’s east side
The glory moves from the threshold to rest above the cherubim (10:18), who then rise with their wheels and halt at the eastern gateway of the LORD’s house, the glory of Israel’s God above them (10:19). The withdrawal is staged and deliberate: threshold (9:3; 10:4), cherubim (10:18), eastern gateway (10:19), and then the height east of Jerusalem (11:23). The holy God will not remain in a sanctuary His people have defiled, and His departure leaves the city open to judgment. Yet the book does not end with absence: in the closing vision the glory returns by the east-facing gate and fills the temple (43:4-5).
- Ezekiel 10:18-19 (BSB)“Then the glory of the LORD moved away from the threshold of the temple and stood above the cherubim. As I watched, the cherubim lifted their wings and rose up from the ground, with the wheels beside them as they went. And they stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, with the glory of the God of Israel above them.”The glory leaves the doorway, rests over the cherubim, and they rise and halt at the eastern gateway of the LORD’s house.
- Ezekiel 9:3 (BSB)“Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side.”The first stage of the departure, when the glory left its place over the cherubim for the doorway.
- Ezekiel 11:23 (BSB)“And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.”The final stage, when the glory leaves the city altogether and stands over the mountain to its east.
- Ezekiel 43:4-5 (BSB)“and the glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.”In the later vision the glory comes back through the east-facing gate and fills the temple.
General
Why did the wheels rise, move, and stop exactly when the cherubim did (10:16-17)?
Answer: The creatures’ own spirit dwelt in the wheels
Ezekiel sees four gleaming wheels, one beside each cherub, each looking like a wheel set inside a wheel, able to travel whichever way they faced without having to turn (10:9-11). The cherubim’s bodies and the wheels were covered with eyes all around, and each cherub had four faces: a cherub’s, a man’s, a lion’s, and an eagle’s (10:12-14). Whenever the cherubim moved or lifted off the earth, the wheels went along, and when the cherubim halted, so did the wheels, because the creatures’ spirit was within the wheels (10:16-17). This is exactly how Ezekiel described the wheels in his first vision (1:19-21). The whole throne-chariot moves as one, carrying God’s glory wherever He directs. Above it all is something like a throne (10:1), for God is the one enthroned above the cherubim (Psalm 80:1).
- Ezekiel 10:16-17 (BSB)“When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and even when they spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not veer away from their side. When the cherubim stood still, the wheels also stood still, and when they ascended, the wheels ascended with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.”The wheels move, rise, and halt along with the cherubim, since the creatures’ spirit is within them.
- Ezekiel 10:9-11 (BSB)“Then I looked and saw four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub. And the wheels gleamed like a beryl stone. As for their appearance, all four had the same form, like a wheel within a wheel. When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions, without turning as they moved. For wherever the head faced, the cherubim would go in that direction, without turning as they moved.”Four gleaming wheels, one beside each cherub, can go in any direction without turning.
- Ezekiel 1:19-21 (BSB)“So as the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise alongside them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When the creatures moved, the wheels moved; when the creatures stood still, the wheels stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose alongside them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.”The first vision gives the same reason for the wheels moving with the creatures, tying the two visions together.
- Psalm 80:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth”Asaph addresses God as the one seated between the cherubim, the throne Ezekiel sees above them in 10:1.
Theological
What reason does the text give for the perfect coordination of the wheels with the cherubim (10:16-17)?
Answer: The creatures’ own spirit dwelt in the wheels
The wheels, gleaming like beryl and built as one wheel set inside another, move in any direction without turning (10:9-11); eyes cover the cherubim and their wheels on every side, and each cherub bears four faces, of a cherub, a man, a lion, and an eagle (10:12-14). Their movement is never independent: they rise, advance, and halt with the cherubim because the creatures’ spirit indwells the wheels (10:16-17), the same explanation given in the inaugural vision (1:19-21). The entire throne-chariot moves as a single whole at the direction of the one spirit, bearing the enthroned God (10:1). The God of Israel is the one seated between the cherubim (Psalm 80:1), and His throne is mobile, not fixed to Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 10:16-17 (BSB)“When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and even when they spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not veer away from their side. When the cherubim stood still, the wheels also stood still, and when they ascended, the wheels ascended with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.”The wheels move, rise, and halt along with the cherubim, since the creatures’ spirit is within them.
- Ezekiel 10:9-11 (BSB)“Then I looked and saw four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub. And the wheels gleamed like a beryl stone. As for their appearance, all four had the same form, like a wheel within a wheel. When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions, without turning as they moved. For wherever the head faced, the cherubim would go in that direction, without turning as they moved.”Four gleaming wheels, one beside each cherub, can go in any direction without turning.
- Ezekiel 1:19-21 (BSB)“So as the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise alongside them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When the creatures moved, the wheels moved; when the creatures stood still, the wheels stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose alongside them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.”The first vision gives the same reason for the wheels moving with the creatures, tying the two visions together.
- Psalm 80:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth”Asaph addresses God as the one seated between the cherubim, the throne Ezekiel sees above them in 10:1.