Ezekiel 10:2

Translations

Modern

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.

Traditional

And 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.

Literal

And He spoke to the man clothed in linen, and He said: “Go to the midst of the wheel, to beneath the cherub, and fill your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city!” And he went in before my eyes.

Latin

Et dixit ad virum qui indutus erat lineis, et ait: Ingredere in medio rotarum quæ sunt subtus cherubim, et imple manum tuam prunis ignis quæ sunt inter cherubim, et effunde super civitatem. Ingressusque est in conspectu meo.

Original

Hebrew

English

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.

Notes

Ezekiel 10:1–2

This vision of God’s fearful and holy glory was almost the same as the one Ezekiel had seen earlier in Babylonia (Ezekiel 1). Now he saw it again, but this time in the temple in Jerusalem.
The temple was filled with symbols of heaven. In this vision, Ezekiel understood clearly that the living creatures he had seen before were cherubim. Cherubim are powerful heavenly beings who guard God’s holiness and carry out his judgment (Genesis 3:24).
A priestly figure was told to gather burning coals from among the cherubim. This action showed that Jerusalem, which had become unclean because of sin, would be destroyed by fire. This judgment was like what happened to the city of Sodom (see Ezekiel 16:46–50).
The vision also showed that the Lord was leaving his city. Later, this became a reality in history. A few years after this vision, King Nebuchadnezzar burned Jerusalem and filled the city with dead bodies.

Ezekiel 10:1–22

The temple was the earthly place where the Lord’s glory dwelled among his people. This was one of the greatest blessings of the covenant.

But this blessing depended on the people being holy (set apart for God and living in obedience to him). When they filled the temple with sin and idolatry, they defiled it.

Because of their unfaithfulness, the Lord left his house. Once his presence departed, the temple and the city were left unprotected. They became vulnerable to the coming attack by the Babylonians.

Ezekiel 8:1–11:25

This section describes how the people defiled (made unclean by sin) the temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 8). Because of this sin, the Lord left the temple. After he left, the city and the temple were destroyed (9:1–11:13).

At first, this sounds like only bad news. But for those already living in exile, it was also good news. The Lord was not limited to the temple in Jerusalem. He would come to be with his people in exile.

By coming to dwell with them, the Lord showed that the exiles were not forgotten. They were the ones who carried hope for the future of God’s people.

Theme notes and profiles

God’s Glory with His People Jerusalem Temple Legislation as Theology The Return of God’s Presence with His People

Events

Prophecies of Ezekielc. 593 BC

Related verses

Revelation 8:5
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.
Ezekiel 1:13
In the midst of the living creatures was the appearance of glowing coals of fire, or of torches. Fire moved back and forth between the living creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it.
Ezekiel 10:16
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.
Psalm 18:12–13
From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced—hailstones and coals of fire.
Isaiah 6:6–7
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
Ezekiel 20:47–48
Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched.
Jeremiah 24:8–10
But like the bad figs, so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem—those remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 1:15–20
When I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces.
Psalm 140:10
May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again.
Isaiah 30:30
And the LORD will cause His majestic voice to be heard and His mighty arm to be revealed, striking in angry wrath with a flame of consuming fire, and with cloudburst, storm, and hailstones.
Ezekiel 9:2–3
And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a weapon of slaughter in his hand. With them was another man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. And they came in and stood beside the bronze altar.
Ezekiel 10:7–13
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.

Glossary

Cherub, Cherubim Coal Ezekiel, Book of Haggai, Book of Pillar of Fire and Cloud Remnant Son of Man Wheel

Topics

Vision of Ezekiel of the Coals of Fire

Ezekiel 10:2

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