Ezekiel 10:6

God’s Glory Exits the Temple · Ezekiel 10:1–22
Read Ezekiel 10

Translations

Modern
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.
Traditional
And 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.
Literal
And it came to pass in His commanding the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubim,” that he went in and stood beside a wheel.
Latin
Cumque præcepisset viro qui indutus erat lineis, dicens: Sume ignem de medio rotarum quæ sunt inter cherubim: ingressus ille stetit juxta rotam.

Original

Hebrew
English
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.

Notes

The glory of the Lord did not leave the temple all at once. It moved slowly, step by step, almost as if it was unwilling to depart (Ezekiel 10:4).

First, the glory of the Lord moved from above the cherubim in the Most Holy Place. Then it went to the entrance of the temple and stopped there for a time. After that, it rose above the cherubim again (Ezekiel 10:18) and moved to the east gate of the courtyard, where it paused once more (10:19). Eventually, the glory of the Lord left the city completely (11:23).

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.

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.

Events

Glossary

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

Topics

National Sins: Ministers should Mourn Over Vision of Ezekiel of the Coals of Fire