Ezekiel 10
10
God’s Glory Leaves the Temple
1 As I watched, I saw#tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb. on the platform#tn Or “like a dome.” See 1:22-26. above the top of the cherubim something like a sapphire, resembling the shape of a throne, appearing above them. 2 The Lord#tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said to the man dressed in linen, “Go between the wheelwork#tn The Hebrew term often refers to chariot wheels (Isa 28:28; Ezek 23:24; 26:10). underneath the cherubim.#tc The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and Targum mss read plural “cherubim” while the MT is singular here, “cherub.” The plural ending was probably omitted in copying the MT due to the similar beginning of the next word. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” He went as I watched.
3 (The cherubim were standing on the south side#tn Heb “right side.” of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.) 4 Then the glory of the Lord arose from the cherub and moved to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud while the court was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory. 5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard from the outer court, like the sound of the sovereign God#tn The name (“El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. when he speaks.
6 When the Lord#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity. commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man dressed in linen) has been specified in the translation for clarity. went in and stood by one of the wheels.#tn Heb “the wheel.” 7 Then one of the cherubim#tn Heb “the cherub.” stretched out his hand#tn The Hebrew text adds, “from among the cherubim.” toward the fire which was among the cherubim. He took some and put it into the hands of the man dressed in linen, who took it and left. 8 (The cherubim appeared to have the form#tn The Hebrew term is normally used as an architectural term in describing the plan or pattern of the tabernacle or temple or a representation of it (see Exod 25:8; 1 Chr 28:11). of human hands under their wings.)
9 As I watched, I noticed#tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb. four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub;#tn The MT repeats this phrase, a clear case of dittography. the wheels gleamed like jasper.#tn Heb “Tarshish stone.” The meaning is uncertain. The term has also been translated “topaz” (NEB), “beryl” (KJV, NASB, NRSV), and “chrysolite” (RSV, NIV). 10 As for their appearance, all four of them looked the same, something like a wheel within a wheel.#tn Or “like a wheel at right angles to another wheel.” Some envision concentric wheels here, while others propose “a globe-like structure in which two wheels stand at right angles” (L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 1:33-34). See also 1:16. 11 When they#sn That is, the cherubim. moved, they would go in any of the four directions they faced without turning as they moved; in the direction the head would turn they would follow#tn Many interpreters assume that the human face of each cherub was the one that looked forward. without turning as they moved, 12 along with their entire bodies,#tc The phrase “along with their entire bodies” is absent from the LXX and may be a gloss explaining the following words. their backs, their hands, and their wings. The wheels of the four of them were full of eyes all around. 13 As for their wheels, they were called “the wheelwork”#tn Or “the whirling wheels.” as I listened. 14 Each of the cherubim#tn Heb “each one”; the referent (the cherubim) has been specified in the translation for clarity. had four faces: The first was the face of a cherub,#sn The living creature described here is thus slightly different from the one described in Ezek 1:10, where a bull’s face appeared instead of a cherub’s. Note that some English versions harmonize the two descriptions and read the same here as in 1:10 (cf. NAB, NLT “an ox”; TEV, CEV “a bull”). This may be justified based on v. 22, which states the creatures’ appearance was the same. the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.
15 The cherubim rose up; these were the living beings#tn Heb “it was the living creature.” I saw at the Kebar River. 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them; when the cherubim spread#tn Heb “lifted.” their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not move from their side. 17 When the cherubim#tn Heb “they”; the referent (the cherubim) has been specified in the translation for clarity. stood still, the wheels#tn Heb “they”; the referent (the wheels) has been specified in the translation for clarity. stood still, and when they rose up, the wheels#tn Heb “they”; the referent (the wheels) has been specified in the translation for clarity. rose up with them, for the spirit#tn Or “wind.” of the living beings#tn Heb “living creature.” was in the wheels.#tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wheels) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 Then the glory of the Lord moved away from the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. 19 The cherubim spread#tn Heb “lifted.” their wings, and they rose up from the earth#tn Or “the ground” (NIV, NCV). while I watched (when they went the wheels went alongside them). They stopped at the entrance to the east gate of the Lord’s temple as the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them.
20 These were the living creatures#tn Heb “That was the living creature.” which I saw at the Kebar River underneath the God of Israel; I knew that they were cherubim. 21 Each had four faces; each had four wings and the form of human hands under the wings. 22 As for the form of their faces, they were the faces whose appearance I had seen at the Kebar River. Each one moved straight ahead.
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Ezekiel 10
10
God’s Glory Exits the Temple
1And I looked and saw above the expanse, above the heads of the cherubim, the likeness of a throne of sapphire. 2And 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.
3Now when the man went in, the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple, and a cloud filled the inner court. 4Then 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. 5The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty#10:5 Hebrew El-Shaddai when He speaks.
6When 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. 7Then 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. 8(The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.)
9Then I looked and saw four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub. And the wheels gleamed like a beryl stone. 10As for their appearance, all four had the same form, like a wheel within a wheel. 11When 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.
12Their entire bodies, including their backs, hands, and wings, were full of eyes all around, as were their four wheels. 13I heard the wheels being called “the whirling wheels.”
14Each of the cherubim had four faces: the first face was that of a cherub, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.
15Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the River Kebar. 16When 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. 17When 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.
18Then the glory of the Lord moved away from the threshold of the temple and stood above the cherubim. 19As 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.
20These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Kebar, and I knew that they were cherubim. 21Each had four faces and four wings, with what looked like human hands under their wings. 22Their faces looked like the faces I had seen by the River Kebar. Each creature went straight ahead.
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