Chapter Text
The Glory Departs from the Temple
Then 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.
Summary
Ezekiel sees the glory of God above the cherubim and the throne of sapphire. The man in linen is commanded to take coals of fire from between the cherubim and scatter them over Jerusalem. The cherubim and wheels are described in vivid detail, full of eyes, moving in unison with the Spirit. The glory of the Lord rises from the threshold of the Temple and stands over the cherubim, preparing to depart from the sanctuary.
Meaning
The departure of God's glory from the Temple is among the most devastating events in all of Scripture. The One who dwelt among His people in steadfast love is driven away by their persistent unfaithfulness.
The coals of fire scattered over the city signify purifying judgment. What once sanctified the altar now consumes the city. The same holy presence that blessed Israel in obedience now becomes the instrument of her chastening. God's holiness is constant; it is the response of the people that determines blessing or judgment.
Background
The glory of God, the Shekinah, had filled the Tabernacle in the wilderness and later Solomon's Temple. Its departure signaled the end of God's protective presence over Jerusalem.
The cherubim described here correspond to those in Ezekiel's inaugural vision, confirming the continuity of God's throne-chariot imagery throughout the book.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-2The sapphire throne and command of fire
- vv. 3-5The cloud fills the inner court
- vv. 6-8Coals taken from between the cherubim
- vv. 9-14The wheels and four faces described
- vv. 15-17The living creatures of Chebar identified
- vv. 18-19The glory departs to the east gate
- vv. 20-22Confirmation of the Chebar vision
Key Verses
“Then 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.”— 10:4
A pivotal moment in Ezekiel's vision: the divine presence begins its dreadful withdrawal from the temple, signaling that Jerusalem's sanctuary is no longer the dwelling place of God.
“Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.”— 10:18
The Shekinah glory abandons the temple altogether—one of the most theologically devastating verses in the Old Testament, marking covenant judgment upon Judah.
“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.”— 10:2
The coals from God's throne become instruments of judgment against Jerusalem, showing that the same holy fire that sanctifies also consumes the unrepentant.
People & Places
People
- The man clothed with linen — A heavenly figure (introduced in chapter 9) commissioned to mark the righteous and now to scatter coals of judgment.
- Ezekiel — The prophet-priest in Babylonian exile receiving and recording the throne-chariot vision.
Places
- The house (Temple in Jerusalem) — Solomon's temple, from whose threshold and inner court the glory of the LORD progressively departs.
- The east gate of the LORD's house — The temple's eastern gateway, where the cherubim pause as the divine glory exits the sanctuary.
- River Chebar — A canal in Babylonia where Ezekiel first beheld the same living creatures (Ezekiel 1), now identified as cherubim.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
This chapter enacts the prophesied withdrawal of God's presence from Jerusalem before its destruction. The coals scattered over the city in verse 2 prefigure the literal burning of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC (2 Kings 25:9). The departure of the glory in verses 4 and 18-19 fulfills warnings of covenant curse (Deuteronomy 31:17) and anticipates the later promise of glory's return in Ezekiel 43:1-5, ultimately pointing to the Incarnation when the Word tabernacled among men (John 1:14).
Devotional
There is no more sobering scene in Scripture than God reluctantly leaving His own house. The glory does not vanish in a moment—it lingers at the threshold, pauses at the east gate, as if grieving every step away. Sin does not merely break rules; it drives away the Presence we were made to enjoy.
Yet the same vision that warns also instructs. God sees—the wheels are full of eyes—and nothing escapes His notice. When we sense distance from Him, the question is rarely where He has gone, but what we have welcomed in His place. Repentance invites the glory to return.
Literary Style
Apocalyptic prophetic vision in first-person prose, marked by symbolic imagery, repetition, and careful spatial movement. Ezekiel employs hedged similes ('as it were,' 'the likeness of') typical of throne-chariot literature, conveying transcendent realities through approximation rather than direct description.