Ezekiel 10 Study Notes
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10:1 The inner curtains and the veil that closed off the most holy place in the tabernacle were adorned with cherubim (Ex 26:1,31; 36:8,35). Two golden cherubim with extended wings were part of the covering of the ark of the covenant within the most holy place of the tabernacle (Ex 25:18-22; 37:7-9). Cherubim were also carved in the walls of the Jerusalem temple and covered with gold (1Kg 6:29; 2Ch 3:7; Ezk 41:18-20). In both the tabernacle and the temple, the cherubim constituted a throne for God’s invisible presence and glory (1Sm 4:4; 2Sm 6:2; 2Kg 19:15; Ps 18:10; 80:1; 99:1). The creatures in the vision in Ezk 1 were not named. Ezekiel recognized these creatures to be cherubim.
10:2 The image of a burned city came true for Jerusalem in 586 BC (2Kg 25:9).
10:3 All the time that the glory of the Lord dwelt in the temple, the cloud that accompanied it to reveal the glory of the Lord filled the court (see Ex 19:9; Lv 16:2).
10:6-8 Fire in the Bible is often associated with God’s judgment against wickedness and sin (Gn 19:24; Dt 32:22; Am 1-2). According to Ezekiel, the same fire from God that purified the mouth of Isaiah (Is 6:6) and brought destruction to Sodom and Gomorrah (Gn 19:24) would now purge the city of Jerusalem in judgment.
10:9-13 This is a repetition from chap. 1. In 1:18 only the wheels were “full of eyes all around,” whereas here the creatures in their entirety were full of eyes. The four creatures John saw around God’s throne were also covered with eyes (Rv 4:8).
10:14-17 The faces in v. 14 are the same as in 1:10 except that the “ox” is replaced with the cherub. The cherubim and the Lord’s glory slowly begin their movement from the temple.
10:18 In this verse Ezekiel set forth the fulfillment of the warning uttered by Moses (Dt 31:17) that was later repeated by Hosea (Hs 9:12). God had determined to forsake his sanctuary. His temple was supposed to be the place of his rest and the temple he dwelt in (Ps 132:14; Is 66:1).
10:19 The movement of God’s glory to the eastern gate anticipated its ultimate departure from the temple complex and Jerusalem (11:22-23). The east gate would also be the site of the final judgment for Jews (Zch 14:1-9). Jesus went to the mountain east of the city, the Mount of Olives, and ascended to the Father (Ac 1:9-12). God’s presence among his people was an indication of his favor toward them (Dt 4:29,31). His absence, on the other hand, was a sign of his rejecting them (Dt 31:17-18). The ultimate privilege of faith is access to the presence of God.