College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Ezekiel 10:1-8
B. Jerusalem Destroyed by Fire 10:1-8
TRANSLATION
(1)
Then I looked, and behold, upon the platform which was above the head of the cherubim there appeared something like a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. (2) And He spoke unto the man clothed in linen and said, Go in between the wheels under the cherubim[236] and fill your hands with coals of fire found between the cherubim and scatter them over the city. And he went in my sight. (3) Now the cherubim were standing on the right of the house as the man entered; and smoke filled the inner court. (4) And the glory of the LORD had arisen from over the cherubim and was over the threshold of the house. And the house was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD. (5) And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard to the outer court, like the voice of almighty God, when He spoke. (6) And it came to pass when He had commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubim, that he went and stood beside the wheels. (7) And the cherub put forth his hand from between the cherubim unto the man who was between the cherubim and he lifted up and gave unto the hands of the man clothed with linen. And he took it and went out. (8) And the cherubim appeared to have the form of a man's hand under their wings.
[236] A singular noun used in the collective sense
COMMENTS
At the close of chapter 8 the stage is set for a graphic description of the destruction of Jerusalem. The man clothed in linen has completed his God-assigned task of marking the faithful for salvation (Ezekiel 9:11). It is time for the six executioners to expand their work from the court of the Temple to the rest of Jerusalem. Yet in all of chapter 10 these agents of God are not mentioned. They disappeared from the scene. Only the man clothed in linen remained. But to this beneficent character a new role was assigned. He now became the agent of fiery judgment. Jerusalem is to be destroyed by sword and by fire, and these two aspects of the judgment are successively portrayed to the prophet in Chapter s 9 and 10.
Again the throne-chariot of the Lord appears before the prophet's mind. He saw the platform over the heads of the cherubim upon which stood the sapphire-like throne of the Almighty (Ezekiel 10:1; cf. Ezekiel 1:26). The throne was initially empty, awaiting the moment when the Lord would once again occupy it (cf. Ezekiel 10:18). The relationship between the glorious presence of God and the throne in these Chapter s is a bit difficult to follow. The following tabulation of references may assist in tracing this aspect of the vision.
LOCATION OF THE GLORY OF GOD
In the Holy
of Holies
At the Temple
Threshold
In the Holy
of Holies
At the East
Gate
Mountain
East of the City
On the
Throne
Separate from
the Throne
On the
Throne
On the
Throne
On the
Throne
For the first time it comes to light in Ezekiel 10:1 that the living creatures in Ezekiel's throne vision (Ezekiel 1:5 ff.) were cherubim. It is useless to speculate as to why Ezekiel waited until this point to make this identification. The delay is surely not due to the fact that Ezekiel would not have known what cherubim actually looked like until he saw the interior of the Temple.[237] Surely as a member of a priestly family he would have received such information.
[237] As suggested by Taylor, TOTC, p. 104.
The cherubim are assigned a variety of roles in the Old Testament. They first appear in connection with the Garden of Eden where they guarded the entrance to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). In Solomon's Temple they served as attendants and guardians of the Holy of Holies (1 Kings 6:23). They were depicted on the lid of the ark of the covenant with their heads bowed and their faces looking downward towards the mercy seat as if in silent adoration (Exodus 25:18-20). In a number of passages the Lord is described as being enthroned on (or above) the cherubim.[238] Here Ezekiel sees the cherubim in their traditional role as guardians as they protect access to the holy fire. In at least one passage God is said to ride on a cherub (Psalms 18:10). This is very much like the function performed by cherubim in Ezekiel's vision where these heavenly beings bear up the throne of God and provide locomotion for the entire complicated structure.
[238] 1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; Psalms 80:1, etc.
The real connecting link between the previous and the present chapter the man with the linen garment appears in Ezekiel 10:2. Ezekiel now heard the voice of the Almighty speaking again to this anonymous angel.[239] In Ezekiel 9:3 the divine Presence departed from the throne-chariot and stood at the threshold of the sanctuary. Here again the divine Presence is connected with the throne-chariot.
[239] Later writers attempted to identify the man in the linen as Gabriel or Raphael.
The man in linen garb was instructed to go into the midst of the wheels of the throne-chariot and pick up with both hands the hot coals which he found there (cf. Ezekiel 1:13). Hot coals apparently symbolize judgment and purgation (Isaiah 6:6 f.). That both hands are to be employed in the task points to the severity of the anticipated judgment. The agent was to scatter the coals over the wicked city of Jerusalem. As the vision continued Ezekiel actually saw the linen-clad man begin to carry out those instructions (Ezekiel 10:2).
The symbolic import of this part of the vision is obvious. The judgmental fire which was to fall on Jerusalem would come from the Holy One of Israel. The tragic theology of the day denied that God could ever turn against the city in which He was enthroned between the cherubim. The Babylonian exiles could not or would not hear. Desperately the prophet proclaimed the incredible truth that Yahweh would purge Jerusalem. Six years later when Jerusalem received that awful baptism of fire only a few recognized it as being the fire of God. Those few had been prepared by the preaching of men like Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 10:3-5 parenthetically describe in vivid detail the situation in the Temple at the moment the linen-clad man proceeded to execute the command of the Lord. Five points are made:
1. The cherubim were standing on the right (i.e., south) side of the Temple, far removed from the ritualistic abominations being practiced on the north side of that house (cf. Ezekiel 8:14).
2. The cloud[240] which accompanied the divine Glory filled the inner court (Ezekiel 10:3) and the house (i.e., the Holy Place; Ezekiel 10:4).
[240] This cloud is mentioned also in 1 Kings 8:10-11 and Isaiah 6:1-2 The Jews called this cloud the Shechinah.
3. That deep and dark cloud filled the inner court and house because the Glory of the Lord had risen up and was now over the threshold of the house. This is the first stage of the divine departure from that place (Ezekiel 10:4; cf. Ezekiel 9:3). The cherubim had been left behind to perform a significant task, viz., to give the divine messenger of destruction his means of destroying the city.
4. Because of the presence of the Glory of the Lord, the outer court was filled with ineffable radiance (nogah; Ezekiel 10:4).
5. From within the Temple, the sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard even to the outer court. The sound resembled the voice of God Almighty (El Shaddai).[241] Psalms 29 equates the voice of Yahweh with the roar of thunder. Probably Ezekiel intends the same comparison here. Normally the wings of the cherubim were motionless and made no sound. But in this vision as in the first one of the book (Ezekiel 1:24) they made a loud noise when God spoke. Nevertheless, the voice of God was not thereby drowned out, for it was heard both by Ezekiel and the linen-vested minister. The thundering pulse of those angelic wings signaled the imminent departure of those heavenly creatures.
[241] The name El Shaddai expresses the fact that God rules over all nature. The name was more common in the early stages of Old Testament history. See Exodus 6:3.
Ezekiel 10:6 continues the narrative from Ezekiel 10:2 following the parenthetical interjection of Ezekiel 10:3-5. The divine voice had bidden the linen-clad angel to enter among the cherubim and take hot coals from between the wheel work or chariot (galgal).[242] Without any hesitation the man made his way to one of the magnificent wheels which moved in conjunction with the cherubim.
[242] The word is singular and collective and means literally, the whirling thing. It is used elsewhere of the wheel of a war chariot (cf. Isa. 5:58). It has been suggested that the word could be translated chariot in this context.
Before the man dressed in linen could fill his hands with hot coals, one of the cherubim presumably the one closest to Ezekiel put forth his hand into the fire, drew forth hot coals and placed them in the hands of the man. This was possible, Ezekiel 10:8 parenthetically explains, because there appeared under the wing of each of the cherubim the form of a man's hand. Perhaps the lesson here is that even an angelic messenger like the man clothed in linen had to keep his distance from the awful throne of God. As guardians of the fire it was appropriate that one of the cherubim should actually give the fire to the destroying angel. Having received those coals of judgment fire, the man with the linen garment went out (Ezekiel 10:7) from the Temple to execute the command to set fire to the city (cf. Ezekiel 10:2). This visionary and symbolic representation of the burning of Jerusalem found fulfillment in 587 B.C.