Ezekiel 1:13

1:13 In the middle ¹  of the living beings was something like ²  burning coals of fire ³  or like torches. It moved back and forth among the living beings. It was bright, and lightning was flashing out of the fire.

Ezekiel 5:4

5:4 Again, take more of them and throw them into the fire, ⁴  and burn them up. From there a fire will spread to all the house of Israel.

Ezekiel 10:6

10:6 When the Lord ⁵  commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man ⁶  went in and stood by one of the wheels. ⁷ 

Ezekiel 15:5

15:5 Indeed! If it was not made into anything useful when it was whole, how much less can it be made into anything when the fire has burned it up and it is charred?

Ezekiel 19:12

19:12 But it was plucked up in anger; it was thrown down to the ground.

The east wind ⁸  dried up its fruit;

its strong branches broke off and withered –

a fire consumed them.

Ezekiel 19:14

19:14 A fire has gone out from its branch; it has consumed its shoot and its fruit. ⁹ 

No strong branch was left in it, nor a scepter to rule.’

This is a lament song, and has become a lament song.”

Ezekiel 28:14

28:14 I placed you there with an anointed ¹⁰  guardian ¹¹  cherub; ¹² 

you were on the holy mountain of God;

you walked about amidst fiery stones.

Ezekiel 28:16

28:16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence, ¹³  and you sinned;

so I defiled you and banished you ¹⁴  from the mountain of God –

the guardian cherub expelled you ¹⁵  from the midst of the stones of fire.

Ezekiel 28:18

28:18 By the multitude of your iniquities, through the sinfulness of your trade,

you desecrated your sanctuaries.

So I drew fire out from within you;

it consumed you,

and I turned you to ashes on the earth

before the eyes of all who saw you.

[1:13]  ¹ tc The MT reads “and the form of the creatures” (וּדְמוּת הַחַיּוֹת, udÿmut hakhayyot). The LXX reads “and in the midst of the creatures,” suggesting an underlying Hebrew text of וּמִתּוֹךְ הַחַיּוֹת (umittokh hakhayyot). The subsequent description of something moving among the creatures supports the LXX.

[1:13]  ² tc The MT reads “and the form of the creatures – their appearance was like burning coals of fire.” The LXX reads “in the midst of the creatures was a sight like burning coals of fire.” The MT may have adjusted “appearance” to “their appearance” to fit their reading of the beginning of the verse (see the tc note on “in the middle”). See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 1:46.

[1:13]  ³ sn Burning coals of fire are also a part of David’s poetic description of God’s appearance (see 2 Sam 22:9, 13; Ps 18:8).

[5:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “into the midst of” (so KJV, ASV). This phrase has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[10:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man dressed in linen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “the wheel.”

[19:12]  ¹⁰ sn The east wind symbolizes the Babylonians.

[19:14]  ¹³ tn The verse describes the similar situation recorded in Judg 9:20.

[28:14]  ¹⁶ tn Or “winged”; see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.

[28:14]  ¹⁷ tn The meaning of this phrase in Hebrew is uncertain. The word translated here “guards” occurs in Exod 25:20 in reference to the cherubim “covering” the ark.

[28:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “you (were) an anointed cherub that covers and I placed you.” In the Hebrew text the ruler of Tyre is equated with a cherub, and the verb “I placed you” is taken with what follows (“on the holy mountain of God”). However, this reading is problematic. The pronoun “you” at the beginning of verse 14 is feminine singular in the Hebrew text; elsewhere in this passage the ruler of Tyre is addressed with masculine singular forms. It is possible that the pronoun is a rare (see Deut 5:24; Num 11:15) or defectively written (see 1 Sam 24:19; Neh 9:6; Job 1:10; Ps 6:3; Eccl 7:22) masculine form, but it is more likely that the form should be repointed as the preposition “with” (see the LXX). In this case the ruler of Tyre is compared to the first man, not to a cherub. If this emendation is accepted, then the verb “I placed you” belongs with what precedes and concludes the first sentence in the verse. It is noteworthy that the verbs in the second and third lines of the verse also appear at the end of the sentence in the Hebrew text. The presence of a conjunction at the beginning of “I placed you” is problematic for the proposal, but it may reflect a later misunderstanding of the syntax of the verse. For a defense of the proposed emendation, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.

[28:16]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “they filled your midst with violence.”

[28:16]  ²⁰ tn Heb “I defiled you.” The presence of the preposition “from” following the verb indicates that a verb of motion is implied as well. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.

[28:16]  ²¹ tn Heb “and I expelled you, O guardian cherub.” The Hebrew text takes the verb as first person and understands “guardian cherub” as a vocative, in apposition to the pronominal suffix on the verb. However, if the emendation in verse 14a is accepted (see the note above), then one may follow the LXX here as well and emend the verb to a third person perfect. In this case the subject of the verb is the guardian cherub. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.