Ezekiel 10:1

God’s Glory Leaves the Temple

10:1 As I watched, I saw ¹  on the platform ²  above the top of the cherubim something like a sapphire, resembling the shape of a throne, appearing above them.

Ezekiel 10:4

10:4 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.

Ezekiel 10:6

10:6 When the Lord ³  commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man ⁴  went in and stood by one of the wheels. ⁵ 

Ezekiel 10:14

10:14 Each of the cherubim ⁶  had four faces: The first was the face of a cherub, ⁷  the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.

Ezekiel 10:20

10:20 These were the living creatures ⁸  which I saw at the Kebar River underneath the God of Israel; I knew that they were cherubim.

Ezekiel 28:14

28:14 I placed you there with an anointed ⁹  guardian ¹⁰  cherub; ¹¹ 

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, ¹²  and you sinned;

so I defiled you and banished you ¹³  from the mountain of God –

the guardian cherub expelled you ¹⁴  from the midst of the stones of fire.

Ezekiel 41:25

41:25 On the doors of the outer sanctuary were carved cherubim and palm trees, like those carved on the walls, and there was a canopy ¹⁵  of wood on the front of the outside porch.

[10:1]  ¹ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

[10:1]  ² tn Or “like a dome.” See 1:22-26.

[10:6]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man dressed in linen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “the wheel.”

[10:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “each one”; the referent (the cherubim) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:14]  ⁶ 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.

[10:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “That was the living creature.”

[28:14]  ⁹ tn Or “winged”; see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.

[28:14]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “they filled your midst with violence.”

[28:16]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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.

[41:25]  ¹³ tn Or “railings.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:218.