1Ich sah, da, am Gewölb, dem überm Haupt der Cheruben, wars wie Saphirstein, wie das Ansehn der Gestalt eines Throns war er über ihnen zu sehn. 2Er aber sprach zu dem in Leinwand gekleideten Mann, er sprach: Komm in die Zwischenräume des Kreisenden, das unterhalb je eines Cheruben ist, und fülle deine Fäuste mit Glutkohlen aus den Räumen zwischen den Cheruben und streue sie über die Stadt! Der kam vor meinen Augen hin. 3Die Cheruben aber standen zur Rechten des Hauses, als der Mann hinkam, und die Wolke füllte den inneren Hof, 4- als nämlich SEINE Erscheinung sich erhoben hatte, auf vom Cherub, hinüber zur Schwelle des Hauses, hatte das Haus sich mit der Wolke erfüllt, und der Hof hatte sich erfüllt mit dem Glanz SEINER Erscheinung, 5der Hall aber der Cherubenflügel war bis an den äußern Hof zu hören, wie der Stimmhall des Gewaltigen Gottes, wann er redet. 6Es geschah nun, als er dem in Leinwand gekleideten Manne geboten hatte, sprechend: Nimm Glut aus den Zwischenräumen des Kreisenden, den Räumen zwischen den Cheruben!, der kam hin, er stellte sich neben ein Rad, 7ein Cherub aber schickte seine Hand aus von dem Raum zwischen den Cheruben her an die Glut, die zwischen den Cheruben war, trug etwas davon, gabs in die Fäuste des in Leinwand Gekleideten, der nahms, zog hinweg. 8Es war aber an den Cheruben die Form einer Menschenhand unter ihren Flügeln zu sehn. 9Ich sah nämlich, da, vier Räder den Cheruben zuseiten, ein Rad zuseiten einem Cherub, ein Rad zuseiten einem Cherub, und das Aussehn der Räder wie der Anblick des Chalzedonsteins, 10das war ihr Aussehn: einerlei Gestalt den Vieren, als wäre ein Rad inmitten des anderen Rads. 11Bei ihrem Gehn gingen nach ihren vier Geviertseiten sie, drehten sich nicht im Gehn, denn nach der Gegend, wohin der zuhäupten sich wandte, hinter dem her gingen sie, drehten sich nicht im Gehn: 12all ihr Fleisch, ihre Rücken, ihre Hände, ihre Flügel. Und die Räder waren voller Augen rings, so waren ihre Räder den Vieren. 13Den Rädern aber, ihnen wurde in meine Ohren gerufen: Kreisendes! 14Jedem einen aber waren der Antlitze vier: das eine Antlitz ein Cherubsantlitz, das zweite Antlitz ein Menschenantlitz, das dritte ein Löwenantlitz, das vierte ein Adlerantlitz. 15Wie sich dann die Cheruben erhoben - das war das Lebendige, das ich am Stromarm Kbar gesehen hatte - : 16wann die Cheruben gegangen waren, waren die Räder neben ihnen gegangen, und wann nun die Cheruben ihre Flügel schwangen, sich von der Erde zu erheben, drehten sich auch die Räder nicht ab von ihrer Seite, 17wann jene standen, standen sie, wann jene sich erhoben, erhoben sie sich mit ihnen, denn der Braus des Lebendigen war in ihnen. 18Es zog nun nämlich SEINE Erscheinung von über der Schwelle des Hauses, sie stand über den Cheruben, 19die Cheruben aber schwangen ihre Flügel, sie erhoben sich von der Erde vor meinen Augen, hinwegziehend, die Räder zugleich mit ihnen, stehn bliebs am Eingang des östlichen Tors SEINES Hauses, und über ihnen, oben, die Erscheinung des Gottes Jissraels. 20Das war das Lebendige, das ich unter dem Gotte Jissraels am Stromarm Kbar gesehen hatte: ich erkannte, daß dies Cheruben waren, 21Vier. Jedem einen der Antlitze vier, jedem einen vier Flügel, und die Gestalt einer Menschenhand unter ihren Flügeln. 22Und die Gestalt ihrer Antlitze: dies waren die Antlitze, deren Ansehn ich am Stromarm Kbar gesehen hatte. Und sie, jeder in der Richtung seines Antlitzes, gingen sie.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 VISION OF COALS OF FIRE SCATTERED OVER THE CITY: REPETITION OF THE VISION OF THE CHERUBIM. (Eze. 10:1-22)
The throne of Jehovah appearing in the midst of the judgments implies that whatever intermediate agencies be employed, He controls them, and that the whole flows as a necessary consequence from His essential holiness (
Ezek 1:22,
Ezek 1:26).
cherubim--in
Ezek 1:5, called "living creatures." The repetition of the vision implies that the judgments are approaching nearer and nearer. These two visions of Deity were granted in the beginning of Ezekiel's career, to qualify him for witnessing to God's glory amidst his God-forgetting people and to stamp truth on his announcements; also to signify the removal of God's manifestation from the visible temple (
Ezek 10:18) for a long period (
Ezek 43:2). The feature (
Ezek 10:12) mentioned as to the cherubim that they were "full of eyes," though omitted in the former vision, is not a difference, but a more specific detail observed by Ezekiel now on closer inspection. Also, here, there is no rainbow (the symbol of mercy after the flood of wrath) as in the former; for here judgment is the prominent thought, though the marking of the remnant in
Ezek 9:4,
Ezek 9:6 shows that there was mercy in the background. The cherubim, perhaps, represent redeemed humanity combining in and with itself the highest forms of subordinate creaturely life (compare
Rom 8:20). Therefore they are associated with the twenty-four elders and are distinguished from the angels (
Rev 5:1-
Rev 5:14). They stand on the mercy seat of the ark, and on that ground become the habitation of God from which His glory is to shine upon the world. The different forms symbolize the different phases of the Church. So the quadriform Gospel, in which the incarnate Saviour has lodged the revelation of Himself in a fourfold aspect, and from which His glory shines on the Christian world, answers to the emblematic throne from which He shone on the Jewish Church.
2 he--Jehovah; He who sat on the "throne."
the man--the Messenger of mercy becoming the Messenger of judgment (see on
Ezek 9:2). Human agents of destruction shall fulfil the will of "the Man," who is Lord of men.
wheels--Hebrew, galgal, implying quick revolution; so the impetuous onset of the foe (compare
Ezek 23:24;
Ezek 26:10); whereas "ophan," in
Ezek 1:15-
Ezek 1:16 implies mere revolution.
coals of fire--the wrath of God about to burn the city, as His sword had previously slain its guilty inhabitants. This "fire," how different from the fire on the altar never going out (
Lev 6:12-
Lev 6:13), whereby, in type, peace was made with God! Compare
Isa 33:12,
Isa 33:14. It is therefore not taken from the altar of reconciliation, but from between the wheels of the cherubim, representing the providence of God, whereby, and not by chance, judgment is to fall.
3 right . . . of . . . house--The scene of the locality whence judgment emanates is the temple, to mark God's vindication of His holiness injured there. The cherubim here are not those in the holy of holies, for the latter had not "wheels." They stood on "the right of the house," that is, the south, for the Chaldean power, guided by them, had already advanced from the north (the direction of Babylon), and had destroyed the men in the temple, and was now proceeding to destroy the city, which lay south and west.
the cherubim . . . the man--There was perfect concert of action between the cherubic representative of the angels and "the Man," to minister to whom they "stood" there (
Ezek 10:7).
cloud--emblem of God's displeasure; as the "glory" or "brightness" (
Ezek 10:4) typifies His majesty and clearness in judgment.
4 The court outside was full of the Lord's brightness, while it was only the cloud that filled the house inside, the scene of idolatries, and therefore of God's displeasure. God's throne was on the threshold. The temple, once filled with brightness, is now darkened with cloud.
5 sound of . . . wings--prognostic of great and awful changes.
voice of . . . God--the thunder (
Ps 29:3, &c.).
6 went in--not into the temple, but between the cherubim. Ezekiel sets aside the Jews' boast of the presence of God with them. The cherubim, once the ministers of grace, are now the ministers of vengeance. When "commanded," He without delay obeys (
Ps 40:8;
Heb 10:7).
7 See on
Ezek 10:3.
one cherub--one of the four cherubim.
his hand-- (
Ezek 1:8).
went out--to burn the city.
8 The "wings" denote alacrity, the "hands" efficacy and aptness, in executing the functions assigned to them.
9 wheels--(See on
Ezek 1:15-
Ezek 1:16). The things which, from
Ezek 10:8 to the end of the chapter, are repeated from the first chapter are expressed more decidedly, now that he gets a nearer view: the words "as it were," and "as if," so often occurring in the first chapter, are therefore mostly omitted. The "wheels" express the manifold changes and revolutions in the world; also that in the chariot of His providence God transports the Church from one place to another and everywhere can preserve it; a truth calculated to alarm the people in Jerusalem and to console the exiles [POLANUS].
10 four had one likeness--In the wonderful variety of God's works there is the greatest harmony:--
"In human works, though labored on with pain,
One thousand movements scarce one purpose gain;
In God's one single doth its end produce,
Yet serves to second, too, some other use.
(See on
Ezek 1:16).
wheel . . . in . . . a wheel--cutting one another at fight angles, so that the whole might move in any of the four directions or quarters of the world. God's doings, however involved they seem to us, cohere, so that lower causes subserve the higher.
11 (See on
Ezek 1:17).
turned not--without accomplishing their course (
Isa 55:11) [GROTIUS]. Rather, "they moved straight on without turning" (so
Ezek 1:9). Having a face towards each of the four quarters, they needed not to turn around when changing their direction.
whither . . . head looked--that is, "whither the head" of the animal cherub-form, belonging to and directing each wheel, "looked," thither the wheel "followed." The wheels were not guided by some external adventitious impetus, but by some secret divine impulse of the cherubim themselves.
12 body--literally, "flesh," because a body consists of flesh.
wheels . . . full of eyes--The description (
Ezek 1:18) attributes eyes to the "wheels" alone; here there is added, on closer observation, that the cherubim themselves had them. The "eyes" imply that God, by His wisdom, beautifully reconciles seeming contrarieties (compare
2Chr 16:9;
Pro 15:3;
Zech 4:10).
13 O wheel--rather, "they were called, whirling," that is, they were most rapid in their revolutions [MAURER]; or, better, "It was cried unto them, The whirling" [FAIRBAIRN]. Galgal here used for "wheel," is different from ophan, the simple word for "wheel." Galgal is the whole wheelwork machinery with its whirlwind-like rotation. Their being so addressed is in order to call them immediately to put themselves in rapid motion.
14 cherub--but in
Ezek 1:10 it is an ox. The chief of the four cherubic forms was not the ox, but man. Therefore "cherub" cannot be synonymous with "ox." Probably Ezekiel, standing in front of one of the cherubim (namely, that which handed the coals to the man in linen), saw of him, not merely the ox-form, but the whole fourfold form, and therefore calls him simply "cherub"; whereas of the other three, having only a side view, he specifies the form of each which met his eye [FAIRBAIRN]. As to the likelihood of the lower animals sharing in "the restoration of all things," see
Isa 11:6;
Isa 65:25;
Rom 8:20-
Rom 8:21; this accords with the animal forms combined with the human to typify redeemed man.
15 The repeated declaration of the identity of the vision with that at the Chebar is to arouse attention to it (
Ezek 10:22;
Ezek 3:23).
the living creature--used collectively, as in
Ezek 10:17,
Ezek 10:20;
Ezek 1:20.
16 (See on
Ezek 10:11;
Ezek 1:19).
lifted up . . . wings--to depart, following "the glory of the Lord" which was on the point of departing (
Ezek 10:18).
17 (
Ezek 1:12,
Ezek 1:20-
Ezek 1:21).
stood--God never stands still (
John 5:17), therefore neither do the angels; but to human perceptions He seems to do so.
18 The departure of the symbol of God's presence from the temple preparatory to the destruction of the city. Foretold in
Deut 31:17. Woe be to those from whom God departs (
Hos 9:12)! Compare
1Sam 28:15-16;
1Sam 4:21 : "I-chabod, Thy glory is departed." Successive steps are marked in His departure; so slowly and reluctantly does the merciful God leave His house. First He leaves the sanctuary (
Ezek 9:3); He elevates His throne above the threshold of the house (
Ezek 10:1); leaving the cherubim He sits on the throne (
Ezek 10:4); He and the cherubim, after standing for a time at the door of the east gate (where was the exit to the lower court of the people), leave the house altogether (
Ezek 10:18-
Ezek 10:19), not to return till
Ezek 43:2.
20 I knew . . . cherubim--By the second sight of the cherubim, he learned to identify them with the angelic forms situated above the ark of the covenant in the temple, which as a priest, he "knew" about from the high priest.
21 The repetition is in order that the people about to live without the temple might have, instead, the knowledge of the temple mysteries, thus preparing them for a future restoration of the covenant. So perverse were they that they would say, "Ezekiel fancies he saw what has no existence." He, therefore, repeats it over and over again.
22 straight forward--intent upon the object they aimed at, not deviating from the way nor losing sight of the end (
Luke 9:52).
