Ezekiel 10:11 Komentář

The prophet had observed to us (Eze 8:4) that when he was in vision at Jerusalem he saw the same appearance of the glory of God there that he had seen by the river Chebar; now, in this chapter, he gives us some account of the appearance there, as far as was requisite for the clearing up of two further indications of the approaching destruction of Jerusalem, which God here gave the prophet: - I. The scattering of the coals of fire upon the city, which were taken from between the cherubim (Eze 10:1-7). II. The removal of the glory of God from the temple, and its being upon the wing to be gone (Eze 10:8-22). When God goes out from a people all judgments break in upon them.

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 10 In this chapter is a vision, very much like that in the first chapter, with some difference, and with a different view, the design of it being to represent the wrath of God against Jerusalem, and his departure from the city and temple. A throne much like that in Eze 1:26 is described, Eze 10:1; orders are given from it to scatter coals over the city, Eze 10:2; the situation of the cherubim when these orders were given, Eze 10:3; the removal of the glory of the Lord from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the consequences of it; the house filled with smoke; the court with the brightness of the Lord's glory; and the sound of the cherubim's wings heard to the outer court, as the voice of God, Eze 10:4; the orders of taking and scattering fire over the city executed, and the manner in which they were, Eze 10:6; a description of the cherubim and the wheels, much like that in the first chapter, Eze 10:8; the departure of the glory of God from the threshold to the east gate of the Lord's house, with the motion of the cherubim and wheels along with him, Eze 10:18; and the chapter is concluded with observing, that the cherubim are the same with the living creatures seen in the vision of the first chapter, and had the same form, likeness, and motion, Eze 10:20.

When they went, they went upon their four sides,.... Which four sides they had, by being made in the transverse way before mentioned; just as the New Jerusalem church state is said to be foursquare, Rev 21:16; and this may denote the uniformity of Gospel churches in every state and condition, prosperous and adverse; and the constancy of their walk, conduct, and conversation: they turned not as they went: neither to the right hand or the left, but went on in the path of faith and duty, keeping close to the word of God, and keeping up a conversation, discipline, and worship, according to it: but to the place where the head looked they, followed it; meaning either the rulers, guides, and governors of churches, pastors and elders; whose faith and conversation are followed by the members: or rather Christ himself, the head of the church, who is to be followed whithersoever he goes or directs: unless by the head is meant the same as the spirit, Eze 1:20; the Spirit of God, by whom the true members of Gospel churches are led, and after whom they walk. The Targum is, "the place to which the first turned (or looked), after it they went;'' that is, the first of the wheels; and so may signify that the primitive churches are the pattern after which all the churches in after ages are to go; they turned not as they went; this is repeated partly for the confirmation of it; and partly to excite attention to it, as being worthy of observation; See Gill on Eze 1:17.

(Versed 8 and following) And I saw, and behold, there were four wheels beside the Cherubim. One wheel beside one Cherub, and another wheel beside another Cherub. The appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a chrysolite stone, and they all had the same likeness, like a wheel within a wheel. When they moved, they went in the four directions without turning as they went. And the wheels went toward the place where the first wheel went, and they followed in its tracks and did not turn back. And all their bodies, and necks, and hands, and wings, and circles, were full of eyes all around the four wheels. And these wheels he called voluble, as I heard. But it had four faces. One face, the face of a Cherub; and the second face, the face of a man; and in the third, the face of a lion; and in the fourth, the face of an eagle. And the Cherubim were elevated. Notice what was before, or how many species of wheels, according to the Septuagint, like the appearance of a beryl: but now, according to the same, like the appearance of a carbuncle; so that the likeness of wings being moved by fire, which is attributed to the Cherub, may be shown: although in Hebrew, both above and here, it is written 'beryl,' which the Eagle translated as 'chrysolite' and Symmachus as 'hyacinth.' And again, when we turn to them: And the whole body of them, which is understood to be of the wheels, is written in Hebrew: And all their flesh, and necks, and hands, and feathers, and circles. Note that flesh is called in heavenly powers, as when we read: Flesh and blood shall not possess the kingdom of God, neither shall corruption possess incorruption (I Cor. XV), let us know that not the substance of the flesh, but the works, are condemned: For Basar () which is written in this place, signifies not the body, but rather flesh. But he called the circles of wheels, iron edges, by which the roundness of the wood is constrained and tightened. And these wheels not only have flesh, or bodies, or limbs: but also necks, and hands, and feathers, so that we perceive the effectiveness of things in each, not images of limbs. The wheels themselves are also called in the Hebrew tongue Gelgel, which Symmachus interpreted as revolving, and Aquila as a wheel. Furthermore, what follows: When I was listening, until the place where it is written: The Cherubim are lifted up, it is not found in the Septuagint; but it has been added from the Hebrew. In which it is to be noted that, as stated above, there are not, as it were, four faces on the right and four faces on the left: the face of a man and the face of a lion on the right, and the face of a calf on the left, and the face of an eagle; so that they are believed to be different on the left and on the right. But an equal order of all is described, with Scripture saying: Yet it had four faces: one face, the face of a Cherub, and the second face, the face of a man; and in the third, the face of a lion; and in the fourth, the face of an eagle; so that the first and second, and third, and fourth faces, are described not by the difference of places on the right and the left, but by one order of degrees. He named the first face Cherub, which he had spoken about earlier as the face of a calf. From this, it is understood that the face of the Cherub is the face of a calf. The explanation of this vision includes the meaning of all these things.

The same august vision which appeared to the prophet at first, is repeated here; and coals of fire are scattered over the city to intimate that it was to be burned. The symbol of the Divine presence is likewise represented as removing farther and farther from the temple, to signify that God's protection was about to be withdrawn from it, vv. 1-22. It may not be improper to remark, that whatever is particularly intended by the cherubim, wheels, firmament, throne, etc., described in this and the first chapter, the prophet several times informs us (Eze 1:28; Eze 3:25; Eze 8:4; Eze 10:4, Eze 10:18), that his vision was a manifestation or similitude of the Glory of Jehovah; or, in other words, consisted of a set of hieroglyphics by which this glory was in some measure represented. It is also worthy of observation, that the faces of the living creatures, of which we have an account in the fourth chapter of the Apocalypse, are precisely the same with those of Ezekiel's cherubim; and we nay readily collect, as Mr. Mede remarks, the quarter of the heavens in which each cherub was situated in reference to the other three, from the consideration that as Ezekiel saw the vision proceeding from the North, (see Eze 1:4, Eze 1:10), the human face of the cherubim was towards him, or the south; on his right hand, or the east, was the face of a lion; on his left hand, or the west, the face of an ox; and towards the north, the face of an eagle.

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 (Eze 1:22, Eze 1:26). cherubim--in Eze 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 (Eze 10:18) for a long period (Eze 43:2). The feature (Eze 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 Eze 9:4, Eze 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 5:1-14). 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.

(See on Eze 1:17). turned not--without accomplishing their course (Isa 55:11) [GROTIUS]. Rather, "they moved straight on without turning" (so Eze 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.