Old Testament · Prophecy

Ezekiel 10

The Glory Departs

The cherubim lift. The glory of the Lord rises from the threshold of the temple. God is leaving His own house — the most devastating exit in Scripture.

King James Version BSB KJV

1Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

2And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.

3Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.

4Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory.

5And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.

6And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels.

7And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out.

8And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

9And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.

10And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.

11When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.

12And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.

13As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel.

14And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.

16And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them.

17When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them.

18Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.

19And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’s house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

20This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.

21Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

22And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.

Understand This

Ezekiel 10, explained

What Ezekiel 10 is saying

The glory of the LORD begins to depart from the temple, moving from above the cherubim to the threshold, then to the east gate. The vision of the cherubim and wheels from chapter 1 recurs, now explicitly identified with the throne-chariot of God's mobile presence.

The background behind it

This chapter marks one of the most theologically significant moments in the Hebrew Bible: the departure of the Shekinah glory from the temple that Solomon had built as God's earthly dwelling. The eastward movement anticipates the glory's return in Ezekiel 43.

Themes running underneath

God's glory is not permanently bound to any human structure. When worship becomes corrupt, God withdraws His presence—the most devastating judgment possible. The parallel with chapter 1's vision connects departure and arrival into a unified theological arc.

Why it still matters

The loss of God's presence is a far greater catastrophe than the loss of a building. This chapter asks faith communities whether they are cultivating or driving away the genuine presence of God.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.