Ezekiel 10:1-22

10:3 | When a cloud, representing the Lord’s presence, filled the inner court of the temple in 1 Kings 8:10-11, it meant the Lord had come to live among His people. In Ezekiel’s day, the Lord would depart the temple after dwelling there for almost 400 years.

10:18-19 | The glory of the LORD left the threshold and departed to the east gate of the temple. The Lord had warned that this would occur if the nation rebelled against Him (Deut. 31:17; Hosea 9:12), but Ezekiel also saw a time in the future when God’s glory would once again return to Jerusalem (43:1-9).

10:20 | Cherubim in Scripture are a type of angel closely connected with God’s throne and glory. In the ancient Near East at the time of Ezekiel, many cultures (including Assyrians and the Babylonians) depicted in their cultic art winged sphinxes with the heads of bulls, lions, or humans, similar to the creatures Ezekiel describes. The Bible portrays cherubim as guardians or protectors (Gen. 3:24) and as perpetual worshipers of God (Ex. 25:18-20).