וָאֶרְאֶה וְהִנֵּה אֶל־הָרָקִיעַ אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשׁ הַכְּרֻבִים כְּאֶבֶן סַפִּיר כְּמַרְאֵה דְּמוּת כִּסֵּא נִרְאָה עֲלֵיהֶם׃ 10:1
Ezek. 10:1 Then I looked, and behold, toward the expanse that was over the head of the cherubim, like a stone sapphire, like the appearance of the likeness of a throne appeared above them.
Well, now this vision is taking on the approximate characteristics and aspects of Chapter 1. As this is still part of the vision started in Chapter 8, this indicates to me that Chapter 1 was indeed a vision. In fact, I believe that so far we are dealing only with visions.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאִישׁ לְבֻשׁ הַבַּדִּים וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּא אֶל־בֵּינֹות לַגַּלְגַּל אֶל־תַּחַת לַכְּרוּב וּמַלֵּא חָפְנֶיךָ 10:2 גַחֲלֵי־אֵשׁ מִבֵּינֹות לַכְּרֻבִים וּזְרֹק עַל־הָעִיר וַיָּבֹא לְעֵינָי׃
Ezek. 10:2 And He spoke to the man wearing the linens and said, “Go into the spaces between the wheel to the cherub's place, and he will fill your hands of coals of fire from the places between the cherubim, and scatter over the city.” And he went in, for my eyes.
Is this verse telling us that the beings are now called cherubim? In Chapter 1 we learned that the beings were between the wheels, and now Ezekiel tells us that the cherubim are between the wheels. I imagine it may be so, as we are no longer being told about the living beings -- so far.
וְהַכְּרֻבִים עֹמְדִים מִימִין לַבַּיִת בְּבֹאֹו הָאִישׁ וְהֶעָןָן מָלֵא אֶת־הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית׃ 10:3
Ezek. 10:3 Now the cherubim were standing on the house's right side with his going in -- the man -- and the cloud filled the inner court,
וַיָּרָם כְּבֹוד־יְהוָה מֵעַל הַכְּרוּב עַל מִפְתַּן הַבָּיִת וַיִּמָּלֵא הַבַּיִת אֶת־הֶעָןָן וְהֶחָצֵר מָלְאָה אֶת־נֹגַהּ כְּבֹוד 10:4 יְהוָה׃
Ezek. 10:4 and the glory of the Lord rose up from the cherub on the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brilliance of the glory of the Lord.
וְקֹול כַּנְפֵי הַכְּרוּבִים נִשְׁמַע עַד־הֶחָצֵר הַחִיצֹנָה כְּקֹול אֵל־שַׁדַּי בְּדַבְּרֹו׃ 10:5
Ezek. 10:5 And the sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He spoke to him.
וַיְהִי בְּצַוֹּתֹו אֶת־הָאִישׁ לְבֻשׁ־הַבַּדִּים לֵאמֹר קַח אֵשׁ מִבֵּינֹות לַגַּלְגַּל מִבֵּינֹות לַכְּרוּבִים וַיָּבֹא וַיַּעֲמֹד 10:6 אֵצֶל הָאֹופָן׃
Ezek. 10:6 And it happened, the man wearing the linens on His commanding, saying, “Take fire from between the wheel's spaces, from between the cherubim's spaces,” that he went and stood beside the wheel.
וַיִּשְׁלַח הַכְּרוּב אֶת־יָדֹו מִבֵּינֹות לַכְּרוּבִים אֶל־הָאֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר בֵּינֹות הַכְּרֻבִים וַיִּשָּׂא וַיִּתֵּן אֶל־חָפְנֵי 10:7 לְבֻשׁ הַבַּדִּים וַיִּקַּח וַיֵּצֵא׃
Ezek. 10:7 Then the cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim's spaces toward the fire that was between the spaces of the cherubim, and he lifted up and put into the hands of the wearer of the linens, and he took and departed.
וַיֵּרָא לַכְּרֻבִים תַּבְנִית יַד־אָדָם תַּחַת כַּנְפֵיהֶם׃ 10:8
Ezek. 10:8 Then appeared the form of a human hand belonging to the cherubim beneath their wings.
וָאֶרְאֶה וְהִנֵּה אַרְבָּעָה אֹופַנִּים אֵצֶל הַכְּרוּבִים אֹופַן אֶחָד אֵצֶל הַכְּרוּב אֶחָד וְאֹופַן אֶחָד אֵצֶל 10:9 הַכְּרוּב אֶחָד וּמַרְאֵה הָאֹופַנִּים כְּעֵין אֶבֶן תַּרְשִׁישׁ׃
Ezek. 10:9 And I looked, and behold, four wheels were near the cherubim, one wheel beside the one cherub, and another wheel beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a stone of topaz.
וּמַרְאֵיהֶם דְּמוּת אֶחָד לְאַרְבַּעְתָּם כַּאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה הָאֹופַן בְּתֹוךְ הָאֹופָן׃ 10:10
Ezek. 10:10 Also their appearances were of one likeness for the four of them, as if this wheel were within that wheel.
See my remarks about the wheel within a wheel at Ezek. 1:16.
בְּלֶכְתָּם אֶל־אַרְבַּעַת רִבְעֵיהֶם יֵלֵכוּ לֹא יִסַּבּוּ בְּלֶכְתָּם כִּי הַמָּקֹום אֲשֶׁר־יִפְנֶה הָרֹאשׁ אַחֲרָיו יֵלֵכוּ 10:11 לֹא יִסַּבּוּ בְּלֶכְתָּם׃
Ezek. 10:11 With their movement -- to four of their four sides they would move, not turn, with their moving -- but the place where the head would turn, they would move to follow it; they would not turn with their moving.
וְכָל־בְּשָׂרָם וְגַבֵּהֶם וִידֵיהֶם וְכַנְפֵיהֶם וְהָאֹופַנִּים מְלֵאִים עֵינַיִם סָבִיב לְאַרְבַּעְתָּם אֹופַנֵּיהֶם׃ 10:12
Ezek. 10:12 And their entire body and their backs and their hands and their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all over, their wheels belonging to the four of them.
לָאֹופַנִּים לָהֶם קֹורָא הַגַּלְגַּל בְּאָזְנָי׃ 10:13
Ezek. 10:13 About the wheels, in regard to them, one was being called "The Wheel" in my ear.
וְאַרְבָּעָה פָנִים לְאֶחָד פְּנֵי הָאֶחָד פְּנֵי הַכְּרוּב וּפְנֵי הַשֵּׁנִי פְּנֵי אָדָם וְהַשְּׁלִישִׁי פְּנֵי אַרְיֵה וְהָרְבִיעִי 10:14 פְּנֵי־נָשֶׁר׃
Ezek. 10:14 Now four faces were to each one; the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth was the face of an eagle.
Although Ezekiel seems to be seeing the same things he saw at the river Chebar, there are some differences. It’s impossible to tell whether he is not remembering the same details or his perceptions have changed. In any case, the face of an ox has now been replaced by the face of a cherub. In the next verse we find out that the cherubim are indeed the living beings of Chapter 1, but somehow one of the faces has changed. The rest of this chapter continues the description of the events and characters at the Temple, as if they were identical to those of Chapter 1. But in reality there are numerous discrepancies between the two descriptions. This makes we want to suspect that Ezekiel was less than precise in his reporting, exaggerating and then forgetting his exaggerations.. We’ll see if this suspicion survives through the rest of his book.
יֵּרֹמּוּ הַכְּרוּבִים הִיא הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי בִּנְהַר־כְּבָר׃ 10:15
Ezek. 10:15 And the cherubim lifted up -- that was the living being that I saw at the river Chebar.
וְאַרְבָּעָה פָנִים לְאֶחָד פְּנֵי הָאֶחָד פְּנֵי הַכְּרוּב וּפְנֵי הַשֵּׁנִי פְּנֵי אָדָם וְהַשְּׁלִישִׁי פְּנֵי אַרְיֵה וְהָרְבִיעִי 10:16 פְּנֵי־נָשֶׁר׃
Ezek. 10:16 And with the movement of the cherubim, the wheels would move beside them, and on the cherubim lifting up their wings to rise from the ground, those same wheels did not turn from beside them.
בְּעָמְדָם יַעֲמֹדוּ וּבְרֹוםָם יֵרֹומּוּ אֹותָם כִּי רוּחַ הַחַיָּה בָּהֶם׃ 10:17
Ezek. 10:17 With their being stationary, they would be stationary, and with their lifting up, they would lift themselves up, as if the spirit of life was in them.
וַיֵּצֵא כְּבֹוד יְהוָה מֵעַל מִפְתַּן הַבָּיִת וַיַּעֲמֹד עַל־הַכְּרוּבִים׃ 10:18
Ezek. 10:18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the house and remained upon the cherubim.
וַיִּשְׂאוּ הַכְּרוּבִים אֶת־כַּנְפֵיהֶם וַיֵּרֹומּוּ מִן־הָאָרֶץ לְעֵינַי בְּצֵאתָם וְהָאֹופַנִּים לְעֻמָּתָם וַיַּעֲמֹד פֶּתַח 10:19 שַׁעַר בֵּית־יְהוָה הַקַּדְמֹונִי וּכְבֹוד אֱלֹהֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲלֵיהֶם מִלְמָעְלָה׃
Ezek. 10:19 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings and they rose from the ground for my eyes; with their going, with the wheels close beside them. Then He remained at the doorway of the eastern gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them from on high.
הִיא הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי תַּחַת אֱלֹהֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּנְהַר־כְּבָר וָאֵדַע כִּי כְרוּבִים הֵמָּה׃ 10:20
Ezek. 10:20 It was the living being that I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the river Chebar for I knew that they were cherubim.
אַרְבָּעָה אַרְבָּעָה פָנִים לְאֶחָד וְאַרְבַּע כְּנָפַיִם לְאֶחָד וּדְמוּת יְדֵי אָדָם תַּחַת כַּנְפֵיהֶם׃ 10:21
Ezek. 10:21 Of the four, four faces were for each one, and four wings for each one, and the likeness of the hands of a man beneath their wings.
וּדְמוּת פְּנֵיהֶם הֵמָּה הַפָּנִים אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי עַל־נְהַר־כְּבָר מַרְאֵיהֶם וְאֹותָם אִישׁ אֶל־עֵבֶר פָּנָיו יֵלֵכוּ׃ 10:22
Ezek. 10:22 And the likeness of their faces -- they were the faces that I had seen by the river Chebar, their appearances, and them, they each would go to the opposite side of its face.
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