Commentary - Ezekiel 10:9-14

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, Ezekiel is given a second look at the glorious and terrifying throne-chariot of God, which he first saw in chapter one. But the context here is starkly different. This is not an inaugural vision given to a new prophet by the Chebar canal; this is a vision of the very glory of God preparing to depart from His own Temple in Jerusalem. The intricate and awe-inspiring description of the cherubim and the wheels serves to underscore what, precisely, Israel is losing. This is not a minor deity with a localized authority. This is the sovereign Lord of all creation, whose throne is a chariot of fire, capable of moving in any direction with intelligent, omniscient purpose. The repetition of the details from the first vision emphasizes the gravity of the moment. The God whose presence defined the Temple, the city, and the people is now revving His engines, so to speak. The whole scene is a prelude to judgment. Israel's persistent, high-handed idolatry, detailed in the preceding chapters, has forced the hand of God. His departure is a judicial act, the ultimate covenantal curse, leaving the Temple an empty shell, ripe for destruction.

The vision itself is a picture of divine sovereignty in motion. The wheels within wheels, the rims full of eyes, the instantaneous movement in any direction without turning, all of it speaks to a God who is not constrained by geography, politics, or the unfaithfulness of His people. He is the living God, and His presence is not a talisman to be manipulated. This passage is a crucial part of Ezekiel's covenant lawsuit against Israel, demonstrating that their impending doom is not a result of God's weakness, but a direct consequence of His holy character and their profane rebellion.

Outline

Context In Ezekiel

This vision in chapter 10 is a direct callback to the vision in chapter 1, but the setting has shifted dramatically. In chapter 1, Ezekiel is among the exiles in Babylon, and the vision of God's mobile throne comes to him there, signifying that God's presence is not confined to the Temple. Now, in chapters 8-11, the prophet is transported in a vision back to Jerusalem to witness the very abominations that have polluted the Temple and driven God away. He has just seen the idolatry in the courts, the worship of Tammuz, and the sun worship taking place in the very house of God (Ezekiel 8). He has witnessed the marking of the faithful remnant and the slaughter of the unfaithful in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 9). This vision of the cherubim and wheels in chapter 10 is the central act of this drama. The glory of the Lord, which had been hovering over the threshold, now mounts its chariot. This is the beginning of God's abandonment of the physical Temple, a necessary prelude to its destruction by the Babylonians, which Ezekiel has been prophesying. The vision is not just for show; it is the theological justification for the destruction of Jerusalem.

Key Issues

God on the Move

When we moderns think of a throne, we think of a stationary piece of furniture. A throne is a symbol of established, rooted power. But the throne of God that Ezekiel sees is anything but stationary. It is a vehicle, a chariot, a machine of terrible and glorious mobility. This is central to the message of the whole book. Israel had fallen into the pagan assumption that their God was tied to a particular building, the Temple in Jerusalem. They thought that as long as they had the Temple, they had God in a box, and were therefore safe. They could practice all manner of wickedness, but as long as the Temple stood, they believed God's presence was guaranteed.

Ezekiel's vision shatters this superstitious nonsense. God's throne has wheels. He is not a fixture. His presence is not an entitlement. He is the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, and He will not be held hostage by the idolatry of His people. The vision of the wheels, the ophanim, is a vision of God's absolute freedom. He can be present with His exiled people in Babylon just as easily as He can be in Jerusalem. And, most terrifyingly for the apostates in Judah, He can leave. The wheels are not just for arriving; they are also for departing. And in this context, the sound of those whirling wheels is the sound of judgment, the sound of God packing His bags and leaving a people to the consequences of their sin.

Verse by Verse Commentary

9 Then I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a Tarshish stone.

Ezekiel's attention is drawn again to the foundational apparatus of this divine throne. The cherubim are the living creatures, the throne-bearers, and beside each one is a wheel. This is a four-point vehicle, establishing a stable, foursquare foundation, touching the four corners of the earth, as it were. The number four in Scripture consistently points to the created world. This is God's throne as it relates to His governance over the earth. The appearance is like a Tarshish stone, likely a beryl or chrysolite, a gem of a sea-green or golden color. This is not a muddy, earthly contraption. It gleams with otherworldly beauty and value. It is a heavenly reality, manifesting itself on earth. The glory of what is being described should not be lost in the strangeness of it. This is the vehicle of the King of kings.

10 As for their appearance, all four of them had the same likeness, as if one wheel were within another wheel.

Here we get the detail that has fascinated and befuddled readers for centuries. The four wheels were identical, indicating a unity of purpose and design. And their structure was like a "wheel within another wheel." This is not some primitive attempt to describe a gyroscope. It is apocalyptic imagery meant to convey a profound theological truth. A normal wheel can only go two directions, forward and backward. To go left or right, it must be turned. But these wheels could move in any direction without turning. The wheel within a wheel, likely set at a right angle to the main wheel, symbolizes this capacity for omnidirectional movement. God's purposes do not need to pause, pivot, or reverse course. His will moves forward in any direction He chooses, seamlessly and without hesitation. There is no plan B. There is no need to stop and re-evaluate. The sovereignty of God is nimble, agile, and utterly effective.

11 As they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went; but they went in the direction which they faced, without turning as they went.

This verse explains the functional result of the wheel-within-a-wheel design. The "four directions" correspond to the four faces of the cherubim. Whichever way the living creatures intended to go, the wheels moved in that direction instantly. There was no turning, no friction, no resistance. The phrase "without turning as they went" is repeated for emphasis. This is a picture of perfect, unified, and immediate execution of the divine will. The Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels (Ezek 1:20), meaning the will of God animates and directs every part of His government. His plans are not clumsy or lumbering. They are executed with precision and speed. For those in covenant with Him, this is a great comfort. For those in rebellion against Him, this is terrifying.

12 And their whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around, the wheels belonging to all four of them.

If the wheels convey God's omnidirectional sovereignty, the eyes convey His omniscience. Every part of this divine apparatus is covered in eyes. This is not just the living creatures, but the wheels themselves. This is a picture of active, intelligent, all-seeing awareness. Nothing escapes God's notice. His movements are not blind; they are based on perfect knowledge. He sees the secret idolatry in the chambers of the Temple. He sees the faithful remnant sighing over the abominations. He sees every action, every motive, every thought. This is the same imagery John picks up in Revelation to describe the four living creatures around the throne (Rev 4:6). The God who is leaving Jerusalem is not doing so out of ignorance or pique. He is doing so because He has seen everything, and His judgment is therefore perfectly informed and utterly just.

13 The wheels were called in my hearing, the whirling wheels.

The wheels are given a name, galgal, which in Hebrew conveys the idea of whirling or revolving. It can even be translated as "whirlwind." This is not the gentle rolling of a cart. This is the sound of immense power, of a vortex of divine energy. When God's throne moves, it is an event. It is like the coming of a storm. This name emphasizes the dynamic, powerful, and even violent nature of God's judgment in motion. The quiet, illicit sins of the priests in the temple are about to be answered by the public, noisy, whirling judgment of God.

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

Here we see a slight variation from the description in chapter 1. In the first vision, the four faces were of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. Here, the face of the ox is replaced with "the face of a cherub." Many commentators believe the "cherub" face is simply the generic term for the creature, and that its primary face was that of an ox. The ox represents patient strength and domestic service. The lion represents wild, kingly power. The eagle represents sovereignty over the heavens, swiftness, and piercing sight. The man represents intelligence and rule as God's image-bearer. Together, they represent all of creation, both wild and tame, brought into the service of God. These are the agents of His will. They embody the highest qualities of the created order: intelligence, royalty, strength, and swiftness. These are the qualities God brings to bear in executing His judgments and His salvation.

Application

The vision of Ezekiel's wheels is a potent cure for a domesticated Christianity. We are always tempted to shrink God down to a manageable size, to confine Him to our church buildings, our traditions, or our theological systems. We want a God who is predictable, comfortable, and, above all, stationary. But the God of the Bible has wheels.

This means, first, that God is free. He is not owned by any denomination, any political party, or any nation. His presence is not a right we can claim, but a gift of grace we must cherish. When a church, like the Temple in Ezekiel's day, becomes filled with the idols of the age, whether that is sensuality, greed, political power, or self-righteousness, we must not be surprised if we hear the sound of whirling wheels. God will not be mocked. His glory will depart from any place that trifles with His holiness.

Second, God is sovereignly active in the world. The wheels are full of eyes and move in any direction. This means that history is not a random series of events. God is moving, seeing everything, and directing all things toward His intended end. The chaos we see in the headlines is not chaos to Him. His chariot is moving with deliberate and unstoppable purpose. This should give us immense confidence. The God who rules the universe from a chariot of fire is the same God who has reconciled us to Himself through the blood of His Son. The cross is where the whirling judgment of God against sin and the omnidirectional love of God for sinners met. And because of that cross, we who are in Christ do not have to fear the sound of the wheels. For us, that sound is not the departure of His presence, but the sure and certain approach of our final redemption.