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Ezekiel 10:20

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These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Kebar, and I knew that they were cherubim.

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Commentaries

Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.

Matthew Henry Bible Commentaryv. 20

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.

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Original language

The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).

Strong's Concordancev. 20

חַי (chay, H2416) — alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially… רָאָה (râʼâh, H7200) — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied,… אֱלֹהִים (ʼĕlôhîym, H430) — gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with… יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisrâʼêl, H3478) — Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity נָהָר (nâhâr, H5104) — a stream (including the sea; expectation the Nile, Euphrates, etc.); figuratively,… כְּבָר (Kᵉbâr, H3529) — Kebar, a river of Mesopotamia יָדַע (yâdaʻ, H3045) — to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses,… כְּרוּב (kᵉrûwb, H3742) — a cherub or imaginary figure

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Cross-references

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Ezekiel 1:1rank 5

In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the River Kebar, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.

Ezekiel 10:15rank 3

Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the River Kebar.

Ezekiel 1:5rank 2

and within it was the form of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human form,

Ezekiel 3:23rank 2

So I got up and went out to the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD was present there, like the glory I had seen by the River Kebar, and I fell facedown.

I Kings 7:36rank 2

He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and panels, wherever each had space, with wreaths all around.

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Original language

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