Bible Strands
Ezekiel 10:15
Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the River Kebar.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ezekiel records this vision for the exiled community while standing by the River Kebar in the land of the Chaldeans. He describes the cherubim lifting upward at the precise moment the divine presence prepares to move from the temple courts.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיֵּרֹמוּ (va.ye.rō.mū) literally means "and they rose," denoting the upward motion of the cherubim. The noun הַחַיָּה (ha.chayyāh) translates to "the living creature," identifying these beings as the same entities Ezekiel previously witnessed.
The thread — This passage directly recalls Ezekiel 1:5 and Ezekiel 1:13, where the prophet first encounters the form and fiery appearance of the living creatures. It also echoes Ezekiel 1:3, which establishes the River Kebar as the geographical anchor for the initial vision.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize the continuity between the initial vision and its subsequent temple manifestation. It demands attention to the precise coordination of heavenly beings and the deliberate timing of divine movement.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 1:5 and within it was the form of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human form,
- Ezekiel 1:3 the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon him.
- Ezekiel 1:13 In the midst of the living creatures was the appearance of glowing coals of fire, or of torches. Fire moved back and forth between the living creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it.
- Ezekiel 8:6 “Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what they are doing—the great abominations that the house of Israel is committing—to drive Me far from My sanctuary? Yet you will see even greater abominations.”
- Ezekiel 10:18 Then the glory of the LORD moved away from the threshold of the temple and stood above the cherubim.
- Ezekiel 11:22 Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
- Ezekiel 43:3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when He came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the River Kebar. I fell facedown,
- Hosea 9:12 Even if they raise their children, I will bereave them of each one. Yes, woe be to them when I turn away from them!