Bible Strands
Ezekiel 10:20
These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Kebar, and I knew that they were cherubim.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ezekiel addresses the exiles while standing by the River Kebar, marking the moment the cherubim halt at the east gate of the temple.
The words — חַיָּה (chaiyah) translates to "living creature," and אֲשֶׁר (asher) functions as a relative pronoun "which," linking Ezekiel's past observation to his present identification.
The thread — The River Kebar vision recurs in Ezekiel 1:1 and Ezekiel 10:15, while the cherubim identity connects to the temple engravings in 1 Kings 6:29.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to confirm the living creatures as cherubim and trace their consistent appearance across Ezekiel's visions and the temple's architecture.
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
This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 1:1 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 10:15 Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the River Kebar.
- 1 Kings 6:29 Then he carved the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.
- 1 Kings 7:36 He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and panels, wherever each had space, with wreaths all around.
- Ezekiel 1:5 and within it was the form of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human form,
- Ezekiel 1:22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was the likeness of an awesome expanse, gleaming like crystal.
- Ezekiel 3:23 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.