Bible Strands
Ezekiel 43:2
and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator reports a vision delivered by a divine guide who has just returned him to the east-facing gate following the temple's desolation. The moment captures the prophetic observation of God's return to the sanctuary.
The words — The phrase כְּבוֹד אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (kəḇôḏ ʾĕlōhê yiśrāʾēl) literally means "the glory of the God of Israel," specifying the covenant identity of the manifestation. The verb בָּא (bāʾ) translates as "was coming," indicating a deliberate approach rather than a static dwelling.
The thread — The eastward movement of glory connects to Ezekiel 11:23, where the glory departs toward the eastern mountain, and points forward to Revelation 18:1, where an angel's glory illuminates the earth. Isaiah 6:3 is included only for the declaration that "the earth is full of His glory," without any directional movement or illumination imagery.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that divine presence moves deliberately toward the place of worship rather than remaining distant or abstract. It demands a response of physical reverence, mirroring the facedown prostration recorded in Ezekiel 43:3.
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, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
Cross-references
- Revelation 18:1 After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory.
- Isaiah 6:3 And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.”
- Ezekiel 11:23 And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.
- Ezekiel 10:18 Then the glory of the LORD moved away from the threshold of the temple and stood above the cherubim.
- Revelation 1:15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters.
- Revelation 14:2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound I heard was like harpists strumming their harps.
- Ezekiel 1:28 The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.
- Ezekiel 10:4 Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.
- Ezekiel 1:24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
- 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.