וָאֶרְאֶה וְהִנֵּה אֶל הָרָקִיעַ אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשׁ הַכְּרֻבִים כְּאֶבֶן סַפִּיר כְּמַרְאֵה דְּמוּת כִּסֵּא נִרְאָה עֲלֵיהֶם

Following the destruction of the wicked inhabitants of the city, I saw, and behold, on the firmament that was over the head of the cherubs was like a sapphire stone; like the appearance of the likeness of a throne was seen over them. This is the same scene described by Ezekiel in the vision recorded in chapter 1, with the notable exception that there the glory of God was envisioned above the throne (1:26–28), while here the verse does not state what was above the throne. Perhaps the glory of God was not currently on the throne, as it was still at the threshold of the House (9:3).

וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאִישׁ לְבֻשׁ הַבַּדִּים וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּא אֶל־בֵּינוֹת לַגַּלְגַּל אֶל־תַּחַת לַכְּרוּב וּמַלֵּא חָפְנֶיךָ גַחֲלֵי־אֵשׁ מִבֵּינוֹת לַכְּרֻבִים וּזְרֹק עַל־הָעִיר וַיָּבֹא לְעֵינָי

He said, a statement was issued from a source hidden from sight, to the man clothed in linen, the angel appointed over the men who came to destroy the city, and stated: Come to between the galgal, the wheels, beneath the cherub, where the galgal is located (see 10:6), and fill your hands with smoldering coals from between the cherubs (see 1:13), for the creatures, which are synonymous with the cherubs, were burning, and cast them upon the city of Jerusalem. He, the man clothed in linen, came before my eyes.

וְהַכְּרֻבִים עֹמְדִים מִימִין לַבַּיִת בְּבֹאוֹ הָאִישׁ וְהֶעָנָן מָלֵא אֶת־הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית

Concomitant with the description of Jerusalem’s destruction, the verse describes the departure of the glory of God from the Temple: The cherubs stood to the right of the House as the man clothed in linen entered to take the fire from beneath the cherubs. Alternatively, the verse means that the cherubs stood on the right side of the entrance to the House. And until that point, since the glory of God was in its place inside the House, the cloud filled the inner courtyard, which was relatively distant from the resting place of the glory inside the Sanctuary.

וַיָּרָם כְּבוֹד־ה' מֵעַל הַכְּרוּב עַל מִפְתַּן הַבָּיִת וַיִּמָּלֵא הַבַּיִת אֶת־הֶעָנָן וְהֶחָצֵר מָלְאָה אֶת־נֹגַהּ כְּבוֹד ה'

Once the glory began to leave, the glory of the Lord rose from upon the cherub in the Holy of Holies and came to the threshold of the House, as mentioned above (9:3), and the House was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard, through which the glory exited, was full of the aura of the glory of the Lord. According to this interpretation, the cloud filled the House when the glory departed to the courtyard. Some commentaries, however, explain that the cloud represented the glory itself, whereas the aura would glow in the surrounding area; accordingly, the glory was still inside the House at this point.

וְקוֹל כַּנְפֵי הַכְּרוּבִים נִשְׁמַע עַד־הֶחָצֵר הַחִיצֹנָה כְּקוֹל אֵל־שַׁדַּי בְּדַבְּרוֹ

The sound of the flapping wings of the cherubs moving to and fro was so strong that it was heard as far as the outer courtyard. The sound was so strong, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks. Again, this description evokes Ezekiel’s vision at the beginning of the book (1:24).

וַיְהִי בְּצַוֹּתוֹ אֶת־הָאִישׁ לְבֻשׁ־הַבַּדִּים לֵאמֹר קַח אֵשׁ מִבֵּינוֹת לַגַּלְגַּל מִבֵּינוֹת לַכְּרוּבִים וַיָּבֹא וַיַּעֲמֹד אֵצֶל הָאוֹפָן

The prophet resumes his description of the actions of the man clothed in linen: It was when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying: Take fire from between the galgal, from between the cherubs, that he, the angel clothed in linen, went in and stood beside the wheel.

וַיִּשְׁלַח הַכְּרוּב אֶת־יָדוֹ מִבֵּינוֹת לַכְּרוּבִים אֶל־הָאֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר בֵּינוֹת הַכְּרֻבִים וַיִּשָּׂא וַיִּתֵּן אֶל־חָפְנֵי לְבֻשׁ הַבַּדִּים וַיִּקַּח וַיֵּצֵא

The cherub extended his hand from between the cherubs to the fire that was between the cherubs, and he carried it, the fire, and placed it into the hands of the one clothed in linen. The man clothed in linen, the angel, did not take the handful of coal with his hands; rather, he did so with the help of the cherub. And he, the man, took it, the fire, and went out.

וַיֵּרָא לַכְּרֻבִים תַּבְנִית יַד־אָדָם תַּחַת כַּנְפֵיהֶם

The prophet now describes the cherubs and the wheels: Then on the cherubs the form of a person’s hand was seen beneath their wings. Until now, the hands of the cherubs went unnoticed. Only after the cherub extended its hand to the fire was the form of a person’s hand revealed beneath their wings.

וָאֶרְאֶה וְהִנֵּה אַרְבָּעָה אוֹפַנִּים אֵצֶל הַכְּרוּבִים אוֹפַן אֶחָד אֵצֶל הַכְּרוּב אֶחָד וְאוֹפַן אֶחָד אֵצֶל הַכְּרוּב אֶחָד וּמַרְאֵה הָאוֹפַנִּים כְּעֵין אֶבֶן תַּרְשִׁישׁ

The rest of the description of the cherubs and the wheels resembles their depiction at the beginning of the book of Ezekiel: I saw and behold, four wheels beside the cherubs, one wheel beside the one cherub and one wheel beside the one cherub, one wheel beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels had the resemblance of a beryl stone.

וּמַרְאֵיהֶם דְּמוּת אֶחָד לְאַרְבַּעְתָּם כַּאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה הָאוֹפַן בְּתוֹךְ הָאוֹפָן

As for their appearance, one likeness was to the four of them, the wheels were identical, as would be a wheel within a wheel. It was as if each wheel was fastened at a right angle to its neighbor, allowing the wheels to turn in all four directions with ease.

בְּלֶכְתָּם אֶל־אַרְבַּעַת רִבְעֵיהֶם יֵלֵכוּ לֹא יִסַּבּוּ בְּלֶכְתָּם כִּי הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִפְנֶה הָרֹאשׁ אַחֲרָיו יֵלֵכוּ לֹא יִסַּבּוּ בְּלֶכְתָּם

As they moved, they would move to their four sides. As mentioned, the wheels were capable of moving in all directions. Therefore, they would not turn to face another direction as they moved. Rather, to the place that the head would face they would follow it; they would not turn as they moved

וְכָל־בְּשָׂרָם וְגַבֵּהֶם וִידֵיהֶם וְכַנְפֵיהֶם וְהָאוֹפַנִּים מְלֵאִים עֵינַיִם סָבִיב לְאַרְבַּעְתָּם אוֹפַנֵּיהֶם

their entire body, and their exteriors, their hands and their wings. This is either referring to the wings of the cherubs, or, alternatively, the wheels. And the wheels were full of eyes all around, and they could see in all directions without turning. So it was for the four of their wheels.

לָאוֹפַנִּים לָהֶם קוֹרָא הַגַּלְגַּל בְּאָזְנָי

The prophet notes: As for the wheels, they were called the galgal in my ears. The voice that reached my ears referred to the wheels as galgal, as mentioned earlier (10:2).

וְאַרְבָּעָה פָנִים לְאֶחָד פְּנֵי הָאֶחָד פְּנֵי הַכְּרוּב וּפְנֵי הַשֵּׁנִי פְּנֵי אָדָם וְהַשְּׁלִישִׁי פְּנֵי אַרְיֵה וְהָרְבִיעִי פְּנֵי־נָשֶׁר

There were four faces for each one of the cherubs: The face of the first was the face of the cherub. It is unknown what that means. According to the Sages, it resembled the face of a young child. The face of the second was the face of a grown human, the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth, the face of an eagle.

וַיֵּרֹמּוּ הַכְּרוּבִים הִיא הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי בִּנְהַר־כְּבָר

The cherubs rose; that is the creature that I saw at the Kevar River. The creatures described by Ezekiel in his initial vision of the divine chariot were in fact the cherubs. These visions differ in that here the divine vision is revealed in the Temple, while the earlier vision was revealed a great distance from there.

וּבְלֶכֶת הַכְּרוּבִים יֵלְכוּ הָאוֹפַנִּים אֶצְלָם וּבִשְׂאֵת הַכְּרוּבִים אֶת־כַּנְפֵיהֶם לָרוּם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ לֹא־יִסַּבּוּ הָאוֹפַנִּים גַּם־הֵם מֵאֶצְלָם

As the cherubs moved, the wheels would move beside them, and as the cherubs raised their wings to rise from upon the ground, the wheels too would not turn from beside them.

בְּעָמְדָם יַעֲמֹדוּ וּבְרוֹמָם יֵרוֹמּוּ אוֹתָם כִּי רוּחַ הַחַיָּה בָּהֶם

Even though the wheels did not appear attached to the cherubs, they were an integral part of the cherubs. Therefore, as they, the cherubs, stood, they, the wheels, would stand, and as they rose they would rise with them, as the will of the creature, the spirit of the cherubs as envisioned by Ezekiel, was in them, the wheels.

וַיֵּצֵא כְּבוֹד ה' מֵעַל מִפְתַּן הַבָּיִת וַיַּעֲמֹד עַל־הַכְּרוּבִים

The prophet resumes his description of the glory’s departure from the Temple: Initially, Ezekiel saw the glory of God ascend from its abode inside the House to the threshold of the House. Now, the glory of the Lord emerged from upon the threshold of the House and stood upon the cherubs, which served as its chariot (1:22–28).

וַיִּשְׂאוּ הַכְּרוּבִים אֶת־כַּנְפֵיהֶם וַיֵּרוֹמּוּ מִן־הָאָרֶץ לְעֵינַי בְּצֵאתָם וְהָאוֹפַנִּים לְעֻמָּתָם וַיַּעֲמֹד פֶּתַח שַׁעַר בֵּית־ה' הַקַּדְמוֹנִי וּכְבוֹד אֱלֹהֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲלֵיהֶם מִלְמָעְלָה

The cherubs raised their wings and rose from the ground before my eyes as they emerged from the Temple, and the wheels parallel to them were lifted as well, and it, the cherubs, stood at the entrance of the eastern gate of the House of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was upon them, the cherubs, from above, namely from above the firmament that was spread over the heads of the cherubs (see 1:26–28).

הִיא הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי תַּחַת אֱלֹהֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּנְהַר־כְּבָר וָאֵדַע כִּי כְרוּבִים הֵמָּה

The prophet continues to describe the cherubs: This was the creature that I had seen beneath the God of Israel at the Kevar River, and I knew that they, those creatures that I saw then, were the same cherubs that now stood in the Temple.

אַרְבָּעָה אַרְבָּעָה פָנִים לְאֶחָד וְאַרְבַּע כְּנָפַיִם לְאֶחָד וּדְמוּת יְדֵי אָדָם תַּחַת כַּנְפֵיהֶם

There were four faces for each one of the cherubs, and four wings for each one, and the likeness of a person’s hands beneath their wings.

וּדְמוּת פְּנֵיהֶם הֵמָּה הַפָּנִים אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי עַל־נְהַר־כְּבָר מַרְאֵיהֶם וְאוֹתָם אִישׁ אֶל־עֵבֶר פָּנָיו יֵלֵכוּ

As for the likeness of their faces, they were the faces that I had seen by the Kevar River, their appearances and themselves. The creatures that I saw then are identical to the cherubs that I see now, and each would move in the direction of its face. Since each cherub had four faces, wherever it turned, it faced that direction.