Mapping Ezekiel

I’m going to discuss how some of Ezekiel’s mises en scène relate to each other:

Portable Sanctuary

1  In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), 3 the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal. 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6  but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. 12  And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15  Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. 16  As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17  When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19  And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20  Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21  When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. 23 And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body. 24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

(Ezk 1)

12  Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake.

(Ezk 3:12-13)

1 Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne. 2 And he said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.”

And he went in before my eyes. 3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. 4 And the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord. 5 And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

6 And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel. 7 And a cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. 8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings.

9  And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling beryl. 10 And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel. 11  When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went, but in whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others followed without turning as they went. 12  And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels that the four of them had. 13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing “the whirling wheels.” 14  And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15  And the cherubim mounted up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the Chebar canal. 16  And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them. And when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them. 17  When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

18  Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. 19  And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

20 These were the living creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the Chebar canal; and I knew that they were cherubim. 21  Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings the likeness of human hands. 22  And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the Chebar canal. Each one of them went straight forward.

(Ezk 10:1-22)

22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. 23 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city. 24  And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25 And I told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.

(Ezk 11:22-25)

i) This is a multifaceted visionnary series. The theophany combines elements of a throne, a chariot, and a sanctuary. It’s often described as a portable throne, but because God is holy, his throne-room is also a sanctuary. The holiness of God sanctifies or consecrates his throne-room.

ii) Apropos (i), cherubim figure in the temple and the tabernacle. They guard the inner sanctum.

They function as sentinels. Their function is not to protect God, but to protect sinners from trespassing on holy space. Holiness is dangerous to sinners. Holiness is deadly to sinners. Restricted access to God is a safety precaution.

iii) Scholars have always found it difficult to visualize the wheels. This may be because the imagery is multivalent. It may evoke chariot wheels (cf. Ps 18:9-14. It may also allude to the wheeled laver-stands in the Temple, with cherubic decoration (1 Kgs 7:27-37).

They may also represent the moving stars. The theophanic sanctuary is a microcosm of the world, with allusions to the creation account, with sky and water. And the dynamic Spirit. Cf. B. Halpern, “The Assyrian Astronomy of Genesis 1,” From Gods to God (Mohr Seibeck 2009).

iv) The “eyes” (Ezk 1:18) could either be eyestones or stars. If the former, they evoke the firestones in Ezk 28. If the latter, they evoke Gen 1.Cf. Halpern, ad loc.

The Edenic Sanctuary

“You were the signet of perfection,

     full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;

     every precious stone was your covering,

sardius, topaz, and diamond,

    beryl, onyx, and jasper,

sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle;

    and crafted in gold were your settings

    and your engravings.

On the day that you were created

    they were prepared.

14 You were an anointed guardian cherub.

    I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;

    in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.

15 You were blameless in your ways

     from the day you were created,

    till unrighteousness was found in you.

16 In the abundance of your trade

    you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;

so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,

    and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub,

    from the midst of the stones of fire.

17  Your heart was proud because of your beauty;

    you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.

I cast you to the ground;

    I exposed you before kings,

    to feast their eyes on you.

18 By the multitude of your iniquities,

    in the unrighteousness of your trade

    you profaned your sanctuaries;

so I brought fire out from your midst;

    it consumed you,

and I turned you to ashes on the earth

     in the sight of all who saw you.

(Ezk 28:11-18)

This has intertextual connections with Gen 2-3 as well as Ezk 1 & 10.

i) There’s the guardian cherub. In this case a fallen cherub.

ii) The gems and precious metals recall Gen 2:11-12.

iii) The gemstones evoke the breastplate of the high priest.

iv) The gemstones recall the sapphire throne, eyestones, and chrysolite wheels in Ezk 1.

v) The firestones may be analogous to the burning coals in Ezk 10.

vi) The holy mount evokes Mt. Zion (e.g. 11:23).

vii) The garden is an earthly sanctuary. Holy ground.

The Visionary Temple

In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city. 2 In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south.

(Ezk 40:1-2).

The inside of the nave and the vestibules of the court, 16  the thresholds and the narrow windows and the galleries all around the three of them, opposite the threshold, were paneled with wood all around, from the floor up to the windows (now the windows were covered), 17 to the space above the door, even to the inner room, and on the outside. And on all the walls all around, inside and outside, was a measured pattern. 18 It was carved of cherubim and palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Every cherub had two faces: 19  a human face toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around. 20 From the floor to above the door, cherubim and palm trees were carved; similarly the wall of the nave.

21 The doorposts of the nave were squared, and in front of the Holy Place was something resembling 22  an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits broad. Its corners, its base, and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is the table that is before the Lord.” 23 The nave and the Holy Place had each a double door. 24 The double doors had two leaves apiece, two swinging leaves for each door. 25 And on the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and palm trees, such as were carved on the walls. And there was a canopy of wood in front of the vestibule outside.

(Ezk 43:15-25).

i) The mountaintop setting recalls both Mt. Zion (11:23) and Eden (28:14,16).

ii) The decorative cherubim are 2D representations of the real 3D cherubim in Ezk 1 & 10. They symbolically guard the inner sanctum.

The New Eden

Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.

3 Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. 4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. 5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. 6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. 9 And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. 10 Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. 12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

(Ezk 47:1-12)

i) The scene is Edenic. The trees, rivers, and wildlife represent a new Eden.

ii) The torrential river also recalls the “sound of many waters” in 1:24.

iv) The river recalls the canal where Ezekiel received his inaugural vision (Ezk 1:1).

Due to certain parallels between these mises en scène, they are mutually interpretive. If, for instance, the depiction of the Edenic cherub in Ezk 28 is highly stylized, then it wouldn’t be surprising if, say, the depiction of the temple in Ezk 40ff. is quite stylized.