“Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.”
My Notes
What Does Ezekiel 10:1 Mean?
Ezekiel looks up and sees: above the cherubim, in the firmament, a sapphire stone. And on the sapphire: the appearance of the likeness of a throne. The throne of God is positioned above the cherubim, above the firmament, in the spiritual geography of the temple. And Ezekiel sees it from below — looking up through the layers of divine architecture.
The sapphire (sappir) was the most precious blue stone in the ancient world — associated with the sky, with heaven, with the throne of God (Exodus 24:10: under God's feet was a pavement of sapphire). The throne is made of (or appears like) the substance that represents heaven itself. The throne's material IS heaven.
"The appearance of the likeness of a throne" — Ezekiel stacks qualifiers again (as in 1:28): appearance of the likeness. He's describing what he can see of what he can barely perceive of what actually exists. The reality exceeds the vision. The vision exceeds the language. And the language strains to approximate what the eyes received.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does the stacking of qualifiers ('appearance of the likeness') express the inadequacy of language before divine reality?
- 2.How does the sapphire throne (made of heaven's own substance) shape your picture of God's authority?
- 3.Does seeing the throne from exile (the lowest vantage point) encourage you about what's visible from your position?
- 4.Is the throne 'above everything' (cherubim, firmament, sapphire) your actual framework for reality?
Devotional
Above the cherubim. A sapphire stone. And on it: something that looks like — the appearance of the likeness of — a throne.
Ezekiel looks up and sees through the layers of heavenly architecture: cherubim at the base. The firmament above them. The sapphire above the firmament. And on the sapphire: a throne. Not a clear, direct view. The appearance of the likeness. The language bends under the weight of what it's trying to describe.
The sapphire is heaven's substance: blue, luminous, precious beyond measure. The throne is made of what the sky is made of. The seat of God's authority is constructed from the material of God's domain. The throne doesn't just sit in heaven. It's made of heaven.
The stacking of qualifiers — appearance of the likeness — is Ezekiel's admission of inadequacy. What he's seeing exceeds his capacity to describe. He can give you the appearance. Of the likeness. Of the thing. But the thing itself? Beyond language. Beyond vision. Beyond human processing capacity. The prophet does his best and his best is three layers of approximation.
The throne is above everything: above the cherubim (the highest created beings), above the firmament (the cosmic boundary), above the sapphire (heaven's own material). The God who sits on the throne is positioned above every layer of reality. Nothing is higher. Nothing is above. The throne is the ceiling of the universe.
And Ezekiel sees it. From below. From exile. From Babylon. From the river Chebar. The lowest possible vantage point — a captive in a foreign land, looking up — and the highest possible reality — the throne of God in sapphire glory.
The exile looks up. The throne looks down. And the distance between them is traversed by the vision God gives.
Look up. The throne is still there. Above everything. Still sapphire. Still occupied.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then I looked, and, behold,.... After the vision of the destruction of the greater part of the inhabitants of Jerusalem…
As in Ezek. 1, the vision of the glory of the Lord, the particulars given identifying the two visions.
As it were a sapphire stone - See the note on Eze 1:22-26 (note). The chariot, here mentioned by the prophet, was…
To inspire us with a holy awe and dread of God, and to fill us with his fear, we may observe, in this part of the vision…
in the firmament upon or above. Eze 10:10 assumes that the glory of the Lord had returned from the threshold of the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture