Verses 3-5 are a small digression. They describe the scene when the man wearing linen went among the living creatures. They tell where the throne of God was, where God himself was, and the loud sound that filled the whole Temple.

Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered Now may be translated “At that time” to introduce the digression. The cherubim were the living creatures that carried the throne of God (see Ezek 10.1). They were standing on the south side of the house, that is, the Temple, when the man went in, that is, into the area surrounded by the creatures and the wheels. It is not clear exactly where this happened, but probably the living creatures were in the Temple’s inner courtyard. In many languages it is more natural to restructure slightly this sentence as follows: “When the man went in among the wheels, the living creatures were standing on the south side of the Temple.”

And a cloud filled the inner court: The cloud may have been a cloud of smoke from incense on the coals between the living creatures, or it may have been a symbol of the presence of God. Whichever it was, it filled the Temple’s inner courtyard, where the creatures were standing. Parole de Vie says “cloud of smoke,” but it is better to follow the text by saying simply “cloud.” For the Temple’s inner court, see 8.3.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .