And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherubim to the threshold of the house: God left the carved cherubim that were on the sacred chest in the most holy place of the Temple and moved to the entrance of the Temple. For the glory of the LORD, see 1.28a; for the cherubim and the threshold of the house, see 9.3. This sentence repeats most of the first sentence of 9.3, placing God’s departure from the sacred chest at a different time. Such an inconsistency is readily understandable and acceptable within a dreamlike vision. However, here to the threshold of the house is literally “over the threshold of the house.” New Century Version reflects this difference from 9.3 by saying “over the door of the Temple,” but most other translations overlook it. A model of this sentence that reflects it is “Then the magnificent presence of Yahweh rose from the cherubim and stopped [or, rested] over the door of the Temple.” Whether Ezekiel saw God standing on the doorstep of the entrance or hovering in the air above the entrance, he does not say. Translators need to be careful not to be too specific. But the fact that the supernatural sound of the cherubim continued (see the next verse) suggests that God’s throne may have remained hovering above the ground.

And the house was filled with the cloud: The whole Temple was filled with the divine presence. Here the cloud is symbolic of the presence of God. This clause may be rendered “The cloud filled the whole Temple.”

And the court was full of the brightness of the glory of the LORD: The court is the Temple’s inner courtyard. As already noted at 1.28a, the Hebrew word for glory does not refer to a dazzling bright light in connection with God. Rather, it refers to the impressive presence of God, and here Ezekiel says that God shed brightness or “radiance” (New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) in the surrounding area (see 1.27). The Hebrew word for brightness often refers to the softer light of the moon and the stars, so “blazing with the light” (Good News Translation) and “dazzling bright” (Contemporary English Version) are too strong. It is better rendered “glowed brightly” (New Living Translation). Possible models for this clause are “and the whole courtyard was glowing brightly with the powerful presence of Yahweh” or “and the light [or, radiance] from the wonderful presence of Yahweh filled the courtyard.”

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 .