Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 43:2
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice [was] like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
2. and his voice ] and the sound of him was like the sound. Reference is to the sound made by the cherubim in their flight.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 2. The glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east] This was the chariot of cherubim, wheels, c., which he saw at the river Chebar. And this glory, coming from the east, is going to enter into the eastern gate of the temple, and thence to shine out upon the whole earth. Is there not a mystery here? All knowledge, all religion, and all arts and sciences, have travelled, according to the course of the sun, FROM EAST TO WEST! From that quarter the Divine glory at first came and thence the rays of Divine light continue to diffuse themselves over the face of the earth. From thence came the Bible, and through that the new covenant. From thence came the prophets, the apostles, and the first missionaries, that brought the knowledge of God to Europe, to the isles of the sea, and to the west first, and afterwards to these northern regions.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Behold: sometimes this word is expletive, but here surely it stands for more; it expresseth, no doubt, the joy the prophet had to see this excellent sight, which should not be seen there more than sixty years; for in the sixth year of the captivity the glory of God left the city, Eze 11:22,23; and now the prophet foreseeth its return after the settling the temple, its buildings, and ordinances, which took up a great time, as is evident, Joh 2:20, which time of forty-six years (viz. thirty in Cyrus, eight in Cambyses, and some six in Darius) is very near accounted. So that between the departure and the return of the glory of God, are about one hundred and six or eight years, and about fourscore between this vision and the accomplishment. The glory: see Eze 1:28.
Of the God of Israel; of him who is an infinitely glorious Being, yet in covenant with us, as a peculiar people of God.
Came from the way of the east: when the glory departed it went eastward, and now that it returns it comes from the east.
His voice: though by the voice of God thunder is sometimes meant, yet here it was an articulate voice, as appears Eze 43:7,8. Perhaps this might be attended with thunder, as usually in such cases.
Like a noise of many waters; terrible, and a mighty voice, as the noise of mighty waves of the sea; so Eze 1:24; Rev 1:15.
The earth; not the whole earth, but that part about Jerusalem and the temple.
Shined with his glory; the rays of glory, like the sun-beams, made the dark earth to shine with glorious light.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. the way of the eastthe waywhereby the glory had departed (Eze 11:22;Eze 11:23), and rested on MountOlivet (compare Zec 14:4).
his voice . . . like . . .many watersSo English Version rightly, as in Eze1:24, “voice of the Almighty”; Rev 1:15;Rev 14:2, prove this. Not asFAIRBAIRN translates, “itsnoise.”
earth his glory (Re18:1).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east,…. The God of Israel is Jehovah the Father, the covenant God of literal Israel; and the covenant God and Father of the whole spiritual Israel, or his elect, whether Jews or Gentiles; whom he has taken into covenant, loves, cares, provides for, and protects: Christ, who is the brightness of his Father’s glory, whose glory is the glory of the only begotten of the Father, is here meant; and who has the same glorious attributes, the same glorious names, and the same worship, honour, and glory, his Father has; and in whom, as Mediator, is displayed the glory of all the divine perfections: he is said to “come from the way of the east”; which agrees with him in his character as the rising sun of righteousness; and with his incarnation, when as the day spring from on high, from heaven, he visited us, was born in the east, where his star appeared; from this part of the world his Gospel first came; here it was first preached, and churches planted; and though these parts have been forsaken by him a long time, he will return hither again; when he will dry up the river Euphrates, and make way for the kings and kingdoms of the east to be converted to him, Re 7:2, to which a “behold” is prefixed, as a note exciting attention, and raising admiration; as it was matter of wonder and joy to the prophet, to see the glory of the Lord returning to his house, the same way he departed, Eze 10:4:
and his voice was like a noise of many waters; this is to be understood of his Gospel, in which he speaks to men, and which is a voice of love, grace, and mercy; of peace and reconciliation; of pardon and righteousness; of life, liberty, and salvation: and the metaphor here used is expressive of the swiftness of its motion in the world; of its general spread in it, and all over it; of the noise it will make, as it always does among men, wherever it comes; and of the rapidity and force of it, being attended with almighty power; and is a soul shaking, heart melting, soul quickening, enlightening, alluring, and comforting voice; see Da 10:6. The Targum is,
“and the voice of them that bless his name is as the voice of many waters.”
The Septuagint and Arabic versions, the voice of the camp or army.
And the earth shined with his glory; with the brightness of his glory, as the Targum; with his glorious Gospel, in which the glory of his person, office, and grace, is displayed; this will be spread all over the earth, and that will be enlightened by it: it will remove the darkness and infidelity, error, superstition, idolatry, and all false doctrines from the world, and the darkness of calamity and distress from the church; which will cast a lustre and glory upon it; and with the brightness of which the Lord will destroy antichrist, and by it set up his kingdom in the world, and reign before his ancients gloriously: this will bring on Zion’s light and glory, to which kings will come, and upon which will be a defence; Re 18:1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Eze 43:2. The glory of the God of Israel The Lord appeared upon his chariot borne by the cherubim, in the same manner as we have seen described in the first, eighth, and ninth chapters. The glory of the Lord, when it forsook the temple, is described as departing from the eastern gate of it; afterwards it is represented as quite forsaking the city, and removing to a mountain on the east side of it; and now it returns by the same way it departed. See chap. Eze 10:11 and Calmet.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 43:2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice [was] like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
Ver. 2. And behold the glory, ] i.e., The vision of the glory. God, who by the east gate had left the temple and the city, Eze 10:19 doth now the same way return, and filleth the house with the glory of his presence.
And his voice was like a noise of many waters.
And the earth shined with his glory.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the glory. in Eze 11:23 he had seen this glory quitting the Temple.
the God of Israel. See note on Isa 29:23.
God. Hebrew. Elohim, App-4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the glory: Eze 1:28, Eze 3:23, Eze 9:3, Eze 10:18, Eze 10:19, Isa 6:3, Joh 12:41
came: Eze 11:23
and his voice: Eze 1:24, Rev 1:15, Rev 14:2, Rev 19:1, Rev 19:6
the earth: Eze 10:4, Isa 60:1-3, Hab 2:14, Hab 3:3, Rev 18:1, Rev 21:23
Reciprocal: Lev 9:4 – to day Lev 9:6 – and the glory 1Ki 8:11 – for the glory Psa 80:1 – shine Isa 17:12 – make a noise Eze 8:4 – General Eze 44:2 – because Zec 14:4 – his feet Joh 3:23 – much Act 12:7 – and a
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 43:2, If there is any figurative significance in the east as being the direction from which the glory of God came, it is due to the fact that the sunlight comes from that point. This glory of God was destined to show itself in due time on behalf of His people, and it was to have its effect upon the great country that was holding the people of the Lord in subjection at the very time that Ezekiel was writing this.