Ezekiel 11:22

Ezekiel’s vision of the temple (Ezekiel 8–11) ends with the chariot carrying God's glory away from the temple. The Lord's glory would leave the defiled Jerusalem, travel east to Babylon with the exiles, and share in their suffering (Ezekiel 11:16).

God's glory paused briefly above the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, as if waiting for judgment to fall on the rebellious city. After departing to the east, it would return from the east to the renewed temple (Ezekiel 43).

This section describes how the people defiled (made unclean by sin) the temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 8). Because of this sin, the Lord left the temple. After he left, the city and the temple were destroyed (9:1–11:13).

At first, this sounds like only bad news. But for those already living in exile, it was also good news. The Lord was not limited to the temple in Jerusalem. He would come to be with his people in exile.

By coming to dwell with them, the Lord showed that the exiles were not forgotten. They were the ones who carried hope for the future of God’s people.