The Meaning of Ezekiel 10:20 Explained

Ezekiel 10:20

KJV: This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.

YLT: It is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar, and I know that they are cherubs.

Darby: This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.

ASV: This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

This [is] the living creature  that I saw  under the God  of Israel  by the river  of Chebar;  and I knew  that they [were] the cherubims. 

What does Ezekiel 10:20 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 10

1  The vision of the coals of fire, to be scattered over the city
8  The vision of the cherubim

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 10:20 mean?

That [is] the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the River Chebar and I knew - cherubim they [were]
הִ֣יא הַחַיָּ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר רָאִ֛יתִי תַּ֥חַת אֱלֹהֵֽי־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בִּֽנְהַר־ כְּבָ֑ר וָאֵדַ֕ע כִּ֥י כְרוּבִ֖ים הֵֽמָּה

הִ֣יא  That  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
הַחַיָּ֗ה  the  living  creature 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
רָאִ֛יתִי  I  saw 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
תַּ֥חַת  under 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
אֱלֹהֵֽי־  the  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
בִּֽנְהַר־  by  the  River 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
כְּבָ֑ר  Chebar 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: כְּבָר  
Sense: a Babylonian river near which many Israelite exiles settled; maybe the ‘Habor’ or the ‘Royal Canal’ of Nebuchadnezzar.
וָאֵדַ֕ע  and  I  knew 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כִּ֥י  - 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
כְרוּבִ֖ים  cherubim 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: כְּרוּב  
Sense: cherub, cherubim (pl).
הֵֽמָּה  they  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.