Then the Spirit lifted me up
This phrase indicates a divine action where the Spirit of God empowers or transports Ezekiel. The lifting by the Spirit signifies a supernatural experience, often associated with prophetic visions or revelations. In the context of Ezekiel, this lifting is both literal and symbolic, representing the elevation of the prophet to receive divine messages. Similar experiences are seen in the lives of other prophets, such as Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) and John in Revelation (Revelation 4:2), where the Spirit's involvement signifies divine authority and purpose.

and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me:
The "great rumbling sound" can be understood as a manifestation of God's presence, often associated with His glory and power. In biblical literature, such sounds accompany divine appearances, as seen in Exodus 19:16 at Mount Sinai. The sound signifies the awe-inspiring and sometimes terrifying nature of God's presence. It also serves as a prelude to a significant revelation or event, emphasizing the seriousness and magnitude of what is to follow.

“Blessed be the glory of the LORD in His dwelling place!”
This proclamation highlights the central theme of God's glory, which is a recurring motif in Ezekiel. The glory of the LORD refers to His manifest presence, often depicted as a radiant light or cloud. The phrase "in His dwelling place" suggests the temple or the heavenly realm where God's presence resides. This blessing acknowledges God's holiness and majesty, aligning with the worship and reverence due to Him. It echoes the doxologies found in Psalms (Psalm 72:19) and Revelation (Revelation 5:13), where God's glory is celebrated universally. The focus on God's dwelling place also foreshadows the restoration of His presence among His people, a key theme in Ezekiel's prophecies.

1. Ezekiel
A prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile. Ezekiel's visions and prophecies are central to understanding God's communication with His people.

2. The Spirit
Refers to the Holy Spirit, who empowers and guides Ezekiel. The Spirit's role is crucial in the prophetic experience, indicating divine authority and inspiration.

3. The Glory of the LORD
Represents God's majestic presence and holiness. In Ezekiel's vision, the glory of the LORD is a recurring theme, symbolizing God's sovereignty and power.

4. The Dwelling Place
This refers to the heavenly realm or the temple where God's presence resides. It signifies the sacred space where God's glory is most manifest.

5. The Great Rumbling Sound
This sound accompanies the movement of the Spirit and the glory of the LORD, emphasizing the awe-inspiring nature of God's presence and actions.The Role of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is essential in guiding and empowering believers for God's work. Just as the Spirit lifted Ezekiel, we too must rely on the Spirit for strength and direction in our spiritual journey.

The Majesty of God's Glory
God's glory is awe-inspiring and demands reverence. Recognizing His glory in our lives should lead us to worship and obedience, acknowledging His sovereignty over all creation.

The Importance of God's Dwelling Place
God's dwelling place, whether in heaven or within us as believers, is sacred. We are called to honor His presence in our lives and maintain purity in our hearts as His temple.

Responding to God's Call
Like Ezekiel, we are called to respond to God's call with faithfulness. Our willingness to be lifted by the Spirit and proclaim His message is crucial in fulfilling our divine purpose.1. What is the meaning of Ezekiel 3:12?

2. How does Ezekiel 3:12 illustrate the Holy Spirit's role in divine missions?

3. What does "the Spirit lifted me up" reveal about God's guidance in Ezekiel?

4. How can we apply the concept of being "lifted up" in our lives today?

5. What connections exist between Ezekiel 3:12 and other instances of divine lifting in Scripture?

6. How does the "rushing sound" in Ezekiel 3:12 symbolize God's powerful presence?

7. What does "the Spirit lifted me up" in Ezekiel 3:12 signify about divine intervention?

8. How does Ezekiel 3:12 reflect the role of the Holy Spirit in prophecy?

9. What is the significance of the "rushing sound" mentioned in Ezekiel 3:12?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Ezekiel 3?

11. Could Ezekiel 9 be interpreted as a purely symbolic vision rather than a literal event, and if so, why include graphic details?

12. What insights does Day 34 offer on spiritual growth?

13. How can a woman be 'clothed with the sun' (Revelation 12:1) without violating basic scientific laws?

14. What is the concept of progressive sanctification?Then

The single word anchors us in the flow of Ezekiel’s commissioning vision. What has just happened—eating the scroll and being sent to a stubborn house (Ezekiel 3:1–11)—now moves immediately to action. The timing reminds us that God’s commands are never theoretical; obedience follows revelation. Similar instant responses appear when Isaiah cries, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) and when the disciples “left their nets immediately and followed Him” (Mark 1:18).

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the Spirit lifted me up

• Ezekiel experiences literal, bodily movement initiated by the Spirit, echoing future moments when the prophet is transported to the exiles at Tel Abib (Ezekiel 3:14) and later to Jerusalem (Ezekiel 8:3).

• The same divine agency carried Philip away after baptizing the Ethiopian (Acts 8:39) and caught up Paul to the “third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2).

• These events underline the Holy Spirit’s sovereign power to position God’s servants exactly where He wants them—physically or spiritually—to fulfill their mission (Psalm 139:7–10).

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and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me

• The “rumbling” matches Ezekiel 1:24, where the cherubim wings roar “like the roar of mighty waters,” and Ezekiel 10:5, where the sound reaches the outer court.

• The glory of God often comes with thunderous resonance—“The voice of the LORD resounds over the waters” (Psalm 29:3) and “I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters” (Revelation 14:2).

• Hearing it “behind” him signals that God’s glory is not confined to the direction Ezekiel faces; it surrounds and sustains him even as he moves forward into difficult ministry.

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“Blessed be the glory of the LORD

• The cry is a doxology uttered by angelic beings accompanying the throne, paralleling “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3).

• Scripture consistently couples God’s visible glory with verbal praise: “Blessed be His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory” (Psalm 72:19) and “To Him who sits on the throne… be blessing and honor and glory” (Revelation 5:13).

• The spontaneous blessing underscores that whatever God does—whether judging or restoring—His glory remains worthy of wholehearted acclaim.

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in His dwelling place!”

• The throne vision began “by the Kebar River” (Ezekiel 1:1), yet heaven itself is the ultimate dwelling place. Though the temple in Jerusalem lay hundreds of miles away, God’s throne-chariot shows He is not localized.

• Exodus 25:8 records God’s desire: “They are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.” Ezekiel now hears confirmation that the glory still abides where God chooses, unthreatened by exile.

• The theme culminates when “the dwelling place of God is with man” (Revelation 21:3), fulfilling the promise that His holy presence, once symbolized in the temple, will fill the new creation.

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summary

Ezekiel 3:12 captures a pivotal moment: the Spirit literally lifts the prophet to propel him into service; the thunderous sound of cherubim wings affirms divine majesty; and a heavenly chorus blesses the unchanging glory of God enthroned in His dwelling place. The verse assures every servant that God’s Spirit empowers, God’s presence surrounds, and God’s glory remains praiseworthy—no matter the assignment ahead.

(12) Then the spirit took me up.--This also is to be understood as done in vision, as in Ezekiel 8:3; Ezekiel 11:1; Ezekiel 11:24. (Comp. Acts 8:39.) In the last case the "taking up" is expressly said to have been in vision. This closes one act, so to speak, of the prophet's consecration, and now the vision which he has been seeing all along leaves him for a time. He hears the great voice of ascription of praise, without definite mention of its source, but doubtless, as in Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4, from all that surround the throne; and he hears the noise of the moving wings of the cherubim, and of the wheels. He has seen the representation of the glory of Him who sends him, and has heard the character of his message. He must now, in the light of this knowledge, see those to whom he is sent. The Hebrew for "wings that touched one another" is beautifully figurative: "wings that kissed each one its sister."

Verse 12. - Then the Spirit took me up, etc. The words are to be interpreted as in Ezekiel 2:2. Luther, however, gives "a wind lifted me up." The parallels of Ezekiel 8:3 (where, however, we have the addition, "in the visions of God") and Ezekiel 11:1 suggest the conclusion that this was a purely subjective sensation, that it was one of the phenomena of the ecstatic state, and that there was no actual change of place. On the other hand, the use of like language in the cases of Elijah (1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16), of our Lord (Mark 1:12), of Philip (Acts 8:39), would justify the inference that the prophet actually passed from one locality to the other. The language of 1 Kings 18:46 probably points to the true solution of the problem. The ecstatic state continued, and in it Ezekiel went from the banks of Chebar to the dwellings of the exiles at Tel-Abib (see note on ch. 1.), at some distance from it. I heard behind me, etc. The words imply that the prophet, either in his vision or in very deed. had turned from the glory of the living creatures and of the wheels, and set his face in the direction in which he was told to go. As he does so, he hears the sounds of a great rushing (LXX., σείσμος; Luther, "earthquake"), followed by words which, though in the form of a doxology, uttered, it may be presumed, by the living creatures, were also a message of encouragement. His readiness to do his work as a preacher of repentance calls forth the praise of God from those in whose presence there is "joy over one sinner that repenteth." We are reminded of the earthquake in the Mount of Purification and the Gloria, in excelsis of Dante ('Purg.,' 20:127-141; 21:53-60). The words, from his place (belonging, probably, to the narrative rather than the doxology), point, not to the sanctuary at Jerusalem, which Jehovah had forsaken, but to the region thought of as in the north (see note on Ezekiel 1:4), to which he had withdrawn himself.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Then the Spirit
ר֔וּחַ (rū·aḥ)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

lifted me up,
וַתִּשָּׂאֵ֣נִי (wat·tiś·śā·’ê·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

and I heard
וָאֶשְׁמַ֣ע (wā·’eš·ma‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

a great
גָּד֑וֹל (gā·ḏō·wl)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent

rumbling
רַ֣עַשׁ (ra·‘aš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7494: Vibration, bounding, uproar

sound
ק֖וֹל (qō·wl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6963: A voice, sound

behind me—
אַחֲרַ֔י (’a·ḥă·ray)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

blessed be
בָּר֥וּךְ (bā·rūḵ)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 1288: To kneel, to bless God, man, to curse

the glory
כְּבוֹד־ (kə·ḇō·wḏ-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3519: Weight, splendor, copiousness

of the LORD
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

in His dwelling place!—
מִמְּקוֹמֽוֹ׃ (mim·mə·qō·w·mōw)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4725: A standing, a spot, a condition


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 3:12 Then the Spirit lifted me up (Ezek. Eze Ezk)