Ezekiel 11:23
And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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God’s presence doesn't just disappear; it pulls back gradually, like a reluctant parent leaving an unrepentant child. It pauses on the Mount of Olives, a higher vantage point, almost as if giving Jerusalem one last, visible chance to turn back before its total abandonment and destruction. This lingering on the mountain foreshadows future divine interactions with this same sacred, yet often rebellious, place.
After God's visible glory had progressively departed from the temple and the city, it now leaves Jerusalem entirely, resting on the Mount of Olives to the east. This signifies a final, reluctant departure, a last chance for repentance before judgment falls and the city is destroyed. The verse also sets the stage for Ezekiel's return to the captives in Babylon to deliver God's message.
Ever feel like God's presence seems distant? Ezekiel's vision reveals that God doesn't abandon us all at once.
The departure of God's glory from Jerusalem wasn't an abrupt vanishing act. It was a series of slow, deliberate steps. Imagine God's presence, symbolized by a radiant cloud, withdrawing from the innermost sanctuary, to the threshold, then to the east gate of the temple, and finally to the city itself. From the city, it lingers on the Mount of Olives, the mountain to the east. Each move is like a hesitant step back, a lingering presence. This gradual withdrawal is a powerful picture of God's patience and His deep reluctance to completely sever ties with His people.
The specific location where God's glory pauses is incredibly meaningful, echoing through biblical history.
The mountain east of the city is identified as the Mount of Olives. This isn't just any mountain; it's a place laden with divine significance. From this vantage point, God's glory looks down, almost within earshot, offering a final, extended moment for repentance. It's a place that would later witness Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, teaching His disciples about the end times, and ultimately, His ascension into heaven. Its selection for the glory's final pause before departing signals both impending judgment and, from a future perspective, the ultimate victory and return of God.
Ezekiel's vision of the Divine Glory departing Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives powerfully illustrates God's patient, yet decisive, judgment. It shows God doesn't abandon His people abruptly but offers repeated chances for repentance before final judgment, a pattern seen again when Jesus wept over the same city from the same mountain.
c. 597 BC
First deportation of Jerusalem residents
Nebuchadnezzar's forces deport King Jehoiachin and a significant portion of Jerusalem's elite, including Ezekiel, to Babylon. This marks a severe blow to Judah's sovereignty and spiritual life.
c. 587 BC
The Glory of the LORD leaves the Temple
In a vision, Ezekiel witnesses the symbolic presence of God (the Shekinah glory) departing from the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple, a profound sign of God's judgment.
c. 587 BC
The Glory of the LORD leaves the city threshold
The divine glory moves from the Temple's inner courts to the threshold of the Temple, then to the east gate, showing God's reluctance to fully abandon His people and giving a final call to repentance.
c. 587 BC— this verse
The Glory of the LORD withdraws to the Mount of Olives
The symbolic presence of God departs the city entirely, resting on the Mount of Olives to the east. This signifies God's final abandonment of the city before its impending destruction and indicates judgment is imminent.
This passage describes the initial departure of the Lord's glory from the temple, mirroring the gradual removal seen in Ezekiel 11:23 as God's presence slowly withdraws from the city.
Zechariah 14:4This prophecy speaks of the Lord standing on the Mount of Olives, the same mountain where Ezekiel sees the glory rest before its final departure, linking the vision of judgment with future hope.
Luke 21:37Jesus taught daily at the Temple but spent his nights on the Mount of Olives, the very mountain where the glory of God stood in Ezekiel's vision, highlighting it as a place of divine presence and prophetic significance.
Acts 1:12This passage records Jesus' ascension into heaven from the Mount of Olives, the same mountain where the glory of the Lord paused in Ezekiel's vision, connecting the departure of God's tangible presence with Christ's heavenly reign.
pooleEzekiel 11:23: "And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city."
See Ezekiel 3:23 8:4 9:3 10:18,19 . The glory of the Lord removes now out of the city, over which it had stood some space of time waiting for their repentance; but no fruits of this, and God now departed from them. Upon the mountain; above it. It was Mount Olivet, as the description of it in this place and elsewhere doth clearly show.
gillEzekiel 11:23: "And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city."
And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city,.... Of Jerusalem, whither it was removed from the door of the east gate of the temple, Ezekiel 10:19 ; though no mention is made of such removal; and now, having left the temple, it leaves the city: and stood upon the mountain, which is on the east side of the city; either waiting for the r…
God’s presence doesn't just disappear; it pulls back gradually, like a reluctant parent leaving an unrepentant child. It pauses on the Mount of Olives, a higher vantage point, almost as if giving Jerusalem one last, visible chance to turn back before its total abandonment and destruction. This lingering on the mountain foreshadows future divine interactions with this same sacred, yet often rebellious, place.
After God's visible glory had progressively departed from the temple and the city, it now leaves Jerusalem entirely, resting on the Mount of Olives to the east. This signifies a final, reluctant departure, a last chance for repentance before judgment falls and the city is destroyed. The verse also sets the stage for Ezekiel's return to the captives in Babylon to deliver God's message.
After God's visible glory had progressively departed from the temple and the city, it now leaves Jerusalem entirely, resting on the Mount of Olives to the east. This signifies a final, reluctant departure, a last chance for repentance before judgment falls and the city is destroyed. The verse also sets the stage for Ezekiel's return to the captives in Babylon to deliver God's message.
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c. 586 BC
Fall and destruction of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar's army destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, scattering the remaining population and ending the Davidic monarchy. The vision to Ezekiel precedes and foreshadows this devastation.
c. 586 BC
Second deportation to Babylon
The final major deportation of Judeans to Babylon occurs after Jerusalem's fall, cementing their exile and the end of the independent kingdom.
"And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city." — God’s presence doesn't just disappear; it pulls back gradually, like a reluctant parent leaving an unrepentant child. It pauses on the Mount of Olives, a higher vantage point, almost as if giving Jer…
