The face of a (RV 'the') cherub here takes the place of the ox-face of Ezekiel 1:10. This seems at first sight to indicate that the cherubim already known to Ezekiel were oxfaced. But the cherubim in the decoration of Ezekiel's visionary temple (Ezekiel 44:18) had only the faces of a man and a lion. The substitution of 'cherub' for 'ox,' and the change in the order of the faces, may be explained by supposing that Ezekiel, still standing near the N. gate of the inner court, looked S. towards the chariot, which was about to move E. (Ezekiel 10:19). The cherub on the E. side of the chariot would be the leading one, and so might be called 'the cherub.' Ezekiel would see the left, or ox-, face of this cherub, the front, or human, face of the cherub on the N. side of the chariot, the right, or lion–, face of the cherub on the W. side, and the back, or eagle-, face of the cherub on the S. side, thus:

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