Common misinterpretations treat the rainbow-like glory as merely a comforting symbol of God's Noahic covenant promise, detached from the terrifying theophany of judgment on Israel, or sensationalize it as UFO imagery influenced by modern sci-fi, ignoring the cherubim's ancient Near Eastern royal symbolism. Others literalize it as God physically resembling weather phenomena, overlooking the visionary language conveying ineffable divine essence, or spiritualize it into personal feel-good visions without the context of prophetic commissioning amid national crisis, thus diluting its call to reverent fear.
Ezekiel 1:28
King James Version (1769)
28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
Ezekiel 1:28 depicts the radiant conclusion of the prophet's vision of God's throne-chariot, likening the encircling brightness to a rainbow after rain, symbolizing divine glory in its multifaceted splendor and accessibility amid judgment. This manifestation of Yahweh's likeness overwhelms Ezekiel, causing him to fall prostrate and hear the divine voice, emphasizing themes of God's transcendent holiness, immanence in exile, and the proper human response of awe-filled submission that launches the prophet's calling.