‘And the glory of Yahweh went away from over the threshold of the house and stood over the cherubim, and the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight when they went away, and the wheels beside them, and they stood at the door of the east gate of the house of Yahweh, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.'
The glory of Yahweh now leaves the threshold of the house and takes His place on the level plate of awesome ice over the cherubim, and the cherubim then take off and bear Him to the east gate (for Yahweh as the One Who sits above the cherubim over their outstretched wings see 1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; 1Ch 13:6; 1 Chronicles 28:18; Psalms 18:10; Psalms 80:1; Psalms 99:1). This east gate was the main entrance into the temple courtyards from the outside world. It was the way in, and also the way out. The Lord in His glory and the cherubim then hovered above this gate. The movements of Yahweh are central to the passage. First from the holy of holies to the threshold, then from the threshold to the east gate, and finally in Ezekiel 11:23 to the mountain on the east side of the city. Jerusalem was no longer His holy city.
Note that Ezekiel bears witness to having seen this particular event happen, revealing that it is significant (compare Ezekiel 10:2). The glory of Yahweh is deserting His house. He had constantly warned of this possibility in one way or another (Hosea 5:6; Hosea 9:12; Deuteronomy 31:17; compare 1 Samuel 4:21; 1 Samuel 28:15) and now it was happening.