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The Prophets · Old Testament

Ezekiel 1

Ezekiel 1: the living creatures, the wheels and the glory of the Lord by Chebar

General context

The book opens in the first person with a dated heading: "in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month," while the speaker is "among the captives by the river of Chebar," and "the heavens were opened." A second heading places this in "the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity" and names the speaker as "Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans." He sees a whirlwind out of the north, a great cloud and fire, and out of it "the likeness of four living creatures," each with four faces and four wings, straight feet like a calf's sole, and hands of a man under the wings. The faces are those of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. The creatures move straight forward where the spirit goes, and among them is fire and lightning. Beside each creature is a wheel like beryl, "a wheel in the middle of a wheel," with rings full of eyes; the wheels rise and move with the creatures because "the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels." Over their heads is a firmament like crystal, and the noise of their wings is "like the noise of great waters." Above the firmament is the likeness of a throne like sapphire and on it "the likeness as the appearance of a man," fire and brightness around him like a rainbow. The speaker identifies this as "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord," falls on his face and hears a voice.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 1:1, Ezekiel 1:2, Ezekiel 1:3, Ezekiel 1:4, Ezekiel 1:5, Ezekiel 1:6, Ezekiel 1:7, Ezekiel 1:8, Ezekiel 1:10, Ezekiel 1:12, Ezekiel 1:13, Ezekiel 1:15, Ezekiel 1:16, Ezekiel 1:18, Ezekiel 1:20, Ezekiel 1:22, Ezekiel 1:24, Ezekiel 1:26, Ezekiel 1:28

Ezekiel 1 (KJV)

1Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

2In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity,

3The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.

4And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

5Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

6And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

7And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.

8And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

9Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

10As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

11Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

12And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

14And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

15Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

16The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

17When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.

18As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

19And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

20Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

21When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

22And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

23And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

24And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

25And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

26And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

27And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

28As 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.

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Historical context

The chapter supplies two headings and they do not match in form. The first is in the first person and counts "the thirtieth year" without saying thirty years from what; the text never explains that number. The second switches to the third person, counts "the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity," and gives the name, office and father: "Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi." The setting is "in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar," among "the captives," and the book identifies that river no further. Jehoiachin is named only as the king whose captivity dates the vision; the chapter does not tell his story. Everything seen is hedged with the words "likeness" and "appearance": "the likeness of four living creatures," "the likeness of a throne," "the likeness as the appearance of a man," and finally "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." The speaker does not name the creatures in this chapter, and he does not say what the wheels are or what the four faces mean. The voice that speaks at the end is heard but not yet quoted; its words begin in chapter 2. No date of writing and no place for Chebar beyond "the land of the Chaldeans" is given.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 1:1, Ezekiel 1:2, Ezekiel 1:3, Ezekiel 1:5, Ezekiel 1:26, Ezekiel 1:28, Ezekiel 1:16

Literary context

The vision is built by accumulation. The speaker moves from the outside in: whirlwind, cloud, fire, then creatures, then wheels, then firmament, then throne, then the figure on it, so that the glory of the Lord is the last thing named. Each stage is introduced with "behold" or "I looked" or "I saw." The description of the creatures repeats "they four" and "every one," and says more than once that "they turned not when they went" and "they went every one straight forward." The wheels section states the motion rule three times in verses 19 to 21, "when those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood," and twice anchors it with the refrain "for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels." Sound arrives only after sight: the noise of the wings "like the noise of great waters," then "a voice from the firmament." Comparisons are drawn from ordinary things, a calf's foot, burnished brass, burning coals, lamps, beryl, crystal, sapphire, amber, the rainbow, while the words "likeness" and "appearance" keep the reader from taking any comparison as the thing itself. The chapter ends on the speaker's response, "I fell upon my face," and on a voice, which hands the narrative to the commission that follows.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 1:4, Ezekiel 1:9, Ezekiel 1:12, Ezekiel 1:21, Ezekiel 1:24, Ezekiel 1:25, Ezekiel 1:7, Ezekiel 1:27, Ezekiel 1:28

Key moments

  1. Heavens opened by Chebar (Ezekiel 1:1). Among the captives by the river of Chebar the speaker sees visions of God.
  2. Ezekiel the priest named (Ezekiel 1:3). The word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans.
  3. Four living creatures (Ezekiel 1:5). Out of the fire come four living creatures with the likeness of a man.
  4. Four faces (Ezekiel 1:10). Each creature has the face of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle.
  5. A wheel in a wheel (Ezekiel 1:16). The wheels look like beryl and like a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
  6. The throne and the figure (Ezekiel 1:26). Above the firmament is a throne like sapphire with the likeness of a man upon it.
  7. The glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 1:28). The speaker names the brightness as the likeness of the glory of the Lord and falls on his face.

For reflection

The speaker piles up the words "likeness" and "appearance" and ends with "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." What does that careful distance between the vision and the words for it ask of a reader trying to picture the scene?

People in this chapter

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