Ezekiel 1

Ezekiel · Chapter 1

Ezekiel 1:18

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.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
18As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and rims theirוְגַ֨בֵּיהֶ֔ןve-GA-bei-HENH1354
back/rim/brow

גַּב (gav) 1) convex surface, back 1a) back (of man) 1b) mound (for illicit worship) 1c) boss (convex projection of shield) 1d) bulwarks, breastworks (of arguments-fig.) 1e) brow, eyebrow 1f) rim (of wheel) Aramaic equivalent: gav (גַּב "back" H1355)

and heightוְגֹ֥בַהּve-GOAHH1363
height

גֹּ֫בַהּ (go.vah) 1) height, exaltation 1a) height 1b) exaltation, grandeur 1c) haughtiness

and fearוְיִרְאָ֣הve-yir-'AHH3374
fear

יִרְאָה (yir.ah) 1) fear, terror, fearing 1a) fear, terror 1b) awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear) 1c) fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety 1d) revered

and rims theirוְגַבֹּתָ֗םve-ga-bo-TAMH1354
back/rim/brow

גַּב (gav) 1) convex surface, back 1a) back (of man) 1b) mound (for illicit worship) 1c) boss (convex projection of shield) 1d) bulwarks, breastworks (of arguments-fig.) 1e) brow, eyebrow 1f) rim (of wheel) Aramaic equivalent: gav (גַּב "back" H1355)

[were] full ofמְלֵאֹ֥תme-le-'OTH4392
full

מָלֵא (ma.le) 1) full, fulness, that which fills 1a) fully (adv)

eyesעֵינַ֛יִם'ei-NA-yimH5869A
eye

עַ֫יִן (a.yin) : eye 1) eye 1a) eye 1a1) of physical eye 1a2) as showing mental qualities 1a3) of mental and spiritual faculties (fig.)

all aroundסָבִ֖יבsa-VIVH5439G
around

סָבִיב (sa.viv) : around/border subst 1) places round about, circuit, round about adv 2) in a circuit, a circuit, round about prep 3) in the circuit, from every side

to [the] four of themלְאַרְבַּעְתָּֽן׃le-'ar-ba'-TANH0702
four

אַרְבַּע (ar.ba) four

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.