Ezekiel 1
1 The time of Ezekiel's prophecy at Chebar.
4 His vision of four cherubims;
15 of the four wheels;
26 and of the glory of God.
thirtieth <07970> [in the thirtieth.]
among <08432> [as I.]
exiles <01473> [captives. Heb. captivity. by the river.]
Kebar <03529> [Chebar.]
Chebar, called now Khabour, is a river of Mesopotamia, which taking its rise in the Mysian mountains, falls into the Euphrates near Carchemish, or Circesioum, now Karkisia, about 35 degrees 20' N. lat. and 40 degrees 25' E. long.
heavens <08064> [the heavens.]
saw <07200> [I saw.]
word <01697> [word.]
Ezekiel <03168> [Ezekiel. Heb. Jehezkel. and the.]
windstorm <07307> [a whirlwind.]
enormous <01419> [a great.]
bright light rimmed <03947 05051> [infolding itself. Heb. catching itself. colour.]
looked like ........... form <01823> [the likeness.]
each ... four faces ... four <0259 0702 06440> [And every one had four faces.]
These living creatures were probably hieroglyphical representations of the holy angels, the attendants on "the King of Glory," and the ministers of his providence. They were four, apparently to denote that they were employed in the four corners of the world; and they had the likeness of a man, to signify that they were intelligent and rational creatures.
each ... four .... four wings <0702 03671 0259> [every one had four wings.]
legs ... straight ....... feet ..... feet <07272 03477> [straight feet. Heb. a straight foot. like the sole.]
gleamed <05869> [the colour.]
touched <02266> [joined.]
turn <05437> [they turned.]
appearance <01823> [for the.]
faces ........... face .... man .... face ......... face ........... face <0120 06440> [the face of a man.]
faces ........... face ....... face .... lion ...... face ........... face <0738 06440> [the face of a lion.]
faces ........... face ....... face ......... face .... ox ........ face <07794 06440> [the face of an ox.]
[Cherub.]
faces ........... face ....... face ......... face ........... face .... eagle <05404 06440> [the face of an eagle.]
wings <03671> [and their.]
spread ... above <04605 06504> [stretched upward. or, divided above. and two.]
Each <03212 0376> [they went every.]
spirit <07307> [whither.]
one <0259> [one.]
four <0702> [with.]
gleaming <05869> [the colour.]
wheels .................... wheel .... wheel <0212> [a wheel.]
turning <05437> [and.]
high <01363> [they were so.]
rims ........ rims <01354> [rings. or, stakes. full.]
spirit ................. spirit <07307> [the spirit.]
spirit ................. spirit <07307> [for the.]
living <02416> [of the living creature. or, of life.]
<03212> [When those went.]
living <02416> [of the living creature. or, of life.]
like <01823> [the likeness.]
ice <07140> [crystal.]
The Hebrew {kerach,} which generally denotes ice, doubtless here signifies crystal, ([krystallos,] from [kryos,] cold, ice, and [stellomai,] to concrete,) as it is rendered by the LXX. and Vulgate. It is a very large class of silicious minerals, hard, pellucid, naturally colourless, of regularly angular figures, and of simple plates; not flexible, nor elastic, but giving fire with steel; not fermenting by acid menstrua, but calcinable in a strong fire. There are three orders of pure crystal: the first is perfect columnar crystals, with double pyramids, of eighteen planes, in an hexangular pyramid at each end; the second is that of perfect crystals, without a column, of twelve or sixteen planes, in two hexangular pyramids: and the third is that of imperfect crystals, with single pyramids, of ten or twelve planes, in an hexangular or pentangular column. Terrible crystal seems to denote that which was well cut and polished, vividly refracting the rays of light.
wings <03671> [their wings.]
beings ...... covering <03680> [which.]
sound ......... sound ....... voice <06963> [like.]
sound ......... sound ....... voice <06963> [as the voice.]
sound ......... sound ....... voice <06963> [as the noise.]
still <07503> [and had.]
Above <04605> [And above.]
Abp. Newcome judiciously observes, "We need not allegorize the circumstances of this august vision too minutely. Many of them augment the splendour of the scene, while others, no doubt, have much significance; which should be pointed out rather by a correct judgement, than a luxuriant imagination."
heads <07218> [over.]
like ... throne ...... throne .... form <01823 03678> [the likeness of a.]
like ................. appeared <04758> [as the.]
like ................. appeared ..... man <0120 04758> [the appearance of a man.]
saw <05869> [as the colour.]
like ... fire ............... something that looked like fire <0784 04758> [the appearance of fire.]
[at the appearance of the bow.]
appearance .............. appearance ........ looked <04758> [This.]
threw <05307> [I fell.]
