Now 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. NOW IT CAME TO PASS - rather, And it came, etc. This formula in has reference to the written h... [ Continue Reading ]
In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity, THE FIFTH YEAR OF KING JEHOIACHIN'S CAPTIVITY. In the third or fourth year of Jehoiakim, father of Jehoiachin, the first carrying away of Jewish captives to Babylon took place, and among them was Daniel. The... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE 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._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
And 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. A WHIRLWIND - emblematic of God's judgments (Jeremiah 23:19; Jeremiah 25:32)... [ Continue Reading ]
Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. OUT OF THE MIDST THEREOF CAME THE LIKENESS OF FOUR LIVING CREATURES. Ezekiel was himself of a 'gigantic nature, and thereby suited to counteract the Babylonian... [ Continue Reading ]
And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. EVERY ONE HAD FOUR FACES. Not only were there four distinct living creatures, but each of the four had four faces, making sixteen in all. The four living creatures of the cherubim answer by contrast to the four world monarchies represent... [ Continue Reading ]
And 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. STRAIGHT FEET - i:e., straight legs. Not protruding in any part, as the legs of an ox, but straight like a man's (Grotius). Or, like solid pilla... [ Continue Reading ]
And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. THEY HAD THE HANDS OF A MAN - the hands of each were the hands of a man. The hand is the symbol of active power, guided by skillfulness" (). UNDER THEIR WINGS - signifying thei... [ Continue Reading ]
Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. THEY TURNED NOT WHEN THEY WENT. They had no occasion to turn themselves round when changing their direction, because they had a face () looking to each of the four quarters of heaven. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
As 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. THEY FOUR HAD THE FACE OF A MAN - namely, in front. The human face was the primary and pr... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. THEIR WINGS ... STRETCHED UPWARD; TWO WINGS OF EVERY ONE WERE JOINED. The tips of the two outstretched wings reached to one another, while the other two,... [ Continue Reading ]
And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. THEY WENT EVERY ONE STRAIGHT FORWARD. The same idea as . The repetition is because we men are so hard to be brought to acknowledge the wisdom of God's doings: they seem tortuous... [ Continue Reading ]
As 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. AS FOR THE LIKENESS ... THEIR APPEARANCE - not tautol... [ Continue Reading ]
And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. THE LIVING CREATURES RAN AND RETURNED. Incessant restless motion indicates the plenitude of life in these cherubim; so in , "They rest not day or night" (, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro through the whole... [ Continue Reading ]
Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. BEHOLD ONE WHEEL. The "dreadful height" of the wheel () indicates the gigantic, terrible energy of the complicated revolutions of God's providence, bringing about His purposes with... [ Continue Reading ]
The 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. THE APPEARANCE OF THE WHEELS AND THEIR WORK - their form, and the material of their work. THE CO... [ Continue Reading ]
When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. THEY WENT UPON THEIR FOUR SIDES. Those faces or sides of the four wheels moved which answered to the direction in which the cherubim desired to move; while the transverse circles in each of the four composite wh... [ Continue Reading ]
As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. THEIR RINGS - i:e., felloes, or circumferences of the wheels. WERE FULL OF EYES. The multiplicity of eyes here in the wheels, and, , in the cherubim themselves, symbolizes th... [ Continue Reading ]
And 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. THE WHEELS WENT BY THEM - went beside them.... [ Continue Reading ]
Whithersoever 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. WHITHERSOEVER THE SPIRIT WAS TO GO, THEY WENT, THERE WAS THEIR SPIRIT TO GO - i:e., their will was for going wh... [ Continue Reading ]
When 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. OVER AGAINST - rather lª-, 'in correspondence' or 'conjunction,' 'along with' (Hende... [ Continue Reading ]
And 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. THE LIKENESS OF THE FIRMAMENT UPON THE HEADS - rather [ `al (H5921)], 'above the heads' (Fairbairn). WAS AS THE COLOUR - the glitter OF THE... [ Continue Reading ]
And 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. THEIR WINGS STRAIGHT - erect (Fairbairn); expanded upright. EVERY ONE HAD TWO, WHICH COVERED ON THIS SIDE... [ Continue Reading ]
And 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. AS THE VOICE OF THE ALMIGHTY - the thunder (Psalms 29:3). THE VOICE OF SPEECH - rather ... [ Continue Reading ]
And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. THERE WAS A VOICE FROM THE FIRMAMENT ... WHEN THEY STOOD, AND HAD LET DOWN THEIR WINGS - while the Almighty gave forth His voice, they reverently let their wings fall, to listen sti... [ Continue Reading ]
And 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. ABOVE THE FIRMAMENT ... WAS THE LIKENESS OF A THRONE ... AND UPON ... THE THRONE WA... [ Continue Reading ]
And 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. AS THE COLOUR OF AMBER - `the glitter o... [ Continue Reading ]
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. AS THE APPEARANCE OF THE BOW... [ Continue Reading ]