We see that the Prophet was called to the office of a Teacher in the fifth year after Jehoiachin had voluntarily surrendered himself to the king of Babylon, (2 Kings 24:15); and had been dragged into exile, together with his mother: for it was, says he, “in the thirtieth year.” The greater part of t... [ Continue Reading ]
He does not repeat the _copula _which was placed at the beginning of the first verse, and we may perhaps wonder why the book should begin with a _copula: _for when he says, _“and _it came to pass,” it seems to denote something going before it, and it seems out of place when nothing precedes it. But... [ Continue Reading ]
We must first consider the intention of this Vision. I have no doubt but that God wished first to invest his servant with authority, and then to inspire the people with terror. When therefore a formidable form of God is here described, it. ought first to be referred to reverence for the teaching con... [ Continue Reading ]
I have already explained why God showed four angels to his Prophet under the form of four animals. It was necessary to turn a little aside from the sanctuary, since the whole legal worship was obnoxious to the profane. God therefore descends, as it were, from heaven, and appears familiarly on earth,... [ Continue Reading ]
He now comes to the heads and wings themselves. Many suppose that each animal had four heads, and then that four appearances belonged to each head; others extend the wings much further, because they assign four wings to each of the four heads, and others even sixteen; but this does not seem in accor... [ Continue Reading ]
This seems added by way of explanation. Since Ezekiel has spoken of their human form, he adds that _their feet were straight, _although he calls them round or like those of a calf. I refer the straightness not to the feet only but also to the legs. It is therefore just as if he had said that these a... [ Continue Reading ]
Now the Prophet says: _hands were under their wings _Since hands are the principal instruments of action, we know that all actions are often denoted by this word: whence hands, either pure or defiled, signify the works of men either clean or unclean. When the Prophet says that the animals were endow... [ Continue Reading ]
He says _the wings were conjoined, _which he soon more clearly explains: for he will say that the wings were joined together, and that two were so extended that they clothed or ruled the whole body: but here he touches shortly upon what he will soon treat more at length. Their wings then were so joi... [ Continue Reading ]
He now comes down to the faces or countenances of the living creatures themselves. The face is properly used with reference to the whole body, but the Prophet only means the countenance. He says therefore that _there was on the right as it were the face of a man and of a lion, and on the left, the f... [ Continue Reading ]
He says, that _the faces as well as the wings were extended, _because the four faces proceeded from one body. Here then the Prophet says, that they are not united together, so that a fourfold form could be seen on one head: there was the form of a man, and then that of a lion, as in one glass variou... [ Continue Reading ]
Here the Prophet repeats, that the movement of the living creatures was in each case directed _towards, or in the direction of its face: _and he will say the same again: nor is this repetition superfluous, since, as we said yesterday and must repeat again, mankind can scarcely’ be induced to ascribe... [ Continue Reading ]
As I said yesterday, something divine ought to shine forth in this vision, because God set forth the face of a man and of an ox, of an eagle and of a lion, and in this he accommodates himself to the stupidity of the people, as I have said, and also to the capacity of the Prophet, because, as we are... [ Continue Reading ]
Here the Prophet explains more clearly what would otherwise be obscure. He says that _the living creatures ran, and returned like lightning: _by which words he doubtless signifies their amazing swiftness. For lightning (as Christ uses that comparison when he speaks of his own Advent — Matthew 24:27)... [ Continue Reading ]
Now the Prophet descends to the wheels which were joined to the living creatures. Each had a double wheel, as we shall see afterwards — that is, one wheel rolling upon another. The Prophet did not notice at one glance that the wheels stood near the living creatures, and this is occasioned by the mag... [ Continue Reading ]
Now the Prophet uses the plural number, and says, there were four wheels. He says, the color was like a precious stone. Jerome translates _it “sea,” _because the sea which looks towards Cilicia with respect to Judea is called Tharsis. But I know not why the color of the sea or the sky took his fancy... [ Continue Reading ]
What he had already explained he now repeats for the sake of confirmation, _that they went upon their four sides _— that is, each living creature proceeded straight forward; the words _they turned not _refer to their perseverance; not that they exceeded the appointed space, but because they went for... [ Continue Reading ]
What he says about the circumferences of the wheels may seem superfluous, but he refers to the second clause of the verse, where he says, that these circumferences were full of eyes. Here, then, he now treats about their height and terrible aspect. It signifies that the wheels were large, for being... [ Continue Reading ]
By this verse the Prophet teaches, that all the changes of the world depend on celestial motion. For we have said that the living creatures represent to us Angels whom God inspires with a secret virtue, so that he works by means of their hands. Now, therefore, when he says, that the wheels proceeded... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus I arrange the clauses, for though others join the first; clause with the second part of the verse, it is too forced. Therefore the Prophet repeats what he had said, though he is rather prolix. Afterwards he adds, _that the wheels were raised, _taking the word generally for elevated, but not exa... [ Continue Reading ]
He continues the same sentence, that the wheels were fixed, not that they fell but stood without motion, which we know to be unnatural, for a wheel cannot stand on any part of its rim, but will either fall on one side or the other, or will roll on: for the Prophet says that the wheels were immovable... [ Continue Reading ]
Now the Prophet states the principal thing in this vision — that God was seated on his throne: because if he had spoken only of wheels and living creatures, the vision had been partial, and therefore inefficient. But when he places God upon his own throne, we understand that angels, who inspire moti... [ Continue Reading ]
There is some obscurity in the words, but it may be easily removed if we remark the two ways of covering; for those wings which tended upwards covered the living’ creatures themselves- that is, their faces, but the other wings, which were joined to their bodies, covered the body itself. Some think t... [ Continue Reading ]
When the Prophet says, _he heard the voice of wings, _it is an explanation of his former teaching, when he said that the wings followed the course of the living creatures, and stood, unless when they were drawn by the living creatures: this he now expresses more clearly by the word _voice _We know t... [ Continue Reading ]
Is a former lecture we said, that the Prophet, while magnifying the glory of God, spoke of the firmament, because human minds cannot penetrate to so great a height, unless by degrees. On this account, the Prophet described to us the expansion of the heavens. He now adds, _there was a likeness of a t... [ Continue Reading ]
By these words the Prophet signifies that God appeared so visible under the form of man that the splendor dazzled his eyes. For if the appearance of Christ was such that the Prophet could consider each part separately, as when I behold a man, I not only cast my eyes upon his form from head to foot,... [ Continue Reading ]
The Prophet now adds, _that the likeness of a celestial bow was presented to him, _which profane men call his, and imagine that she performs the commands of the gods, and especially of Juno. But Scripture calls it the bow of God, not because it was created after the Deluge, as many falsely suppose,... [ Continue Reading ]