Ezekiel 1:5
New International Version
and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human,

New Living Translation
From the center of the cloud came four living beings that looked human,

English Standard Version
And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness,

Berean Standard Bible
and within it was the form of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human form,

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

New American Standard Bible
And within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form.

NASB 1995
Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form.

NASB 1977
And within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form.

Legacy Standard Bible
And within it there were figures with the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

Amplified Bible
Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form.

Christian Standard Bible
The likeness of four living creatures came from it, and this was their appearance: They looked something like a human,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The form of four living creatures came from it. And this was their appearance: They had human form,

American Standard Version
And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And from within it was the likeness of four living creatures, and this was their appearance: as the likeness of the sons of men

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And in the midst as it were the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; the likeness of a man was upon them.

Contemporary English Version
and in that center I saw what looked like four living creatures. They were somewhat like humans,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And in the midst thereof the likeness of four living creatures: and this was their appearance: there was the likeness of a man in them.

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

GOD'S WORD® Translation
In the center of the cloud I saw what looked like four living creatures. They were shaped like humans,

Good News Translation
At the center of the storm I saw what looked like four living creatures in human form,

International Standard Version
Deep inside it, the likenesses of four living beings were visible. Their appearances were similar to human forms,

JPS Tanakh 1917
And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

Literal Standard Version
And out of its midst [is] a likeness of four living creatures, and this [is] their appearance; a likeness of man [is] to them,

Majority Standard Bible
and within it was the form of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human form,

New American Bible
From within it figures in the likeness of four living creatures appeared. This is what they looked like:

NET Bible
In the fire were what looked like four living beings. In their appearance they had human form,

New Revised Standard Version
In the middle of it was something like four living creatures. This was their appearance: they were of human form.

New Heart English Bible
Out of its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

Webster's Bible Translation
Also from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

World English Bible
Out of its center came the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance: They had the likeness of a man.

Young's Literal Translation
And out of its midst is a likeness of four living creatures, and this is their appearance; a likeness of man is to them,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Four Living Creatures
4I looked and saw a whirlwind coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing back and forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire was a gleam like amber, 5and within it was the form of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human form, 6but each had four faces and four wings.…

Cross References
Revelation 4:6
And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back.

Revelation 4:8
And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"

Ezekiel 1:26
Above the expanse over their heads was the likeness of a throne with the appearance of sapphire, and on the throne high above was a figure like that of a man.

Ezekiel 10:15
Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the River Kebar.

Ezekiel 10:17
When the cherubim stood still, the wheels also stood still, and when they ascended, the wheels ascended with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

Ezekiel 10:20
These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Kebar, and I knew that they were cherubim.


Treasury of Scripture

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

the likeness

Revelation 4:6
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

Revelation 6:6
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

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Appearance Beings Creatures Figures Fire Form Forms Four Heart Human Likeness Midst Resembling Thereof Within
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Appearance Beings Creatures Figures Fire Form Forms Four Heart Human Likeness Midst Resembling Thereof Within
Ezekiel 1
1. The time of Ezekiel's prophecy at Chebar.
4. His vision of four cherubim;
15. of the four wheels;
26. and of the glory of God.














(5) The likeness of four living creatures next appeared from this centre of the fiery cloud. The word "likeness" is not without significance. The prophet would make it plain that this was a vision, that these were symbolic, not actually existing creatures. Their prominent characteristic is that they were "living." This word is used over and over again in connection with them (see Ezekiel 1:13-15; Ezekiel 1:19; Ezekiel 1:21, &c.); and in fact, in Ezekiel and Revelation (Ezekiel 4:6, &c., where it is mis-translated beasts) it occurs nearly thirty times. The same characteristic is further emphasized in Ezekiel 1:14 by the speed, "as of a flash of lightning," with which they "ran and returned," by the multiplicity of eyes in the wheels connected with them (Ezekiel 1:18), and by their going instantly "whithersoever the spirit was to go" (Ezekiel 1:20); while in Revelation 4:8 it is said that "they rest not day and night." Their life is represented as most closely connected with the source of all life, the "living God," whose throne is seen in the vision (Ezekiel 1:26) as above the heads of these "living creatures," . . . Verse 5. - The likeness of four living creatures. The Authorized Version is happier here in its rendering than in Revelation 4:6, where we find "beasts" applied to the analogues of the forms of Ezekiel's vision. There the Greek gives ζῶα, as the LXX. does here, while in Daniel 7:3-7 we have θήρια In Ezekiel 10:15 they are identified with the "cherubim" of the mercy seat; but the fact that they are not so named here is presumptive evidence that Ezekiel did not at first recognize them as identical with what he had heard of those cherubim, or with the other like forms that were seen, as they were not seen, in the temple (1 Kings 6:29; 1 Kings 7:29), on its walls (2 Chronicles 3:7), and on its veil or curtain (Exodus 36:35). What he sees is, in fact, a highly complicated development of the cherubic symbols, which might well appear strange to him. It is possible (as Dean Stanley and others have suggested) that the Assyrian and Babylonian sculptures, the winged bulls and lions with human heads, which Ezekiel may have seen in his exile, were elements in that development. The likeness of a man. This apparently was the first impression. The "living creatures" were not, like the Assyrian forms just referred to, quadrupeds. They stood erect, and had feet and hands as men have.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and within it
וּמִ֨תּוֹכָ֔הּ (ū·mit·tō·w·ḵāh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre

[was] the form
דְּמ֖וּת (də·mūṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 1823: Resemblance, model, shape, like

of four
אַרְבַּ֣ע (’ar·ba‘)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 702: Four

living creatures.
חַיּ֑וֹת (ḥay·yō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

And this [was]
וְזֶה֙ (wə·zeh)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

their appearance:
מַרְאֵֽיהֶ֔ן (mar·’ê·hen)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine plural
Strong's 4758: Sight, appearance, vision

They had
לָהֵֽנָּה׃ (lā·hên·nāh)
Preposition-l | Pronoun - third person feminine plural
Strong's 2007: Themselves

a human
אָדָ֖ם (’ā·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

form,
דְּמ֥וּת (də·mūṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 1823: Resemblance, model, shape, like


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 1:5 Out of its midst came the likeness (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 1:4
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