Such were their faces. Their wings were spread upward; each had two wings touching the wings of the creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. Their faces were turnedIn Ezekiel 1:11, the phrase "Their faces were turned" refers to the four living creatures described in the prophet's vision. The Hebrew word for "faces" is "פָּנִים" (panim), which often signifies presence or countenance. In the context of Ezekiel's vision, it suggests a readiness and attentiveness to God's commands. The turning of their faces indicates their ability to move in any direction without turning their bodies, symbolizing the omnipresence and omniscience of God. This reflects the creatures' role as divine messengers, always prepared to execute God's will. upward
The direction "upward" signifies a heavenly orientation, pointing towards God. In biblical symbolism, upward movement often represents a connection to the divine, aspiration, and worship. The creatures' faces being turned upward suggests their constant focus on God, highlighting their role as beings who serve and glorify Him. This upward orientation serves as a reminder for believers to keep their focus on God, seeking His guidance and presence in all aspects of life. each had two wings
The phrase "each had two wings" emphasizes the creatures' supernatural nature. Wings in biblical literature often symbolize swiftness, protection, and divine presence. The Hebrew word for wings, "כָּנָף" (kanaph), can also imply covering or shelter. The presence of wings on these creatures indicates their role as protectors and messengers of God, able to swiftly carry out His commands. For believers, this imagery serves as a reminder of God's protection and the assurance that His messengers are always ready to act on His behalf. covering their bodies
The phrase "covering their bodies" suggests modesty and reverence. In the ancient Near Eastern context, covering oneself was a sign of respect and humility, especially in the presence of the divine. The creatures' wings covering their bodies indicate their awareness of God's holiness and their own position as created beings. This act of covering can inspire believers to approach God with humility and reverence, recognizing His holiness and our need for His grace. and each had two wings
Reiterating "and each had two wings" underscores the completeness and symmetry of the creatures. The repetition emphasizes their readiness and ability to serve God fully. In biblical numerology, the number two often signifies witness and testimony. The duality of the wings may symbolize the creatures' role in bearing witness to God's glory and executing His will. For Christians, this serves as a call to be witnesses of God's love and truth in the world, living lives that reflect His glory. flying
The action of "flying" conveys movement, freedom, and the ability to transcend earthly limitations. In the biblical context, flying often represents the swift execution of God's will and the ability to rise above earthly concerns. The creatures' ability to fly signifies their readiness to serve God and their freedom to move according to His direction. For believers, this imagery can inspire a sense of spiritual freedom and the call to rise above worldly distractions, focusing on fulfilling God's purposes with eagerness and joy. Persons / Places / Events 1. EzekielA prophet and priest during the Babylonian exile, Ezekiel is the author of the book and the recipient of the visions described. 2. CherubimThese are the living creatures described in Ezekiel's vision. They are often associated with the presence and glory of God. 3. BabylonThe place of exile for the Israelites, where Ezekiel received his visions. 4. The Vision of God’s GloryThis event is a divine revelation given to Ezekiel, showcasing the majesty and holiness of God through symbolic imagery. 5. The River KebarThe location where Ezekiel received his vision, a canal near Babylon. Teaching Points The Holiness of GodThe vision emphasizes God's holiness and majesty, reminding us to approach Him with reverence and awe. Unity in DiversityThe creatures' wings touching each other symbolize unity and cooperation, a model for the body of Christ. Protection and CoveringThe wings covering the body suggest God's protection over His people, encouraging us to trust in His care. Symbolism in ScriptureUnderstanding the symbolic nature of biblical visions can deepen our comprehension of God's messages. God's Presence in ExileEven in exile, God reveals His glory to Ezekiel, assuring us of His presence in our own times of trial. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the description of the cherubim's wings in Ezekiel 1:11 enhance our understanding of God's holiness and majesty? 2. In what ways can the unity of the cherubim's wings touching each other inspire unity within the church today? 3. How does the imagery of wings covering the body relate to the concept of God's protection in other parts of Scripture? 4. What can we learn from Ezekiel's vision about God's presence and revelation during difficult times, such as exile or personal trials? 5. How do the visions in Ezekiel 1 compare to other biblical visions of heavenly creatures, and what consistent themes can we identify? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 6Isaiah's vision of the seraphim, which also involves creatures with wings, highlights the holiness and majesty of God. Revelation 4John's vision of the throne room of God includes living creatures with wings, drawing a parallel to Ezekiel's vision. Exodus 25The description of the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant connects to the imagery of divine presence and protection. People Babylonians, Buzi, Ezekiel, JehoiachinPlaces ChebarTopics Bodies, Body, Covered, Covering, Creature, Either, Faces, Joined, Joining, Parted, Separate, Spread, Stretched, Thus, Touched, Touching, Upward, Wing, WingsDictionary of Bible Themes Ezekiel 1:11 5136 body Ezekiel 1:1-28 8474 seeing God Ezekiel 1:3-28 7775 prophets, lives Ezekiel 1:4-14 4150 cherubim Ezekiel 1:4-18 1454 theophany Ezekiel 1:4-28 1090 God, majesty of
1469 visions Ezekiel 1:5-25 4627 creatures Library God's Providence
"Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 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. When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 54: 1908The Noble Results of this Species of Prayer
The Noble Results of this Species of Prayer Some persons, when they hear of the prayer of silence, falsely imagine, that the soul remains stupid, dead, and inactive. But, unquestionably, it acteth therein, more nobly and more extensively than it had ever done before; for God Himself is the mover, and the soul now acteth by the agency of His Spirit. When S. Paul speaks of our being led by the Spirit of God, it is not meant that we should cease from action; but that we should act through the internal …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer 'Deliver us from Evil'
'But deliver us from evil.'--MATT. vi. 13. The two halves of this prayer are like a calm sky with stars shining silently in its steadfast blue, and a troubled earth beneath, where storms sweep, and changes come, and tears are ever being shed. The one is so tranquil, the other so full of woe and want. What a dark picture of human conditions lies beneath the petitions of this second half! Hunger and sin and temptation, and wider still, that tragic word which includes them all--evil. Forgiveness and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture This State of Prayer not one of Idleness, but of Noble Action, Wrought by the Spirit of God, and in Dependence Upon Him --The Communication Of
Some people, hearing of the prayer of silence, have wrongly imagined that the soul remains inactive, lifeless, and without movement. But the truth is, that its action is more noble and more extensive than it ever was before it entered this degree, since it is moved by God Himself, and acted upon by His Spirit. St Paul desires that we should be led by the Spirit of God (Rom. viii. 14). I do not say that there must be no action, but that we must act in dependence upon the divine movement. This …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents The Prophet Jonah.
It has been asserted without any sufficient reason, that Jonah is older than Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah,--that he is the oldest among the prophets whose written monuments have been preserved to us. The passage in 2 Kings xiv. 25, where it is said, that Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, prophesied to Jeroboam the happy success of his arms, and the restoration of the ancient boundaries of Israel, and that this prophecy was confirmed by the event, cannot decide in favour of this assertion, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament How Subjects and Prelates are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 5.) Differently to be admonished are subjects and prelates: the former that subjection crush them not, the latter that superior place elate them not: the former that they fail not to fulfil what is commanded them, the latter that they command not more to be fulfilled than is just: the former that they submit humbly, the latter that they preside temperately. For this, which may be understood also figuratively, is said to the former, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: but to …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great A Sight of the Crowned Christ
(Revelation, Chapter i.) "Since mine eyes were fixed on Jesus, I've lost sight of all beside, So enchained my spirit's vision, Looking at the Crucified." "The Lord Christ passed my humble cot: I knew him, yet I knew him not; But as I oft had done before, I hurried through my narrow door To touch His garment's hem. "He drew me to a place apart From curious crowd and noisy mart; And as I sat there at His feet I caught the thrill of His heart-beat Beyond His garment's hem. "Rare was the bread He broke …
by S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
1. The Traditional Law. - The brief account given in vol. i. p. 100, of the character and authority claimed for the traditional law may here be supplemented by a chronological arrangement of the Halakhoth in the order of their supposed introduction or promulgation. In the first class, or Halakhoth of Moses from Sinai,' tradition enumerates fifty-five, [6370] which may be thus designated: religio-agrarian, four; [6371] ritual, including questions about clean and unclean,' twenty-three; [6372] concerning …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Of Love to God
I proceed to the second general branch of the text. The persons interested in this privilege. They are lovers of God. "All things work together for good, to them that love God." Despisers and haters of God have no lot or part in this privilege. It is children's bread, it belongs only to them that love God. Because love is the very heart and spirit of religion, I shall the more fully treat upon this; and for the further discussion of it, let us notice these five things concerning love to God. 1. The …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial Covenanting Enforced by the Grant of Covenant Signs and Seals.
To declare emphatically that the people of God are a covenant people, various signs were in sovereignty vouchsafed. The lights in the firmament of heaven were appointed to be for signs, affording direction to the mariner, the husbandman, and others. Miracles wrought on memorable occasions, were constituted signs or tokens of God's universal government. The gracious grant of covenant signs was made in order to proclaim the truth of the existence of God's covenant with his people, to urge the performance …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting An Advance Step in the Royal Programme
(Revelation, Chapters iv. and v.) "We are watching, we are waiting, For the bright prophetic day; When the shadows, weary shadows, From the world shall roll away. "We are watching, we are waiting, For the star that brings the day; When the night of sin shall vanish, And the shadows melt away. "We are watching, we are waiting, For the beauteous King of day; For the chiefest of ten thousand, For the Light, the Truth, the Way. "We are waiting for the morning, When the beauteous day is dawning, We are …
by S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation Brief Outline of Ancient Jewish Theological Literature
The arrangements of the synagogue, as hitherto described, combined in a remarkable manner fixedness of order with liberty of the individual. Alike the seasons and the time of public services, their order, the prayers to be offered, and the portions of the law to be read were fixed. On the other hand, between the eighteen "benedictions" said on ordinary days, and the seven repeated on the Sabbaths, free prayer might be inserted; the selection from the prophets, with which the public reading concluded--the …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Ezekiel 1:11 NIVEzekiel 1:11 NLTEzekiel 1:11 ESVEzekiel 1:11 NASBEzekiel 1:11 KJV
Ezekiel 1:11 Commentaries
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