Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, gleaming like polished bronze. Their legs were straightThe phrase "their legs were straight" suggests a sense of stability and purpose. In the Hebrew text, the word for "straight" is "יָשָׁר" (yashar), which conveys uprightness and righteousness. This imagery of straight legs can symbolize the unwavering and righteous path that God's messengers, represented by the cherubim, follow. In a broader spiritual context, it calls believers to walk in integrity and righteousness, reflecting the divine order and purpose in their lives. and the soles of their feet
The "soles of their feet" indicates the foundation and grounding of these heavenly beings. In ancient Near Eastern culture, feet often symbolized possession and dominion. The Hebrew word for "sole" is "כַּף" (kaf), which can also mean "palm" or "hollow," suggesting a place of contact and interaction with the earth. This detail emphasizes the connection between the divine and the earthly, reminding believers of God's sovereignty over all creation and His ability to reach into the world with authority and purpose. were like the hooves of a calf
The comparison to "the hooves of a calf" is rich with symbolism. Calves were common sacrificial animals in ancient Israel, representing purity and atonement. The Hebrew word for "calf" is "עֵגֶל" (egel), which can also evoke the image of strength and youthful vigor. The hoof, being a part of the animal that touches the ground, signifies readiness and capability to move and act. This imagery can inspire believers to be pure and ready to serve God, moving with strength and purpose in their spiritual journey. gleaming like polished bronze
The description "gleaming like polished bronze" conveys a sense of brilliance and divine glory. Bronze, in the ancient world, was a symbol of strength and durability. The Hebrew word for "bronze" is "נְחֹשֶׁת" (nechoshet), which is often associated with judgment and purification in the Bible. The gleaming aspect suggests a reflection of divine light, indicating the holiness and majesty of God's presence. For believers, this serves as a reminder of the transformative power of God's glory, calling them to reflect His light and purity in their lives. 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. The Living CreaturesThese are the beings described in Ezekiel's vision, often interpreted as cherubim, which are angelic beings that serve as attendants to God. 3. BabylonThe place of exile for the Israelites during Ezekiel's time, where he received his prophetic visions. 4. The VisionEzekiel's vision in chapter 1 is a theophany, a visible manifestation of God, which includes the living creatures and the divine chariot. 5. The River KebarThe location where Ezekiel received his vision, a canal near Babylon where the exiles gathered. Teaching Points The Holiness of GodThe description of the living creatures with legs like polished bronze signifies purity and holiness. As believers, we are called to reflect God's holiness in our lives. The Stability of God's ServantsThe straight legs of the creatures symbolize stability and readiness to serve. Christians are encouraged to stand firm in their faith and be ready to serve God at all times. The Majesty of God's CreationThe gleaming appearance of the creatures reminds us of the beauty and majesty inherent in God's creation. We should appreciate and steward the world God has made. Symbolism in ScriptureUnderstanding the symbolic language in prophetic visions can deepen our appreciation for the Bible's complexity and the messages God conveys through imagery. God's Presence in ExileEzekiel's vision occurred during a time of exile, reminding us that God's presence is with us even in difficult circumstances. We can find hope and assurance in God's constant presence. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the description of the living creatures' legs as "straight" and "gleaming like polished bronze" inform our understanding of their role and nature? 2. In what ways can the imagery of polished bronze be seen as a reflection of God's holiness and purity, and how can we apply this understanding to our personal walk with God? 3. How does the stability and readiness of the living creatures challenge us to be prepared and steadfast in our service to God? 4. What connections can you draw between Ezekiel's vision and other biblical descriptions of divine encounters, and how do these connections enhance your understanding of God's majesty? 5. Reflect on a time when you felt distant from God, similar to the Israelites in exile. How can Ezekiel's vision encourage you to recognize God's presence in your life today? Connections to Other Scriptures Revelation 4The description of the living creatures around God's throne in Revelation shares similarities with Ezekiel's vision, emphasizing the continuity of God's heavenly court. Exodus 24The appearance of polished bronze in Ezekiel's vision can be connected to the descriptions of divine encounters in the Old Testament, where God's presence is often associated with brilliant, shining materials. Daniel 10The vision of a man with a body like polished bronze in Daniel's vision parallels the imagery in Ezekiel, highlighting the majesty and purity associated with divine beings. People Babylonians, Buzi, Ezekiel, JehoiachinPlaces ChebarTopics Brass, Bright, Bronze, Burnished, Calf, Calf's, Color, Colour, Foot, Gleamed, Hoof, Legs, Oxen, Polished, Shining, Sides, Sole, Soles, Sparkled, Sparkling, StraightDictionary of Bible Themes Ezekiel 1:7 5151 feet 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 1:5-10 1652 numbers, 3-5 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 1:7 NIVEzekiel 1:7 NLTEzekiel 1:7 ESVEzekiel 1:7 NASBEzekiel 1:7 KJV
Ezekiel 1:7 Commentaries
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