The workmanship of the wheels looked like the gleam of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. Their workmanship looked like a wheel within a wheel. The appearance of the wheels and their workmanshipThis phrase introduces the vision of the wheels, a central element in Ezekiel's vision of the divine chariot. The Hebrew word for "appearance" is "מַרְאֶה" (mar'eh), which can also mean vision or sight, emphasizing the supernatural and awe-inspiring nature of what Ezekiel is witnessing. The "workmanship" suggests a divine craftsmanship, indicating that these wheels are not ordinary but are constructed with divine precision and purpose. This reflects the meticulous and intentional nature of God's creation and His plans. was like the gleam of beryl
The word "beryl" in Hebrew is "תַּרְשִׁישׁ" (tarshish), a precious stone that is often associated with beauty and value. Beryl is known for its clarity and brilliance, symbolizing purity and the divine light. The "gleam" suggests a radiant, shining quality, indicating the glory and majesty of God. This imagery conveys the idea that God's presence is both beautiful and awe-inspiring, drawing attention to His holiness and the splendor of His divine nature. All four had the same form
This phrase emphasizes the uniformity and harmony in the design of the wheels. The number four often symbolizes universality and completeness in biblical literature, suggesting that God's presence and authority extend to all corners of the earth. The "same form" indicates a perfect symmetry and order, reflecting the consistency and reliability of God's character and His creation. and their appearance and workmanship
The repetition of "appearance and workmanship" underscores the importance of these qualities in the vision. It highlights the divine artistry and intentionality behind the creation of the wheels, reminding us of God's sovereignty and the intricate design of His plans. This repetition serves to reinforce the idea that everything God creates is purposeful and reflects His glory. was like a wheel within a wheel
This enigmatic phrase has intrigued scholars and theologians for centuries. The imagery of a "wheel within a wheel" suggests complexity and interconnectivity, symbolizing the multifaceted nature of God's providence and the interconnectedness of His creation. It may also represent the omnipresence and omnipotence of God, as the wheels can move in any direction without turning, indicating that God's spirit is not confined by physical limitations and is present everywhere. 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. BabylonThe place of exile for the Israelites, where Ezekiel received his visions. 3. The Vision of the WheelsPart of Ezekiel's inaugural vision, which includes the appearance of four living creatures and wheels, symbolizing God's divine presence and mobility. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty and OmnipresenceThe wheels within wheels symbolize God's ability to move and act anywhere, emphasizing His control over all creation. The Majesty of God's CreationThe gleam of beryl and the intricate design of the wheels reflect the beauty and complexity of God's creation, inviting us to worship Him for His craftsmanship. Divine Order and PurposeThe uniformity and precision of the wheels suggest that God's plans are orderly and purposeful, encouraging believers to trust in His divine plan. Spiritual PerceptionEzekiel's vision challenges us to seek spiritual insight and understanding, recognizing that God's ways are higher than our ways. Faith in ExileJust as Ezekiel received this vision during a time of exile, believers are reminded that God is present and active even in difficult circumstances. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the imagery of the wheels within wheels enhance your understanding of God's omnipresence and sovereignty? 2. In what ways can the beauty and complexity of God's creation, as seen in Ezekiel's vision, inspire your worship and appreciation for God today? 3. How can the order and purpose seen in the vision of the wheels encourage you to trust in God's plan for your life? 4. What steps can you take to develop greater spiritual perception and understanding, as exemplified by Ezekiel's vision? 5. How can Ezekiel's experience of receiving a vision during exile encourage you to remain faithful and hopeful in challenging times? Connections to Other Scriptures Revelation 4The vision of the throne room of God, which includes similar imagery of living creatures and wheels, emphasizing God's sovereignty and majesty. Daniel 7The vision of the Ancient of Days, which also uses symbolic imagery to convey God's authority and eternal nature. Isaiah 6Isaiah's vision of the Lord, highlighting the holiness and glory of God, similar to Ezekiel's vision. People Babylonians, Buzi, Ezekiel, JehoiachinPlaces ChebarTopics Alike, Appearance, Appearances, Appeared, Beryl, Chrysolite, Color, Colour, Construction, Design, Form, Gleaming, Inside, Intersecting, Likeness, Middle, Midst, Sparkled, Sparkling, Structure, Wheel, Wheels, Within, Workmanship, WorksDictionary of Bible Themes Ezekiel 1:16 4342 jewels Ezekiel 1:1-28 8474 seeing God Ezekiel 1:3-28 7775 prophets, lives Ezekiel 1:4-18 1454 theophany Ezekiel 1:4-28 1090 God, majesty of
1469 visions Ezekiel 1:5-25 4627 creatures Ezekiel 1:15-21 5252 chariots 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 1:16 NIVEzekiel 1:16 NLTEzekiel 1:16 ESVEzekiel 1:16 NASBEzekiel 1:16 KJV
Ezekiel 1:16 Commentaries
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