Ezekiel 1:14

1:1-14 It is a mercy to have the word of God brought to us, and a duty to attend to it diligently, when we are in affliction. The voice of God came in the fulness of light and power, by the Holy Spirit. These visions seem to have been sent to possess the prophet's mind with great and high thoughts of God. To strike terror upon sinners. To speak comfort to those that feared God, and humbled themselves. In ver. 4-14, is the first part of the vision, which represents God as attended and served by a vast company of angels, who are all his messengers, his ministers, doing his commandments. This vision would impress the mind with solemn awe and fear of the Divine displeasure, yet raise expectations of blessings. The fire is surrounded with a glory. Though we cannot by searching find out God to perfection, yet we see the brightness round about it. The likeness of the living creatures came out of the midst of the fire; angels derive their being and power from God. They have the understanding of a man, and far more. A lion excels in strength and boldness. An ox excels in diligence and patience, and unwearied discharge of the work he has to do. An eagle excels in quickness and piercing sight, and in soaring high; and the angels, who excel man in all these respects, put on these appearances. The angels have wings; and whatever business God sends them upon, they lose no time. They stood straight, and firm, and steady. They had not only wings for motion, but hands for action.

Many persons are quick, who are not active; they hurry about, but do nothing to purpose; they have wings, but no hands. But wherever the angels' wings carried them, they carried hands with them, to be doing what duty required. Whatever service they went about, they went every one straight forward. When we go straight, we go forward; when we serve God with one heart, we perform work. They turned not when they went. They made no mistakes; and their work needed not to be gone over again. They turned not from their business to trifle with any thing. They went whithersoever the Spirit of God would have them go. The prophet saw these living creatures by their own light, for their appearance was like burning coals of fire; they are seraphim, or burners; denoting the ardour of their love to God, and fervent zeal in his service. We may learn profitable lessons from subjects we cannot fully enter into or understand. But let us attend to the things which relate to our peace and duty, and leave secret things to the Lord, to whom alone they belong.

And the living creatures ran,.... Did their work with great readiness and swiftness; so, especially in the latter day, ministers of the Gospel shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased, Daniel 12:4 ; and returned; for though before it is said, "they turned not when they went", they kept straight on till they had done their work; but when they have done it, then they return, and give an account of it to him that has sent them: and their running and returning are said to be, as the appearance of a flash of lightning; very sudden and swift.

(14) A flash of lightning. —Not only was the appearance of the cherubim thus glittering, but also their speed as they “ran and returned” was that of the lightning. The vision up to this point, so far as we may venture to interpret its object, seems designed to show forth the power and activity, the irresistible energy of the agencies employed for the fulfilment of the Divine purposes, and at the same time their perfectly harmonious action, controlled by one supreme will. We now enter upon a fresh phase of the vision, in which the same things are represented still further by an additional and peculiar symbolism.

14 . Jerome testifies that this verse was not found in LXX. The verse both in regard to terminology and construction is untranslateable. The word rendered “ran” has no existence, and that translated “flash of lightning” is equally unknown. Attempts have been made to amend the verse by substituting for “ran” a real word, “went out” (yaço for raço), and the ordinary word “lightning” for the unknown term so rendered (baraḳ for bazaḳ). But such a movement to and fro or backwards and forwards of the living creatures is not suggested by anything said of them hitherto or afterwards; they could not move without a movement of the whole chariot, and such a darting about like lightning offends against that which is becoming in the divine manifestation. The verse is probably a marginal amplification of Ezekiel 1:13 , due to the error which had already crept into that verse, making it apply to the living creatures instead of to the fire between them.

The living creatures; angels, ministers of the Divine pleasure, as above, Ezekiel 1:5 . Ran; were speedy in their motions; this signified by this expression figuratively applied to angels. Returned; yet, Ezekiel 1:9,12 , it is said they returned not, where this seeming contradiction is reconciled; the 9th and 12th verse deny their turning aside from their work, this 14th affirms they returned, i.e. when they had done their work. As the appearance of a flash of lightning; very quick, with vehemency, splendour, and irresistible efficacy.

The four cherubim. - Ezekiel 1:5 . And out of its midst there prominently appeared a figure, consisting of four creatures, and this was their appearance: they had the figure of a man. Ezekiel 1:6 . And each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. Ezekiel 1:7 . And their feet were upright-standing feet; and the soles of their feet like the soles of a calf, and sparkling like the appearance of shining brass. Ezekiel 1:8 . And the hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and all four had faces and wings. Ezekiel 1:9 . Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not as they went; they went each one in the direction of his face. Ezekiel 1:10 . And the form of their faces was that of a man; and on the right all four had a lion's face; and on the left all four had the face of an ox; and all four had an eagle's face. Ezekiel 1:11 . And their faces and their wings were divided above, two of each uniting with one another, and two covering their bodies. Ezekiel 1:12 . And they went each in the direction of his face; whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not as they went. Ezekiel 1:13 . And the likeness of the creatures resembled burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: it (the fire) went hither and thither amongst the beings; and the fire was brilliant, and from the fire came forth lightning. Ezekiel 1:14 . And the beings ran hither and thither in a zig-zag manner.

From out of the fiery centre of the cloud there shows itself the form (tw%md@;, properly "resemblance," "picture") of four חיּות, animantia, "living creatures;" ζῶα, Revelation 4:6; not θηρία, "wild beasts," as Luther has incorrectly rendered it, after the animalia of the Vulgate. These four creatures had דּמוּת אדם, "the figure of a man." Agreeably to this notice, placed at the head of the description, these creatures are to be conceived as presenting the appearance of a human body in all points not otherwise specified in the following narrative. Each of them had four faces and four wings (אחת without the article stands as a distributive, and כּנפים are "pinions," as in Isaiah 6:2, not "pairs of wings"). Their feet were רגל ישׁרה, "a straight foot;" the singular stands generically, stating only the nature of the feet, without reference to their number. We have accordingly to assume in each of the four creatures two legs, as in a man. ישׁר .nam a , "straight," i.e., standing upright, not bent, as when sitting or kneeling. רגל is the whole leg, including the knee and thigh, and כּף רגל, "sole of the foot," or the under part of the leg, with which we tread on the ground. This part, not the whole leg, resembled the calf's foot, which is firmly planted on the ground. The legs sparkled like the appearance of נחשׁה קלל.