Ezekiel 1:10

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 1:4-14

The visions of God which Ezekiel here saw were very glorious, and had more particulars than those which other prophets saw. It is the scope and intention of these vision, 1. To possess the prophet's mind with very great, and high, and honourable thoughts of that God by whom he was commissioned and for whom he was employed. It is the likeness of the glory of the Lord that he sees (Ezek. 1:28), and hence he may infer that it is his honour to serve him, for he is one whom angels serve. He may... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 1:10

As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man ,.... For these living creatures are men, redeemed from among men by the blood of Christ; their business lies with men, to preach the Gospel to them: and they should be humane, kind, and tender in their behaviour towards them; wounded consciences of weak believers, distressed and disconsolate souls, requiring such usage; and they should be men in understanding, have a large knowledge of the Scriptures, of the truths of the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 1:10

As for the likeness of their faces - There was but one body to each of those compound animals: but each body had four faces; the face of a man and of a lion on the right side; the face of an ox and an eagle on the left side. Many of these compound images appear in the Asiatic idols. Many are now before me: some with the head and feet of a monkey, with the body, arms, and legs of a man. Others with the head of the dog; body, arms, and legs human. Some with the head of an ape; all the rest... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 1:10

Verse 10 He now comes down to the faces or countenances of the living creatures themselves. The face is properly used with reference to the whole body, but the Prophet only means the countenance. He says therefore that there was on the right as it were the face of a man and of a lion, and on the left, the face of an ox and of an eagle We explained yesterday why four heads and as many faces are ascribed to the angels of God, because so great was the dullness of the people, that they did not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 1:1-28

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 1:4-25

The glory of the Eternal. This marvellous vision, which has correspondences with others to be found in Scripture, must be interpreted in the light of the prophet's peculiar genius and imagination, and in the light of the canons and customs of ancient and Oriental art. To find significance in every detail would be to indulge an idle curiosity; to dismiss the figures as the product of an imagination dissociated from truth would be irrational and irreverent. It is plain that Ezekiel was... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 1:4-28

The providential government of God. This is acknowledged even by some of the ablest expositors to be a most difficult portion of sacred Scripture. Isaac Casaubon says that "in the whole of the Old Testament there is nothing more obscure than the beginning and the end of the Book of Ezekiel." And Calvin "acknowledges that he does not understand this vision." Yet we would humbly and reverently endeavour to set forth what appear to us to be the principal teachings of this marvellous vision.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 1:5-14

Unseen forms of intelligent ministry. Man is only a part, though an integral part, of the active universe of God. Even inert matter is pervaded by dynamic throes, such as attraction, heat, and electricity; and every part of God's creation is executing, either intelligently or ignorantly, his supreme will. To a heathen monarch he made a startling revelation, "1 girded thee, though thou hast not known me." These cherubic forms (seen first at the gate of Eden, and again in symbol over the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 1:10

As for the likeness, etc. The Revised Version rightly strikes out the comma after "lion." The human face meets the prophet's gaze. On the right he sees the lion, on the left the ox, while the face of the eagle is behind. What did the symbols mean? read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Ezekiel 1:10

Each living creature had four faces, in front the face of a man, that of a lion on the right side, that of an ox on the left side, and that of an eagle behind, and the “chariot” would present to the beholder two faces of a man, of a lion, of an eagle, and of an ox, according to the quarter from which he looked upon it. read more

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