Ezekiel 1:5

Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
midst	וּמִ֨תּוֹכָ֔הּ u.Mi.to.Khah	H8432	a bisection · conjunction + preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
likeness	דְּמ֖וּת de.Mut	H1823	resemblance · noun, common feminine singular construct
four	אַרְבַּ֣ע 'ar.Ba'	H702	four · cardinal number, both genders singular absolute
creatures	חַיּ֑וֹת chai.Yot	H2416	alive · noun, common feminine plural absolute
appearance	מַרְאֵֽיהֶ֔ן mar.'ei.Hen	H4758	a view (the act of seeing) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine plural
they	הֵנָּה hênnâh	H2007	themselves (often used emphatic for the copula
likeness	דְּמ֥וּת de.Mut	H1823	resemblance · noun, common feminine singular construct
man	אָדָ֖ם 'a.Dam	H120	ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species · noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Revelation 4:6-8 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beas…
Ezekiel 1:26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness…
Revelation 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see t…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 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 (Eze 1:28), and hence he may infer that it is his honour to serve him, for he is one whom angels serve. He may serve him with safety, for he has power sufficient to bear him out in his work. It is at his peril to draw back from his service, for he has power to pursue him, as he did Jonah. So great a God as this must…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 1:5

Ezekiel was himself of a "gigantic nature, and thereby suited to counteract the Babylonish spirit of the times, which loved to manifest itself in gigantic, grotesque forms" [HENGSTENBERG]. living creatures--So the Greek ought to have been translated in the parallel passage, Rev 4:6, not as English Version, "beasts"; for one of the "four" is a man, and man cannot be termed "beast." Eze 10:20 shows that it is the cherubim that are meant. likeness of a man--Man, the noblest of the four, is the ideal model after which they are fashioned (Eze 1:10; Eze 10:14). The point of comparison between him and them is the erect posture of their bodies, though doubtless including also the general mien. A…

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Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 1:5

Also out on the midst thereof came - four living creatures - As the amber-coloured body was the center of the fire, and this fire was in the center of the cloud; so out of this amber-coloured igneous center came the living creatures just mentioned.

John Gill on Ezekiel 1:5

Also out of the midst thereof,.... The fire; or out of the whole that was seen; the whirlwind, cloud, fire, and the brightness about it: came the likeness of four living creatures; not really four living creatures; they appeared like to such they were in the form of such; by which we are to understand, not the four monarchies; nor the four Gospels; nor the angels; but ministers of the Gospel; the true key for the opening of this vision is that which John saw, Revelation 4:6; the four beasts there, or living creatures, as it should be rendered, are the same with these here, and these the same with them; and who manifestly appear to be not only worshippers of the true God, but to be men redee…

The Church Fathers

The cherubim are interpreted as the fullness of knowledge. Whoever is full of skill becomes a cherub that God drives.
— Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON EZEKIEL 1:15

After this description of the prophet, we still cannot comprehend as we read. But if we cannot comprehend the throne that he has described, how will we be able to comprehend him who sits on it, the invisible and ineffable God? It is impossible to examine closely the nature of God, but for his works, which we see, we can offer him praise and glory.
— Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 9:3

"And in the midst of it the likeness of four living creatures." What is said to be in the midst of it, whether of electrum or of fire, nothing prevents us from understanding, because these four living creatures, namely the holy evangelists, were both strengthened in the virtue of faith from the incarnation of the same Lord, and afflicted with many tribulations in the fire of persecution.
— Gregory the Dialogist, Homilies on Ezekiel, Book 1, Homily 2

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Number — Like most Oriental nations, it is probable that the Hebrews in their written calculations made use of the letters of the alphabet. That they did so in post-Babylonian times we have conclusive…
Cherubim · Form and appearance of — Form and appearance of
Visions · Mentioned in scripture: To Ezekiel (See chapters 10, 40-48 of Ezekiel) — Mentioned in scripture: To Ezekiel (See chapters 10, 40-48 of Ezekiel)

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Ezekiel 1:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 1:4-14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 1:5

Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 1:5

John Gill on Ezekiel 1:5

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ezekiel 1:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezekiel 1:4-14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 1:5

Adam Clarke on Ezekiel 1:5

John Gill on Ezekiel 1:5

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Ezekiel 1:5

Keil & Delitzsch on Ezekiel 1:4-21

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ezekiel 1:5-9

Rashi on Ezekiel 1:5