Ezekiel 1:16

Ezekiel 1:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel.
• English Standard Version (ESV)As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

Context of Ezekiel 1:16

14The creatures were darting back and forth as quickly as flashes of lightning. 15When I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 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. 17As they moved, they went in any of the four directions, without pivoting as they moved. 18Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

Ezekiel 1:16 word by word

מַרְאֵ֨ה הָאוֹפַנִּ֤ים וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם֙ כְּעֵ֣ין תַּרְשִׁ֔ישׁ וּדְמ֥וּת אֶחָ֖ד לְאַרְבַּעְתָּ֑ן וּמַרְאֵיהֶם֙ וּמַ֣עֲשֵׂיהֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר יִהְיֶ֥ה הָאוֹפַ֖ן בְּת֥וֹךְ הָאוֹפָֽן׃Read the interlinear

• The workmanshipמַעֲשֶׂהma‛ăώeh · deed: workH4639
• of the wheelsאוֹפָן'ôphân 'ôphân · wheelH212
• looked likeמַרְאֶהmar'eh · appearanceH4758
• the gleamעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: appearanceH5869
• of berylתַּרְשִׁישׁtarshîysh · jasperH8658
• and all fourאַרְבַּע'arba‛ 'arbâ‛âh · fourH702
• had the sameאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• likenessדְּמוּתdemûth · likenessH1823
• likeכַּאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · as whichH834
• likeהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
• withinתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432

Cross-references for Ezekiel 1:16

• Ezekiel 10:9Then I looked and saw four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub. And the wheels gleamed like a beryl stone.
• Exodus 39:13and the fourth row had a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. These stones were mounted in gold filigree settings.
• Daniel 10:6His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.
• Ezekiel 10:10As for their appearance, all four had the same form, like a wheel within a wheel.
• Job 9:10He does great things beyond searching out, and wonders without number.
• Psalms 36:6Your righteousness is like the highest mountains; Your judgments are like the deepest sea. O LORD, You preserve man and beast.
• Psalms 40:5Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us— none can compare to You— if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I can count.
• Romans 11:33O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
• Ephesians 3:10His purpose was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

Commentaries on Ezekiel 1:16

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-25Verses 15-25 Providence, represented by the wheels, produces changes. Sometimes one spoke of the wheel is uppermost, sometimes another; but the motion of the wheel on its own axletree is regular and steady. We need not despond in adversity; the wheels are turning round and will raise us in due time, while those who presume in prosperity know not how soon they may be cast down. The wheel is near the living creatures; the angels are employed as ministers of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-17Building a real chariot with each wheel having another wheel turning sideways inside it is impossible. This image shows a chariot that can move easily in any direction, symbolizing God's freedom to act in judgment.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. appearance ... work--their form and the material of their work. beryl--rather, "the glancing appearance of the Tarshish stone"; the chrysolite or topaz, brought from Tarshish or Tartessus in Spain. It was one of the gems in the breastplate of the high priest (Ex 28:20; So 5:14; Da 10:6). four had one likeness--The similarity of the wheels to one another implies that there is no inequality in all God's works, that all have a beautiful analogy and…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 1:16

• Angel (a Spirit)
• Beryl
• Wheel

In the dictionaries

• Living creatures
• Appearance
• Assyria
• Cherubim (1)
• Creature
• Living Creature
• Luke, the Evangelist
• Prophecy; Prophets
• Stones, Precious
• Tarshish

Commentaries on Ezekiel 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings