What does Ezechiel Chapter 1 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Dated circumstances precede the four-creature vision. Wheels and creatures move together beneath a firmament. A sapphire-like throne and rainbow brightness conclude the span.

Chapter breakdown

Ezechiel 1 dates the vision to the thirtieth year, fourth month, fifth day, beside Chobar among captives, and the fifth year of Joachin's captivity. The word reaches Ezechiel son of Buzi, a priest, with the Lord's hand upon him. The edition leaves the thirtieth year open to his age or a count from Josias's eighteenth-year covenant. A northern whirlwind, cloud, surrounding fire and amber-like brightness reveal four living creatures of human likeness, each with four faces and wings, straight feet with calf-like soles glowing like brass, and hands beneath wings on four sides. Their wings join; two cover bodies and they move straight without turning. Faces include man, lion on the right, ox on the left and eagle above.

Coal-and-lamp fire, lightning and flashing movement accompany the creatures. Four similarly appearing wheels resemble the sea, with a wheel within a wheel, movement in four directions without turning, dreadful height and eyes around their bodies. The edition explains forward, backward, right and left movement. Wheels move, rise and stand with the creatures because life's spirit is in the wheels. The edition separately calls the creatures cherubims supporting the throne and emphasizes the vision's obscurity, citing St Jerome on the ancient Hebrew restriction of reading it to age thirty. Evangelist symbols are not supplied by these admitted notes.

A terrible crystal-like firmament above the heads covers outstretched wings. Wing-noise resembles many waters, God's voice, a multitude and an army; standing creatures lower wings, and a voice comes above. Above the firmament appears a sapphire-like throne with human likeness, amber-like brightness and fire from the loins upward and downward. Rainbow-like brightness in a rainy cloud concludes this chapter. Prostration and identification of the likeness of the Lord's glory belong to chapter 2. Turquoise wheels, a sapphire pavement and private feelings about divine defeat are not added.

The story inside

Opening: Dated circumstances precede the four-creature vision. Development: Wheels and creatures move together beneath a firmament. Conclusion: A sapphire-like throne and rainbow brightness conclude the span.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Dated circumstances precede the four-creature vision.
2
Wheels and creatures move together beneath a firmament.
3
A sapphire-like throne and rainbow brightness conclude the span.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 91280–91297
1:3. The word of the Lord came to Ezechiel the priest the son of Buzi in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chobar: and the hand of the Lord was there upon him. 1:4. And I saw, and behold a whirlwind came out of the north: and a great cloud, and a fire infolding it, and brightness was about it: and out of the midst thereof, that is, out of the midst of the fire, as it were the resemblance of amber: 1:5. And in the midst thereof the likeness of four living creatures: and this was their appearance: there was the likeness of a man in them. Living creatures.... Cherubims (as appears from Ecclesiasticus 49.10) represented to the prophet under these mysterious shapes, as supporting the throne of God, and as it were drawing his chariot. All this chapter appeared so obscure, and so full of mysteries to the ancient Hebrews, that, as we learn from St. Jerome, (Ep. ad Paulin.,) they suffered none to read it before they were thirty years old.
Lines 91332–91345
1:15. Now as I beheld the living creatures, there appeared upon the earth by the living creatures one wheel with four faces. 1:16. And the appearance of the wheels, and the work of them was like the appearance of the sea: and the four had all one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the midst of a wheel. 1:17. When they went, they went by their four parts: and they turned not when they went. When they went, they went by their four parts.... That is, indifferently to any of their sides either forward or backward: to the right or to the left.
Lines 91379–91390
1:26. And above the firmament that was over their heads, was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of the sapphire stone, and upon the likeness of the throne, was the likeness of the appearance of a man above upon it. 1:27. And I saw as it were the resemblance of amber as the appearance of fire within it round about: from his loins and upward, and from his loins downward, I saw as it were the resemblance of fire shining round about. 1:28. As the appearance of the rainbow when it is in a cloud on a rainy day: this was the appearance of the brightness round about.