Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, May 17th, 2025
the Fourth Week after Easter
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Green's Literal Translation

Ezekiel 1:11

So their faces were . And their wings were spread upward, to each, the two wings were joined, and two wings of each covering their bodies.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Angel (a Spirit);   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Cherubim;   Visions;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Beasts;   Cherub;   Ezekiel;   Seraphim;   Vision;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Angels;   Cherubim;   Ezekiel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Angel;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Cherub;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Seraphim;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Angel;   Cherub, Cherubim;   Ezekiel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Isaiah, Book of;   Seraphim;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Living Creatures;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Cherub;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Body;   Cherubim (1);   Living Creature;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Cabala;   Cherub;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
That is what their faces were like. Their wings were spread upward; each had two wings touching that of another and two wings covering its body.
Hebrew Names Version
Their faces and their wings were separate above; two [wings] of everyone were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
King James Version
Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
English Standard Version
Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies.
New American Standard Bible
Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies.
New Century Version
That was what their faces looked like. Their wings were spread out above. Each had two wings that touched one of the other living creatures and two wings that covered its body.
Amplified Bible
Such were their faces. Their wings were stretched out upward; two [wings] of each one were touching another [the wings of the beings on either side of it], and [the remaining] two [wings of each being] were covering their bodies.
World English Bible
Their faces and their wings were separate above; two [wings] of everyone were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thus were their faces: but their wings were spred out aboue: two wings of euery one were ioined one to another, & two couered their bodies.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies.
Legacy Standard Bible
And such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies.
Berean Standard Bible
Such were their faces. Their wings were spread upward; each had two wings touching the wings of the creature on either side, and two wings covering its body.
Contemporary English Version
Two wings of each creature were spread out and touched the wings of the creatures on either side. The other two wings of each creature were folded against its body.
Complete Jewish Bible
thus their faces. As for their wings, each had two that stretched upward and joined those of others, and two more that covered their bodies.
Darby Translation
And their faces and their wings were parted above; two [wings] of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
Easy-to-Read Version
Their wings were spread out over them. With two of the wings each living being reached out to touch the one near it, and with the other two wings it covered its body.
George Lamsa Translation
And their faces and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of each creature were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
Good News Translation
Two wings of each creature were raised so that they touched the tips of the wings of the creatures next to it, and their other two wings were folded against their bodies.
Lexham English Bible
So were their faces; their wings were spread out upward; each had two touching one another and two covering their bodies.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Their faces also and their wynges were spred out aboue: so that two wynges off one touched euer two wynges off another, and with the other two they couered their bodie.
American Standard Version
And their faces and their wings were separate above; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
Bible in Basic English
And their wings were separate at the top; two of the wings of every one were joined one to another, and two were covering their bodies.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thus were their faces; and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
King James Version (1611)
Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched vpward, two wings of euery one were ioyned one to an other, and two couered their bodies.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thus were their faces, and their winges were spread out aboue, so that two wynges of euery one were ioyned one to another, and two wynges couered euery one of their bodyes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the four had their wings spread out above; each one had two joined to one another, and two covered their bodies.
English Revised Version
And their faces and their wings were separate above; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the faces of tho and the wengis of tho weren stretchid forth aboue. Twei wyngis of eche weren ioyned togidere, and tweyne hiliden the bodies of tho.
Update Bible Version
And their faces and their wings were separate above; two [wings] of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
Webster's Bible Translation
Thus [were] their faces: and their wings [were] stretched upward; two [wings] of every one [were] joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
New English Translation
Their wings were spread out above them; each had two wings touching the wings of one of the other beings on either side and two wings covering their bodies.
New King James Version
Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies.
New Living Translation
Each had two pairs of outstretched wings—one pair stretched out to touch the wings of the living beings on either side of it, and the other pair covered its body.
New Life Bible
Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above. Each had two wings touching the wings of another, and two covering their bodies.
New Revised Standard
such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and their wings were spread above, - two of each joined one another, and two covered their bodies;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And their faces, and their wings were stretched upward: two wings of every one were joined, and two covered their bodies:
Revised Standard Version
Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies.
Young's Literal Translation
And their faces and their wings are separate from above, to each [are] two joining together, and two are covering their bodies.

Contextual Overview

4 And I looked, and behold, a windstorm came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire flashing itself, and a brightness to it all around. And out of its midst, like the color of polished bronze it came, out of the midst of the fire. 5 Also from its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was how they looked: they had the likeness of a man, 6 and four faces were to each, and four wings to each of them, 7 and their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their feet like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled like the color of burnished bronze. 8 And the hands of a man extended from under their wings on their four sides. And their faces and their wings were to the four of them, 9 joining each one to the other by their wings. They did not turn in their going, each one went toward the front of their face. 10 And the likeness of their faces: the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side to the four of them; and the face of an ox on the left to the four of them, and the face of an eagle to the four of them. 11 So their faces were . And their wings were spread upward, to each, the two wings were joined, and two wings of each covering their bodies. 12 And each went toward the front of their faces. To where the spirit was to go, there they went; they did not turn in their going. 13 And the likeness of the living creatures: they appeared like coals of burning fire, like the appearance of torches; it was continually circling among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forthlightning.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

and their: Ezekiel 10:16, Ezekiel 10:19

stretched upward: or, divided above

and two: Ezekiel 1:23, Isaiah 6:2

Reciprocal: Nehemiah 7:7 - Zerubbabel Ezekiel 1:9 - joined Daniel 9:21 - to fly

Cross-References

Genesis 1:9
And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be collected to one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so.
Genesis 1:13
And there was evening, and there was morning the third day.
Genesis 1:14
And God said, Let luminaries be in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.
Genesis 1:16
And God made the two great luminaries: the great luminary to rule the day, and the small luminary and the stars to rule the night.
Genesis 1:17
And God set them in the expanse of the heavens, to give light on the earth,
Genesis 1:20
And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarmers having a soul of life; and let the birds fly over the earth, on the face of the expanse of the heavens.
Genesis 1:29
And God said, Behold, I have given you every plant seeding seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree seeding seed; it shall be food for you.
Genesis 2:5
And every shrub of the field was not yet on the earth, and every plant of the field had not yet sprung up; for Jehovah God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground.
Genesis 2:9
And out of the ground Jehovah God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The Tree of Life was also in the middle of the garden; also the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Genesis 2:16
And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Eating you may eat of every tree in the garden;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thus [were] their faces: and their wings [were] stretched upward,.... The former clause, "thus [were] their faces", either belongs to Ezekiel 1:10; and the meaning is, this, as now represented, was the likeness of their faces, and this the position of them: or it may be read in connection with the following clause, and be rendered, "and their faces and their wings were stretched upwards"; as they are in the Chaldee paraphrase, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions: "their faces were stretched upwards", showing that the ministers of the Gospel look up to Christ for fresh supplies of gifts and grace, of light, knowledge, wisdom, and strength, to enable them to perform their work: "and their wings were stretched upwards", that is, two of them; not four, as the Arabic version has it; for two covered their bodies, as is after said. Those that were stretched upwards answer to the two with which Isaiah's seraphim flew; for these were, as in the original text, "parted upwards" p; though they were joined together at the bottom of them, as in Ezekiel 1:9; yet being spread in flying, they opened wider and wider, and were at a greater distance from each other in their extreme points. This may design the agility, swiftness, and readiness of ministers in the performance of their work;

two [wings] of everyone [were] joined one to another: with which they, covered their heads and faces, as did Isaiah's seraphim, as conscious of their unworthiness and infirmities; looking upon themselves to be less than the least of all saints, unfit to be ministers of the Gospel; acknowledging they have nothing but what they have received and therefore would not glory as though they had not received, and as ashamed of their poor performances and ministrations;

and two covered their bodies; their lower and secret parts called their feet in Isaiah; which however to others beautiful upon the mountains, running and bringing the good news of peace, righteousness, and salvation by Christ; yet sensible of their deficiencies, they cover them, and confess, when they have done all they can, they are but unprofitable servants; from hence it appears that these living creatures had six wings, as the seraphim in Isaiah, and the four beasts in John's vision.

p פרודות "disjunctae", Montanus; "divisae", Calvin, Starckius. So Ben Melech.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thus ... - Rather, And their faces and their wings were separated above. All four formed a whole, yet the upper parts of each, the heads and the wings (though touching), rose distinct from one another. Two wings of each, as in the case of Isaiah’s Seraphim, were folded down over the body: and two were in their flight Ezekiel 1:9 “stretched upward” parted) so as to meet, each a wing of the neighboring living creature, just as the wings of the cherubim touched one another over the mercy-seat of the ark.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile