Ezekiel 1:18

New Living Translation

The rims of the four wheels were tall and frightening, and they were covered with eyes all around.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
The rims of the wheels were tall and frightening. There were eyes all over the rims of all four wheels.

New American Standard Bible
As for their rims, they were high and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were covered with eyes all around.

New Century Version
The rims of the wheels were high and frightening and were full of eyes all around.

New English Translation
Their rims were high and awesome, and the rims of all four wheels were full of eyes all around.

Update Bible Version
As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and the four of them had their rims full of eyes round about.

Webster's Bible Translation
As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings [were] full of eyes around them four.

Amplified Bible
Regarding their rims: they were so high that they were awesome and dreadful, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes all around.

English Standard Version
And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.

World English Bible
As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Also stature, and hiynesse, and orible biholdyng was to the wheelis; and al the bodi was ful of iyen in the cumpas of tho foure.

English Revised Version
As for their rings, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rings full of eyes round about.

Berean Standard Bible
Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

Contemporary English Version
The rims of the wheels were large and had eyes all the way around them.

American Standard Version
As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.

Bible in Basic English
And I saw that they had edges, and their edges, even of the four, were full of eyes round about.

Complete Jewish Bible
Their rims were tall and fearsome, because the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.

Darby Translation
As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
As for their rings, they were high and they were dreadful; and they four had their rings full of eyes round about.

King James Version (1611)
As for their rings, they were so high, that they were dreadful, and their rings were full of eyes round about them foure.

New Life Bible
The wheels were so high that they caused fear. And all four of them were full of eyes all around.

New Revised Standard
Their rims were tall and awesome, for the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.

Geneva Bible (1587)
They had also rings, and height, and were fearefull to beholde, and their rings were full of eyes, round about them foure.

George Lamsa Translation
As for their rims, they were high and they could see; for the rims were full of eyes round about them four.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
As for their rings, they were so high that they were terrible, -and their rings full of eyes round about, had they four.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The wheels had also a size, and a height, and a dreadful appearance: and the whole body was full of eyes round about all the four.

Revised Standard Version
The four wheels had rims and they had spokes; and their rims were full of eyes round about.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
They had ringes, and heyght, and were feareful to beholde: & their ringes were full of eyes rounde about them foure.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
neither did their backs turn: and they were high: and I beheld them, and the backs of them four were full of eyes round about.

Good News Translation
The rims of the wheels were covered with eyes.

Christian Standard Bible®
Their rims were tall and awe-inspiring. Each of their four rims were full of eyes all around.

Hebrew Names Version
As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.

King James Version
As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

Lexham English Bible
And their rims were high and awesome, and all four of their rims were full of eyes all around.

Literal Translation
And also their rims were high to them, even awesome to them. And their rims were full of eyes all around the four of them.

Young's Literal Translation
As to their rings, they are both high and fearful, and their rings [are] full of eyes round about them four.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They were large, greate and horrible to loke vpon. Their bodies were full off eyes rounde aboute them all foure. Whe the beestes wete, the wheles wente also with them:

New King James Version
As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about.

Legacy Standard Bible
And as for their rims, they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes all around.

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ As I looked at these beings, I saw four wheels touching the ground beside them, one wheel belonging to each. ¹⁶ The wheels sparkled as if made of beryl. All four wheels looked alike and were made the same; each wheel had a second wheel turning crosswise within it. ¹⁷ The beings could move in any of the four directions they faced, without turning as they moved. ¹⁸ The rims of the four wheels were tall and frightening, and they were covered with eyes all around. ¹⁹ When the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. When they flew upward, the wheels went up, too. ²⁰ The spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. So wherever the spirit went, the wheels and the living beings also went. ²¹ When the beings moved, the wheels moved. When the beings stopped, the wheels stopped. When the beings flew upward, the wheels rose up, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. ²² Spread out above them was a surface like the sky, glittering like crystal. ²³ Beneath this surface the wings of each living being stretched out to touch the others' wings, and each had two wings covering its body. ²⁴ As they flew, their wings sounded to me like waves crashing against the shore or like the voice of the Almighty or like the shouting of a mighty army. When they stopped, they let down their wings.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they were so: Job 37:22-24, Psalms 77:16-19, Psalms 97:2-5, Isaiah 55:9

rings: or, stakes

full: Ezekiel 10:12, Proverbs 15:3, Zechariah 4:10, Revelation 4:6, Revelation 4:8

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 7:33 - General Psalms 66:5 - terrible

Cross-References

Psalms 19:6
The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.

Jeremiah 31:35
It is the Lord who provides the sun to light the day and the moon and stars to light the night, and who stirs the sea into roaring waves. His name is the Lord of Heaven's Armies, and this is what he says:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

As for their rings, they were so high, that they were dreadful,.... The circles and circumferences of them were "high": which may denote the visibility and extensiveness of the churches of Christ, especially in the latter day; when they shall be exalted above the mountains and hills, the kingdoms and states of this world; and there shall be such numerous additions to them, that the place will be too strait for the members of them to dwell in, Isaiah 2:2; and "they were dreadful"; terrible, as the churches of Christ will be to their enemies to look at, when they shall be in their exalted state,

Revelation 11:12; or the words may be rendered, "and they had fear" s; there was fear and reverence in them; the fear of God, and a reverential affection for him; they were waiting on him, and attending his worship with great reverence and godly fear:

and their rings [were] full of eyes round about them four; everyone of the four wheels, and each of their four semicircles, were full of eyes; expressive of the knowledge of the Gospel, and the truths of it, in church members; their continual looking to Christ for fresh supplies of grace and strength; and their constant watchfulness over each other.

s ויראה להם "et timor illis erat", Cocceius; "et timor ipis", Starckius; "and they were reverent", so Dr. Lightfoot, Prospect of the Temple, &c. c. 38. p. 2055.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Rings - The felloes (circumference) of the wheels: they were both high and terrible. The “eyes” may have been no more than dazzling spots adding to their brilliancy. But it seems more likely that they had a symbolic meaning expressing either the universal fulfillment of God’s will through His creation (2 Chronicles 16:9; compare Ezekiel 10:12), or the constant and unceasing praise which His works are ever rendering to Him Revelation 4:8. The power of nature is no blind force. it is employed in the service of God’s Providence, and the stamp of reason is impressed all over it. It is this very thing that makes the power of nature terrible to him who is at enmity with God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 1:18. As for their rings — The strakes which form the rim or periphery.

They were dreadful — They were exceedingly great in their diameter, so that it was tremendous to look from the part that touched the ground to that which was opposite above.

Were full of eyes — Does not this refer to the appearance of nails keeping on the spokes, or strakes or bands upon the rim?