Commentary - Ezekiel 1:1-21

Bird's-eye view

Ezekiel begins his prophetic ministry not in the hallowed courts of the Jerusalem temple, but in the dust and humiliation of exile in Babylon. It is here, by an irrigation canal, that God rips the heavens open and gives the prophet a vision of His raw, untamable glory. This is not a static vision of a distant deity, but the appearance of the celestial throne-chariot of God, a terrifying and majestic apparatus of living creatures, gyroscopic wheels, fire, and lightning. The central message is one of profound comfort and terror. Though the earthly temple is about to be destroyed and the people are in exile, God is not confined to a building in Jerusalem. His throne is mobile. He is the sovereign King of the universe who has come to visit His people in their affliction, not to abandon them. This vision establishes Ezekiel's authority and sets the stage for the entire book: the God who is speaking is the God who is in absolute, meticulous, and mobile control of all things.

The vision is a collage of Old Testament symbolism, drawing from the cherubim guarding Eden, the tabernacle imagery, and the theophanies at Sinai. The four living creatures represent the fullness of creation, marshaled in perfect obedience to their Creator. The wheels within wheels, full of eyes, symbolize God's omniscient providence, capable of moving in any direction instantaneously to execute His will. The entire scene is animated by one Spirit, a picture of the perfect harmony of heaven. For the despairing exiles, this was a necessary reminder that the God of Israel was not a defeated local deity, but the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, whose purposes could not be thwarted by Nebuchadnezzar or anyone else.

Outline

Context In Ezekiel

Ezekiel 1 is the overture to the entire symphony of the book. Everything that follows, from the intricate prophecies of judgment against Judah and the nations to the glorious promises of restoration and the vision of the new temple, is predicated on the identity of the God who reveals Himself here. The book is written to a people whose world has been shattered. They have been deported from the promised land, and the Davidic monarchy has been broken. The central institution of their faith, the Jerusalem temple, is about to be leveled. Their central question would have been, "Where is God?" This vision answers that question definitively. He is here, in Babylon, and He is enthroned not on a piece of furniture, but on the very fabric of creation. This vision of God's transcendent, mobile glory provides the necessary foundation for understanding both the severity of the coming judgment (for it is this holy God against whom they have sinned) and the certainty of the future restoration (for it is this all-powerful God who has promised it).

Key Issues

The God Who Travels

The ancient world was filled with stationary gods. Their power and influence were tied to a particular city, region, or temple. If your city was conquered, your god was defeated. The exiles in Babylon would have been surrounded by this kind of thinking. Their deportation was not just a political and military catastrophe; it was a profound theological crisis. Had Yahweh, the God of Israel, been overpowered by Marduk, the god of Babylon? Had He been unable to protect His own temple and His own people?

Into this crisis of faith, God gives Ezekiel a vision that shatters the pagan conception of deity. This is not a god chained to a box on a hill in Jerusalem. This is the God whose throne is a celestial chariot, a living, moving, all-seeing command center for the entire cosmos. He has not been defeated; He has willingly come to the place of exile to meet with His people and to execute His judgments. The vision is a declaration of divine freedom. God is where He pleases to be, and He is in complete and utter control of the historical process that feels so chaotic to the exiles. This is the foundation of true comfort. Our security is not in a place or an institution, but in the person of the sovereign God who rules over all.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1-3 Now it happened in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. (On the fifth of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, the word of Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of Yahweh came upon him.)

The prophecy is meticulously dated and located. This is not a myth or a fairy tale; it is an event grounded in human history. The "thirtieth year" most likely refers to Ezekiel's own age. At thirty, a priest would begin his official service in the temple. The tragic irony is that Ezekiel, a priest, is hundreds of miles from the temple and cannot begin his service. But right on schedule, God intervenes. If Ezekiel cannot go to God's house, God's house will come to him. His true ordination is not by men in Jerusalem, but by the living God in Babylon. He is among the exiles, by an irrigation canal, a place of labor and humiliation. And it is precisely there that the heavens were opened. God meets us in our lowest places. The word comes "expressly" or with certainty, and the "hand of Yahweh" comes upon him, signifying an irresistible divine power and anointing for his task.

4 Then I looked, and behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light all around it, and in its midst something like the gleam of glowing metal in the midst of the fire.

The vision begins with the approach of a great storm from the north. In the ancient Near East, the north was often the direction from which invading armies and disaster came. But God is not in the storm as a victim of it; He is riding the storm. He is sovereign over the very forces that appear chaotic and threatening. This is a theophany, a visible manifestation of God, and the elements are classic biblical symbols of His presence: a great cloud (like at Sinai), flashing fire (God is a consuming fire), and a brilliant light or glory. At the center of this terrifying display is something like "glowing metal," an attempt to describe the indescribable core of the divine presence. The vision is meant to inspire awe and holy fear.

5-6 And within it there were figures with the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. And each of them had four faces and four wings.

Out of the heart of the fire emerge four living creatures. These are the cherubim, the high-ranking angelic beings who guard the holiness of God (Gen 3:24) and whose images adorned the tabernacle and temple (Ex 25:18-20). Though they are otherworldly, their basic form is the "likeness of a man," indicating that redeemed humanity is the pinnacle of God's creation, and these creatures are structured to reflect that. They are God's attendants, His royal bodyguards, and the bearers of His throne.

7-9 And their legs were straight, and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they sparkled like the gleam of burnished bronze. And under their wings on their four sides were hands of a man. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn as they went; each went straight forward.

Every detail is symbolic. Their straight legs and calf-like hooves suggest stability and strength. The burnished bronze speaks of judgment and purity, as bronze was used for the great altar. The hands of a man under their wings show that their service to God is not mindless or brutish, but skillful and intelligent. Their movement is the key: they move in perfect unity ("wings touched one another") and with undeviating purpose ("did not turn as they went"). They execute the will of God without hesitation, deviation, or discussion. This is a picture of perfect obedience.

10-12 And as for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. And such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies. And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went.

The four faces have been understood for centuries to represent the fullness of creation. The face of a man represents intelligence and rule. The lion represents the wild animals, kingship, and majesty. The bull or ox represents domestic animals, strength, and service. The eagle represents the birds of the air, speed, and transcendence. Together, they symbolize that all of creation, in its highest forms, is yoked in service to the Creator. They face all four directions of the compass, signifying God's universal dominion. Their movement is dictated solely by "the spirit," the divine will that animates them. The two wings covering their bodies speak of humility in the presence of overwhelming holiness, reminiscent of the seraphim in Isaiah 6.

13-14 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire. And the living creatures ran to and fro with the appearance of lightning.

The description emphasizes their fiery nature. They are infused with the fiery holiness of God Himself. They are not just near the fire; they are like the fire. The movement of torches and lightning describes their incredible speed and the awesome, dangerous energy that surrounds them. This is not a tame, manageable deity. This is the living God, whose attendants move with the speed of light to carry out His commands.

15-18 Then I looked at the living creatures, and behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, for each of the four of them. The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like the gleam of beryl, and all four of them had the same likeness, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another. Whenever they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. And as for their rims, they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes all around.

Now the vision expands to the wheels, the undercarriage of this celestial chariot. These are not ordinary wheels. Their construction is gyroscopic, a wheel within another wheel, set at right angles. This structure allows for instantaneous movement in any of the four cardinal directions without the need to pivot or turn. This symbolizes the swiftness and unpredictability of God's providence. He can change the course of history in a moment. The rims of the wheels are described as "lofty and awesome," inspiring dread. And most strikingly, they are "full of eyes." This is a magnificent symbol of God's omniscience. His providence is not blind. As He moves through history, He sees and knows all things. Nothing escapes His notice.

19-21 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. And when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction, where the spirit was about to go. And the wheels rose alongside of them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still... for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

This section emphasizes the perfect, unbreakable unity of the entire apparatus. The creatures and the wheels move as one. There is no lag, no friction, no miscommunication. The reason for this perfect harmony is stated twice for emphasis: the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. One singular will, one animating Spirit, governs every component. This is a picture of the Trinity in action, the perfect operational harmony of the Godhead. It is also a model for the Church. All of God's purposes, carried out by His servants, are animated by His one Spirit, moving in perfect concert to achieve His will.

Application

The vision of Ezekiel 1 is not given to us so that we can build models of it or debate the precise nature of angelic biology. It is given to us to reshape our understanding of God and, consequently, how we live in the world. We, like the exiles, often find ourselves in places of confusion, displacement, and apparent defeat. Our institutions crumble, our plans fail, and the enemy seems to be winning. This vision tells us to lift our eyes from the dirt of the Chebar canal and see reality as it truly is.

The reality is that God is on His throne. That throne is not a distant, static fixture, but a dynamic, mobile, all-powerful, all-seeing command center for the universe. The chaos we see is the controlled movement of His chariot wheels. The disasters are the storm in which He rides. Every aspect of creation, from the mightiest lion to the swiftest eagle, is subservient to His will. His purposes are executed with the speed of lightning and with perfect, undeviating accuracy. This vision is meant to humble us into the dust and simultaneously lift us up with unshakable confidence. Our God is in absolute control. Therefore, we do not need to be afraid. Our task is not to understand every turn of the wheels, but to trust the Spirit that guides them and the glorious One who sits on the throne above them.