As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.
Parallel translations
- WEB As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and the four of them had their rims full of eyes all around.
- BSB Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.
- NKJV As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.
- NASB As for their rims, they were high and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were covered with eyes all around.
- NLT The rims of the four wheels were tall and frightening, and they were covered with eyes all around.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The wheels' rims are tall, awesome, and full of eyes all around. The eyes signify God's all-seeing knowledge.
Overview
Eyes covering the rims symbolize comprehensive vision and awareness, fitting the throne of the omniscient God. Nothing escapes His sight, in Jerusalem or in exile. The 'dreadful' height conveys the awesome majesty of the whole apparatus. This assures the faithful that God sees all injustice and every hidden faithfulness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ezek 10:12And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.
- Rev 4:6And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
- Rev 4:8And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
- Isa 55:9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
- Job 37:22–24Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty.
- Zech 4:10For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
- Ps 77:16–19The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.
- Prov 15:3The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
- Ps 97:2–5Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 1:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.