And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
Parallel translations
- WEB They had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and the four of them had their faces and their wings thus:
- BSB Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four living creatures had faces and wings,
- NKJV The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings.
- NASB Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,
- NLT Under each of their four wings I could see human hands. So each of the four beings had four faces and four wings.
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
Human hands are seen under their wings on all four sides. This shows the creatures are equipped to act and serve, not merely to fly.
Overview
The hands beneath the wings indicate capability for purposeful work in every direction. Combining wings with hands joins heavenly mobility to skilled action. The fourfold symmetry again stresses readiness to do God's bidding anywhere. These details build a picture of intelligent beings wholly devoted to executing the will of God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ezek 10:21Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
- Ezek 10:18Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.
- Ezek 8:3And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
- Ezek 10:11When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.
- Ezek 1:17When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.
- Ezek 10:2And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.
- Isa 6:6Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
- Ezek 10:7–8And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out.
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 1:8 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.