When they moved, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went; but they followed in the direction which they faced, without turning as they went.
Parallel translations
- WEB When they went, they went in their four directions: they didn’t turn as they went, but to the place where the head looked they followed it; they didn’t turn as they went.
- KJV When 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.
- BSB When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions, without turning as they moved. For wherever the head faced, the cherubim would go in that direction, without turning as they moved.
- NKJV When they went, they went toward any of their four directions; they did not turn aside when they went, but followed in the direction the head was facing. They did not turn aside when they went.
- NLT The cherubim could move in any of the four directions they faced, without turning as they moved. They went straight in the direction they faced, never turning aside.
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 move in any of the four directions without turning, following the cherubim. It emphasizes the effortless, purposeful movement of God's throne.
Overview
That the wheels go straight in any direction without turning portrays God's unrestricted ability to move and act. The throne goes wherever "the head looked," showing perfect coordination under divine direction. God is never hindered or delayed in carrying out His will. This sovereign freedom underlies the certainty of His redemptive plan fulfilled in Jesus.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Ezek 1:17When they went, they went in their four directions: they didn’t turn when they went.
- Ezek 10:22As for the likeness of their faces, they were the faces which I saw by the river Chebar, their appearances and themselves; they went every one straight forward.
- Matt 8:8–10The centurion answered, “Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
- Ezek 1:20Wherever the spirit was to go, they went; there was the spirit to go: and the wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
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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 10:11 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
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