There appeared in the cherubim the form of a man’s hand under their wings.
Parallel translations
- KJV And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings.
- BSB (The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.)
- NKJV The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings.
- NASB The cherubim appeared to have something like a human hand under their wings.
- NLT (All the cherubim had what looked like human hands under their 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
A human-like hand appears under the cherubim's wings. It highlights that these heavenly beings act with purposeful, almost human, agency under God.
Overview
The form of a man's hand beneath the wings recalls the throne vision and signals capable, deliberate service to God's will. These beings are not mindless forces but agents who carry out divine commands precisely. The detail reassures that God's purposes are executed exactly as intended. The God who directs heaven's servants so precisely also orders all things for the good of those who love Him in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Ezek 1:8They 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:
- Ezek 10:21Every one had four faces, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
- Isa 6:6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar.
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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 10:8 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.