Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Ezekiel
Chapter 1: The Glory by the River
A priest sits in exile by a canal in Babylon, far from the temple where he should have served. Then the heavens open. Ezekiel sees a storm out of the north, living creatures of fire, wheels within wheels that move with the Spirit, and above them a throne with the likeness of a Man wrapped in glory. The message of the vision is staggering to a people who thought God was left behind in Jerusalem: the glory of the LORD is here, even in Babylon.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Ezekiel chapter 1. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Ezekiel is the prophet of the exile, and his book opens with one of the most awesome visions of God's glory in all of Scripture. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
The Prophet of the Exile
Ezekiel prophesied to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, before and after Jerusalem's fall. His book is full of dramatic visions and signs, moving from judgment to the promise of a restored people and a new heart.
Ezekiel the Priest
Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, was carried to Babylon before Jerusalem's fall. God called him to prophesy there, roughly 593 to 571 BC. His name means "God strengthens."
By the River Chebar
Among the exiles by the Chebar canal in Babylon, the heavens open and Ezekiel sees the glory of God. The vision commissions him as a prophet to a rebellious house.
God Is Not Confined
The exiles feared God was bound to the temple in Jerusalem. Ezekiel's vision declares that the glory of the LORD is sovereign, mobile, and present, even in a foreign land.
The Heavens Were Opened (Ezekiel 1:1-11)
In exile, at his lowest, Ezekiel receives the highest vision, and the hand of the LORD comes upon him.
I Saw Visions of God
"Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity, The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies."
Hebrew Study
The vision comes to Ezekiel "by the river of Chebar" — in exile, on foreign soil, far from the temple. From a great whirlwind and fire emerge four "living creatures" (chayyoth), each with four faces — man, lion, ox, and eagle — the highest of God's creatures gathered around His throne. The staggering point of the setting is where it happens: the glory of God appears to a captive priest beside a Babylonian canal. God is not shut up in Jerusalem; His throne is mobile, and He meets His people even in the land of their exile.
Explanation
Ezekiel is "among the captives," an exile among exiles, stripped of the temple and the priestly service he was born for. It is precisely there, in the place of loss, that the heavens open. God does not wait for us to return to the holy place; He meets His servant in Babylon. The vision that follows will show that God's glory is not trapped in a ruined temple but reigns over all the earth.
Gospel Focus
God opens heaven over an exile. This is deeply encouraging: the presence and glory of God are not limited to our best circumstances or our familiar sanctuaries. When we are displaced, disappointed, far from where we thought we would serve Him, He can open the heavens right there. Stephen, about to be martyred, "looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God" (Acts 7:55). The place of exile can become the place of vision. God is not confined to Jerusalem, or to our comfort. He is near to the captive who still lifts up his eyes.
Fire, Faces, and the Spirit (Ezekiel 1:12-27)
Ezekiel struggles to describe the indescribable: living beings of fire, four faces each, moving wherever the Spirit goes.
Wherever the Spirit Wanted to Go
"And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about."
Hebrew Study
The vision is dominated by motion and by one directing force: "whither the spirit (ruach) was to go, they went." Wheels "full of eyes" turn "wheel in the middle of a wheel," rising and moving as the Spirit moves, beneath a crystal firmament and a sapphire throne. The whole apparatus is a war-chariot of the divine glory, able to go anywhere at the impulse of the Spirit of God. To exiles who thought God's presence was chained to a ruined temple, the message is overwhelming: the glory of the LORD travels, and it has come to them.
Explanation
Ezekiel describes what he sees with careful, halting language, "the likeness of," "the appearance of," because it exceeds earthly comparison. The living creatures, each with four faces and wings, blaze like fire and dart like lightning, and beside them turn great wheels full of eyes, "a wheel in the middle of a wheel." Above all, the whole moves as one, guided by the Spirit: "wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went." The vision is of ordered, unstoppable, Spirit-directed power.
Gospel Focus
Two truths shine through the fire and wheels. First, God's works move by His Spirit, not by their own will: "they went wherever the spirit wanted to go." What God does, He does by His Spirit, and so must we; "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6). Second, the God of this vision is transcendent and holy beyond our words. Ezekiel can only stammer "likeness" and "appearance," and rightly so. We must never shrink God to something manageable. The proper response to such glory is not casual familiarity but awe, and a readiness to be moved wherever His Spirit wills.
The Likeness of the Glory of the LORD (Ezekiel 1:28)
Above the creatures and the wheels, Ezekiel sees a throne, and on it the likeness of a Man wrapped in radiant glory.
I Fell on My Face
"As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake."
Hebrew Study
The vision crowns itself with mercy: "As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about." A rainbow — qeshet, the covenant sign given to Noah (Genesis 9:13) — encircles the throne of glory. Ezekiel is careful with his words: this was "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD," the visible radiance of God's presence, not a direct sight of His invisible essence. And the token of covenant mercy surrounds the throne of the Judge.
Explanation
Ezekiel's only possible response to such a sight is to collapse: "when I saw it, I fell upon my face." Overwhelming glory rightly drives a man low. Yet notice the mercy woven into the terror — the rainbow of God's covenant faithfulness rings the throne, so that even as judgment is about to be pronounced on Jerusalem through this prophet, grace surrounds the seat from which it comes. The God who appears in fire and awful majesty is still the God who keeps His promise never to abandon His own.
Gospel Focus
At the summit of the vision is a throne, and on it "the likeness as the appearance of a man" (verse 26), wrapped in fire and encircled by a rainbow. Ezekiel does not see God's essence, for "no man hath seen God at any time" (John 1:18); he sees the visible glory, "the likeness of the glory of the LORD." Strikingly, that glory takes the form of a Man on the throne, a glimpse that finds its fullness in Jesus Christ, "the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person" (Hebrews 1:3), the one God revealed in flesh. The rainbow recalls God's covenant mercy even in the storm of judgment. And Ezekiel's response is the only fitting one: he fell on his face. Before we can be sent, we must be floored by the glory of God.
Chapter 1 in Review
Ezekiel 1 opens the book of the exile prophet with a vision of overwhelming glory. Among the captives by the River Chebar, the heavens open and Ezekiel sees a fiery storm, living creatures with four faces moving as the Spirit directs, wheels within wheels full of eyes, and above them all a throne bearing the likeness of a Man wrapped in radiant glory encircled by a rainbow. Overcome, the prophet falls on his face and hears the voice of God.
For the Apostolic reader, this vision proclaims that God is not confined. The exiles feared His glory was lost with the temple; Ezekiel sees that glory reigning, mobile, and present in Babylon itself. God moves by His Spirit, is transcendent beyond our words, and shows His glory in the form of a Man on the throne, pointing to Christ, the glory of God revealed in flesh. The chapter calls us to awe before such majesty, and reminds us that the God who opened heaven over an exile can meet us in our own Babylon.
- God's glory is not confined to the temple or to our best days; He meets the exile.
- God's works move by His Spirit, not by human might (Zechariah 4:6).
- God is transcendent beyond our words; the right response to His glory is awe.
- The glory appears as a Man on the throne, pointing to Christ, God revealed in flesh (Hebrews 1:3).
Questions for Reflection
- Ezekiel met God's glory in exile. Where, in a hard or displaced season, might God want to open the heavens for you?
- The creatures moved "wherever the spirit wanted to go." Is your life directed by God's Spirit or by your own will?
- Ezekiel fell on his face. When did you last stand in genuine awe before the greatness of God?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The vision by the Chebar in exile: Ezekiel 1:1-3; 3:15.
- Heaven opened over the suffering servant: Acts 7:55-56.
- God's work by His Spirit, not human power: Ezekiel 1:12, 20; Zechariah 4:6.
- The glory as a Man on the throne, pointing to Christ: Ezekiel 1:26-28; John 1:18; Hebrews 1:3.
- The rainbow of covenant mercy: Genesis 9:13-16; Revelation 4:2-3.