Ezekiel 1:14

14 And the living creatures {were speeding to and fro}^[a] like the appearance of lightning.

Ezekiel 1:14 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 1:14

And the living creatures ran
Did their work with great readiness and swiftness; so, especially in the latter day, ministers of the Gospel shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased, ( Daniel 12:4 ) ; and returned;
for though before it is said, "they turned not when they went", they kept straight on till they had done their work; but when they have done it, then they return, and give an account of it to him that has sent them: and their running and returning are said to be, as the appearance of a flash of lightning;
very sudden and swift.

Ezekiel 1:14 In-Context

12 And each {went straight forward}; {wherever the spirit went} they went, [and] {they did not turn as they went}.

13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance [was] like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches. It [was] moving to and fro between the living creatures, and {the fire was very bright} and lightning [was] going out from the fire.

14 And the living creatures {were speeding to and fro} like the appearance of lightning.

15 And I saw the living creatures, and look! A wheel was on the earth beside {each of the living creatures that had four faces}.

16 The appearance of the wheels and their construction [was] like [the] appearance of beryl, and {they all looked alike}, and their appearance and their construction [was] {like a wheel within a wheel}.

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "sped forth and returned"