Ezekiel 1:6

6 And four faces were to one, and four wings were to one. (But each one had four faces, and four wings.)

Ezekiel 1:6 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 1:6

And or but everyone had four faces
Which are described, (See Gill on Ezekiel 1:10). The Targum multiplies the faces in a strange monstrous manner, paraphrasing the words thus,

``each had four faces, and there were four faces to everyone "of them", and every creature had sixteen faces; the number of the faces of the four creatures was sixty and four;''
and everyone had four wings;
the seraphim in ( Isaiah 6:2 ) ; and the four beasts or living creatures in ( Revelation 4:8 ) ; had six wings; and so it seems that these had also, from ( Ezekiel 1:11 Ezekiel 1:23 ) ; as will be seen there; nor is this any contradiction to the account here given, since it is not said they had only four wings. The Targum gives the same monstrous account of their wings as of their faces, saying,
``each had four wings, and there were four wings for everyone of them, sixteen wings to every face, and sixty four to every creature; and the number of the wings of the four living creatures were two hundred and fifty six.''
Jarchi is of the same opinion, and confirms it in his note on the text, which is this,
``"four faces to one"; that is, to the face of a man only were four faces, and so, to the lion, to the eagle, and to the ox, lo, sixteen to a living creature, and so to every living creature; and four wings to everyone of the faces, lo, sixty and four wings to a living creatures and which, according to the Targum of Jonathan, amounts to two hundred and fifty six wings;''
what these wings signified, (See Gill on Ezekiel 1:11);

Ezekiel 1:6 In-Context

4 And I saw, and lo! a whirlwind came from the north, and a great cloud, and fire wrapping in, and brightness in the compass thereof; and as the likeness of electrum from the midst thereof, that is, from the midst of the fire. (And I saw, and lo! a whirlwind came from the north, and a great cloud, and fire enwrapping itself, and brightness all around it; and with the likeness of electrum in its midst, that is, in the midst of the fire.)
5 And of the midst thereof was a likeness of four beasts. And this was the beholding of those, the likeness of a man in those. (And in its midst were the forms of four creatures. And this was their appearance, each one had the form of a man.)
6 And four faces were to one, and four wings were to one. (But each one had four faces, and four wings.)
7 And the feet of those were straight feet, and the sole of the foot of those was as the sole of a foot of a calf, and sparkles, as the beholding of boiling brass. (And their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of a calf's feet, and they sparkled, like the appearance of boiling, or of shining, bronze.)
8 And the hands of a man were under the wings of those, in four parts; and those had faces and wings by four parts; (And the hands of a man were under their wings, on their four sides; and those four creatures had faces and wings;)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.