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Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Ezekiel 1:20

The spirit — The Spirit of God. These angels in their ministry punctually observed both his impulse and conduct. They — The wheels, inferior agents and second causes. Their spirit — The wheels concurred with the spirit of the living creatures, so that there was an hearty accord between those superior and inferior causes. For — An undiscerned, yet divine, mighty, wise, and ever — living power, spirit, and being, actuated all, and governed all.

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See also Ezekiel 1:20 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Ezekiel 1:20. _THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING CREATURE_ WAS _IN THE WHEELS._] That is, the wheels were _instinct with a vital spirit_; the wheels were _alive_, they also were _animals_, or endued wit...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    Whithersoever the spirit of the four living creatures was to go, the wheels went - there was the spirit of the wheels to go. All four creatures together with their wheels are here called “the living c...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. PREDICTIONS BEFORE THE FALL OF JERUSALEM A. judgment Predictions Concerning Jerusalem (1-24) Chapter S 1:1-3:14 The Vision of Glory and the Call of the Prophet _ 1. The...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    EZEKIEL 1-3. EZEKIEL ENTERS UPON HIS MINISTRY. Ezekiel 1:1. Ezekiel's Vision. Ezekiel 1:1. Like the prophets generally, Ezekiel enters upon his ministry only after he has had a vision of God and a ca...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The movement of the wheels corresponded with that of the living creatures. They were animated by the same spirit as the creatures, and were part of the whole living phenomenon. In the Book of Enoch "w...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The Four Wheels The prophet saw four wheels beside the four living creatures, one wheel beside each creature. The wheels touched the ground, and were all alike, having the appearance of tarshish-ston...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The theophany, or, vision of God This is described first generally, as a whirlwind and great cloud coming from the North, with a luminous splendour around it, due to a fire sending out continuous fla...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _thither_was their _spirit to go_ Rather, THE spirit, i.e. the general spirit moving the whole manifestation. The words are wanting in LXX., and are possibly an accidental repetition of those in the b...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    BEHOLD ONE WHEEL UPON THE EARTH— The prophet now proceeds to describe the wheels of this chariot borne by the living creatures. "Now, as I _contemplated_ these living creatures (says he) _there appear...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    C. The Wheels 1:15-21 TRANSLATION (15) Now as I saw the living creatures, behold one wheel on the earth beside each of the living creatures on its four sides. (16) The appearance of the wheels and th...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    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. WHITHERSOEVE...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    1:20 with (d-21) Or 'over against,' or 'beside,' as ch. 3.13, &c. creature (e-29) Some read 'spirit of life.' so in ver. 21 and ch. 10.17....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    § 1. EZEKIEL'S CALL AND CONSECRATION AS A PROPHET (EZEKIEL 1-3) Date, June-July, 592 b.c. Ezekiel's call and consecration to his prophetic work took place by means of a vision of God's glory (Ezekiel...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    EZEKIEL: ‘THEY SHALL KNOW THAT I AM GOD’ THE *SIN OF JUDAH AND THE JUDGEMENT OF GOD EZEKIEL CHAPTER S 1 TO 24 _IAN MACKERVOY_ ABOUT THIS BOOK 1. HISTORY After the death of King Solomon, the *I...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING CREATURE — Not, as in the margin, “the spirit of life.” The object of Ezekiel 1:19 is by every repetition and variety of expression to represent “the living creatures” and “th...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    עַ֣ל אֲשֶׁר֩ יִֽהְיֶה ־שָּׁ֨ם הָ ר֤וּחַ לָ

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE VISION OF THE GLORY OF GOD Ezekiel 1:1 IT might be hazardous to attempt, from the general considerations advanced in the last two Chapter s, to form a conception of Ezekiel's state of mind during...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    A VISION OF GOD'S MAJESTY Ezekiel 1:1-21 A dark storm-cloud approaches the prophet, from which an incessant blaze of lightning scintillated. As it drew near, the forms of four living creatures became...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The Book opens with the account of the prophet's preparation, and falls into two sections, the first describing the visions he saw, and the second the voice he heard. Verses Eze 1:2-3 in this chapter...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Life. They were moved like the rest by the whirlwind, or by living creatures. They seemed to be animated, as Homer describes Vulcan's tripods._...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    It is worthy the Reader's closest attention, how often during this account the appearance of a man is spoken of. Was it, (for I only ask the question, and do not presume to decide), to lead the Prophe...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _THE WHEELS OF LIFE_ ‘For the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood.’ Ezekiel 1:20 I. THOUGH THE MOVEMENT REFERRED TO BY TH...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    Thus I arrange the clauses, for though others join the first; clause with the second part of the verse, it is too forced. Therefore the Prophet repeats what he had said, though he is rather prolix. Af...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    In chapter 1 we find a date which refers to the year of Josiah's passover, but with what intent I do not know. It has been thought that the thirty years relate to the jubilee. On this point I cannot s...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    WHITHERSOEVER THE SPIRIT WAS TO GO THEY WENT,.... That is, the Spirit of God; wherever that leads and directs, whether in the paths of faith or duty, they follow; they walk not after the flesh, but af...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    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. Ver. 20. _...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _When the living creatures went, the wheels went by them_ The living creatures and the wheels moved in concert, to show with what readiness and alacrity all the instruments of providence concur in car...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go, following the direction taken by the creatures; AND THE WHEELS WERE LIFTED UP OVER AGAINST THEM; FOR THE SPIRIT OF THE LI...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The Four-Faced Wheels and the Four Creatures....

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    OF THE LIVING: Or, of life...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    15-25 Providence, represented by the wheels, produces changes. Sometimes one spoke of the wheel is uppermost, sometimes another; but the motion of the wheel on its own axletree is regular and steady....

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    WHITHERSOEVER THE SPIRIT; either the will and inclination of the living creatures, or rather the Spirit of God which moved the living creatures, gave them motion and guided it; these angels in their m...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Ezekiel 1:20 spirit H7307 go H3212 (H8800) went H3212 (H8799) spirit H7307 went H3212 (H8800) wheels...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them, and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Wherever the Spirit was to go, they went. Ther...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Vision of the glory. CHARACTERS: God, Holy Spirit, Christ, Ezekiel, Jehoiachin, (Ezekiel 1:26). CONCLUSION: While no man has seen God at any time, many have had visions of Him, displays of...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Ezekiel 1:1. _In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, and fifth day of the month._ The Jews were accustomed to reckon time from great and auspicious events, as the call of Abraham, the exodus from...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Whithersoever the Spirit was to go, they went._ THE NOBILITY OF A DEVOUT SOUL UNDER THE SPIRIT’S INFLUENCE Oh for conquering grace to crush down self. I would be as a grain of dust blown in the summ...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    EZEKIEL—NOTE ON EZEKIEL 1:1 Inaugural Vision. The story of Ezekiel’s call as a prophet is the most complex of all the “prophetic call stories” in the OT. It is also one of the most carefully structure...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    2. THE VIEW GIVEN TO EZEKIEL OF “THE LIKENESS OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD” (Chap. Ezekiel 1:4) EXEGETICAL NOTES.— Ezekiel 1:4. THE STORM-CLOUD. “A WHIRLWIND,” a tempest such as Job perceived (Ezekiel 38:...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION For the life of the prophet prior to the vision which this chapter relates, and which constituted his call to that office, see Introduction. EZEKIEL 1:1 NOW; literally, _and. _The use of...

  • The Typology of Scripture by Patrick Fairbairn

    Ezekiel 1:4. _And I looked, and behold a whirlwind coming from the north, a great cloud, and a fire kindling itself, and a brightness round about it (the cloud), and from out of it (the fire) like the...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Shall we turn at this time to the prophecy of Ezekiel. Ezekiel said, It came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month (Ezekiel 1:1), So that would be July th...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Corinthians 14:32; Ezekiel 1:12; Ezekiel 10:17; Zechariah 6:1...

  • When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties, Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe, 1960

    Is this a manifestation of UFOs and extraterrestrial intelligence? PROBLEM: Ezekiel speaks here of “living creatures” whose faces were in “the likeness of a man” which moved “like a flash of lightnin...

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