Ezekiel 1 · Verse 4

Ezekiel 1:4

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.
Ezekiel 1:4, King James Version

Ezekiel 1:4 in other translations

BSBI looked and saw a whirlwind coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing back and forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire was a gleam like amber,
WEBI looked, and behold, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great cloud, with flashing lightning, and a brightness around it, and out of the middle of it as it were glowing metal, out of the middle of the fire.
ASVAnd I looked, and, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire infolding itself, and a brightness round about it, and out of the midst thereof as it were glowing metal, out of the midst of the fire.
YLTAnd I look, and lo, a tempestuous wind is coming from the north, a great cloud, and fire catching itself, and brightness to it round about, and out of its midst as the colour of copper, out of the midst of the fire.
DARBYAnd I looked, and behold, a stormy wind 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 look of glowing brass, out of the midst of the fire.
BBEAnd, looking, I saw a storm-wind coming out of the north, a great cloud with flames of fire coming after one another, and a bright light shining round about it and in the heart of it was something coloured like electrum.
WebsterAnd 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 from the midst of it as the color of amber, from the midst of the fire.

What does Ezekiel 1:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. whirlwind--emblematic of God's judgments (Jr 23:19; 25:32). out of the north--that is, from Chaldea, whose hostile forces would invade Judea from a northerly direction. The prophet conceives himself in the temple. fire infolding itself--laying hold on whatever surrounds it, drawing it to itself, and devouring it. Literally, "catching itself," that is, kindling itself [Fairbairn]. The same Hebrew occurs in Ex 9:24, as to the "fire mingled with the hail." brightness ... about it--that is, about the "cloud." out of the midst thereof--that is, out of the midst of the "fire." colour of amber--rather, "the glancing brightness (literally, 'the eye', and so the glancing appearance) of polished brass. The Hebrew, chasmal, is from two roots, "smooth" and "brass" (compare Eze 1:7; Re 1:15) [Gesenius]. The Septuagint and Vulgate translate it, "electrum"; a brilliant metal compounded of gold and silver.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 A whirlwind came out of the north - Nebuchadnezzar, whose land, Babylonia, lay north of Judea. Chaldea is thus frequently denominated by Jeremiah. A great cloud, and a fire infolding itself - A mass of fire concentrated in a vast cloud, that the flames might be more distinctly observable, the fire never escaping from the cloud, but issuing, and then returning in upon itself. It was in a state of powerful agitation; but always involving itself, or returning back to the center whence it appeared to issue. A brightness was about it - A fine tinge of light surrounded the cloud, in order to make its limits the more discernible; beyond which verge the turmoiling fire did not proceed. The color of amber - This was in the center of the cloud; and this amber-coloured substance was the center of the laboring flame. The word ηλεκτρον, which we translate amber, was used to signify a compound metal, very bright, made of gold and brass.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 1:1-14

Ezekiel's vision of God, and of the angelic host. (Ezek 1:1-14) The conduct of Divine Providence. (Ezek 1:15-25) A revelation of the Son of man upon his heavenly throne. (Ezek 1:26-28) Verses 1-14 It is a mercy to have the word of God brought to us, and a duty to attend to it diligently, when we are in affliction. The voice of God came in the fulness of light and power, by the Holy Spirit. These visions seem to have…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 1:1-14 →

Ezekiel 1:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וָאֵ֡רֶאva.'E.re'and I sawH7200
וְהִנֵּה֩ve.hi.Nehand there!H2009
ר֨וּחַRu.acha wind ofH7307
סְעָרָ֜הse.'a.RahstormH5591
בָּאָ֣הba.'Ah[was] comingH935
מִן\־min-fromH4480
הַצָּפ֗וֹןha.tza.Fonthe northH6828
עָנָ֤ן'a.Nana cloudH6051
גָּדוֹל֙ga.dOlgreatH1419
וְאֵ֣שׁve.'Eshand fireH784
מִתְלַקַּ֔חַתmit.la.Ka.chatflashingH3947
וְנֹ֥גַֽהּve.No.gahand brightnessH5051
ל֖וֹlo[belonged] to it
סָבִ֑יבsa.Vivall aroundH5439
וּמִ֨תּוֹכָ֔הּu.Mi.to.Khahand [was] from [the] middle of itH8432
כְּעֵ֥יןke.'Einlike [the] appearance ofH5869
הַחַשְׁמַ֖לha.chash.Mal<the> shining substanceH2830
מִתּ֥וֹךְmi.Tokhfrom [the] middle ofH8432
הָאֵֽשׁ\׃ha.'Eshthe fireH784

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 1:4

  • Ezekiel 1:27

    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.

  • Ezekiel 8:2

    Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.

  • Jeremiah 23:19

    Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.

  • Jeremiah 1:13-14

    And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

  • Isaiah 21:1

    The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.

  • Exodus 19:16-18

    And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

  • Jeremiah 25:32

    Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

  • Ezekiel 10:8-9

    And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings. And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.

  • Habakkuk 1:8-9

    Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat. They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.

  • 2 Chronicles 5:13-6:1

    It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God. Then said Solomon, The Lord hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

  • Revelation 1:15

    And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

  • Psalms 97:2-3

    Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
a whirlwind.
Isa 21:1; Jer 1:13,14; 4:6; 6:1; 23:19; 25:9,32; Hab 1:8,9
a great.
10:2-4; Ex 19:16-18; 24:16,17; De 4:11,12; 2Ch 5:13,14; 6:1; 7:1-3
Ps 18:11-13; 50:3; 97:2,3; 104:3,4; Isa 19:1; Na 1:3-6; Hab 3:3-5
Heb 12:29
infolding itself. Heb. catching itself. colour.
27; 8:2; 10:8,9; Re 1:15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ezekiel 1:3

    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.

  • Ezekiel 1:4

    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.

  • Ezekiel 1:5

    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.

Read all of Ezekiel 1

Ezekiel 1:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y miré, y he aquí un viento tempestuoso venía del aquilón, una gran nube, con un fuego envolvente, y en derredor suyo un resplandor, y en medio del fuego una cosa que parecía como de ámbar,
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et je vis, et voici, un vent de tempête venait du nord, une grosse nuée, et un feu qui s’entortillait; et il y avait une splendeur tout autour, et de son milieu, du milieu du feu, brillait comme l’apparence de l’airain luisant;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich sah: und siehe, ein Sturmwind kam von Norden her, eine große Wolke und ein Feuer, sich ineinander schlingend und ein Glanz rings um dieselbe; und aus seiner Mitte, aus der Mitte des Feuers her, strahlte es wie der Anblick von glänzendem Metall.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et vidi, et ecce ventus turbinis veniebat ab aquilone, et nubes magna, et ignis involvens, et splendor in circuitu ejus: et de medio ejus, quasi species electri, id est, de medio ignis: