Ezekiel 1 · Verse 8

Ezekiel 1:8

And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
Ezekiel 1:8, King James Version

Ezekiel 1:8 in other translations

BSBUnder their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four living creatures had faces and wings,
WEBThey had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides. The four of them had their faces and their wings like this:
ASVAnd they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings thus:
YLTand hands of man under their wings--on their four sides, and their faces and their wings-- are to them four;
DARBYAnd they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings:
BBEAnd they had the hands of a man under their wings; the four of them had faces on their four sides.
WebsterAnd they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

What does Ezekiel 1:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
8. The hands of each were the hands of a man. The hand is the symbol of active power, guided by skilfulness (Psa 78:72). under their wings--signifying their operations are hidden from our too curious prying; and as the "wings" signify something more than human, namely, the secret prompting of God, it is also implied that they are moved by it and not by their own power, so that they do nothing at random, but all with divine wisdom. they four had ... faces and ... wings--He returns to what he had stated already in Eze 1:6; this gives a reason why they had hands on their four sides, namely, because they had faces and wings on the four sides. They moved whithersoever they would, not by active energy merely, but also by knowledge (expressed by their faces) and divine guidance (expressed by their "wings").

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 8 They had the hands of a man under their wings - I doubt much whether the arms be not here represented as all covered with feathers, so that they had the appearance of wings, only the hand was bare; and I rather think that this is the meaning of their having "the hands of a man under their wings."

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 1:8 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.

וִידֵ֣יve.ya.dovand [the] hands ofH3027
אָדָ֗ם'a.Dama humanH120
מִתַּ֙חַת֙mi.Ta.chat[were] <from> underH8478
כַּנְפֵיהֶ֔םkan.fei.Hemwings theirH3671
עַ֖ל'alonH5921
אַרְבַּ֣עַת'ar.Ba.'at[the] fourH702
רִבְעֵיהֶ֑םriv.'ei.Hemsides theirH7253
וּפְנֵיהֶ֥םu.fe.nei.Hemand faces theirH6440
וְכַנְפֵיהֶ֖םve.khan.fei.Hemand wings theirH3671
לְאַרְבַּעְתָּֽם\׃le.'ar.ba'.Tam[belonged] to [the] four of themH702

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

Cross references for Ezekiel 1:8

  • Ezekiel 10:21

    Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

  • Ezekiel 10:18

    Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.

  • Ezekiel 10:11

    When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.

  • Ezekiel 8:3

    And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

  • Ezekiel 10:2

    And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.

  • Ezekiel 10:7-8

    And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out. And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

  • Ezekiel 1:17

    When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.

  • Isaiah 6:6

    Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
8:3; 10:2,7,8,18,21; Isa 6:6

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

Context

  • Ezekiel 1:7

    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.

  • Ezekiel 1:8

    And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

  • Ezekiel 1:9

    Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

Read all of Ezekiel 1

Ezekiel 1:8 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y debajo de sus alas, á sus cuatro lados, tenían manos de hombre; y sus rostros y sus alas por los cuatro lados.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et il y avait des mains d’homme sous leurs ailes sur leurs quatre côtés; et ils avaient, les quatre, leurs faces et leurs ailes;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Menschenhände waren unter ihren Flügeln an ihren vier Seiten; und die vier hatten ihre Angesichter und ihre Flügel.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et manus hominis sub pennis eorum, in quatuor partibus: et facies et pennas per quatuor partes habebant.