Ezekiel 1:18
New International Version
Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

New Living Translation
The rims of the four wheels were tall and frightening, and they were covered with eyes all around.

English Standard Version
And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.

Berean Standard Bible
Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

King James Bible
As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

New King James Version
As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.

New American Standard Bible
As for their rims, they were high and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were covered with eyes all around.

NASB 1995
As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about.

NASB 1977
As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about.

Legacy Standard Bible
And as for their rims, they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes all around.

Amplified Bible
Regarding their rims: they were so high that they were awesome and dreadful, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes all around.

Christian Standard Bible
Their four rims were tall and awe-inspiring, completely covered with eyes.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Their rims were large and frightening. Each of their four rims were full of eyes all around.

American Standard Version
As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.

Contemporary English Version
The rims of the wheels were large and frightening, and they had eyes all the way around them.

English Revised Version
As for their rings, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rings full of eyes round about.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The rims of the wheels were large and frightening. They were covered with eyes.

Good News Translation
The rims of the wheels were covered with eyes.

International Standard Version
Their wheel rims were ornate and terrifying. They were full of eyes that surrounded the four of them.

Majority Standard Bible
Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

NET Bible
Their rims were high and awesome, and the rims of all four wheels were full of eyes all around.

New Heart English Bible
As for their rims, they were high and awesome; and the four of them had their rims full of eyes all around.

Webster's Bible Translation
As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes around them four.

World English Bible
As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and the four of them had their rims full of eyes all around.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
As for their rings, they are both high and fearful, and their rings, of the four of them, [are] full of eyes around them.

Young's Literal Translation
As to their rings, they are both high and fearful, and their rings are full of eyes round about them four.

Smith's Literal Translation
And their backs, and the height to them, and terror to them; and their backs full of eyes round about to them four.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The wheels had also a size, and a height, and a dreadful appearance: and the whole body was full of eyes round about all the four.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Also, the size and height and appearance of the wheels was dreadful. And the entire body was full of eyes all around each of the four.

New American Bible
The four of them had rims, high and fearsome—eyes filled the four rims all around.

New Revised Standard Version
Their rims were tall and awesome, for the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
As for their rims, they were high and they could see; for the rims were full of eyes round about them four.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And their backs were high and they could see, and the backs of the four of them were full of eyes when they were going around
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
As for their rings, they were high and they were dreadful; and they four had their rings full of eyes round about.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
neither did their backs turn: and they were high: and I beheld them, and the backs of them four were full of eyes round about.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Four Wheels
17As they moved, they went in any of the four directions, without pivoting as they moved. 18Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. 19So as the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose.…

Cross References
Revelation 4:6-8
And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back. / The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. / And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

Daniel 7:9-10
As I continued to watch, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. / A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.

Revelation 1:14-16
The hair of His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like a blazing fire. / His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters. / He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.

Isaiah 6:1-4
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple. / Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. / And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.” ...

Revelation 5:6
Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Revelation 6:1-8
Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” / So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer. / And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” ...

Revelation 15:7
Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.

Revelation 19:4
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying: “Amen, Hallelujah!”

Revelation 21:12-14
The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates. / There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. / The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Revelation 21:19-21
The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, / the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. / And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.

1 Kings 7:33
The wheels were made like chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal.

2 Chronicles 4:13
the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);

Isaiah 28:16
So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.

Isaiah 54:12
I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.

Ezekiel 10:12
Their entire bodies, including their backs, hands, and wings, were full of eyes all around, as were their four wheels.


Treasury of Scripture

As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

they were so

Job 37:22-24
Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty…

Psalm 77:16-19
The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled…

Psalm 97:2-5
Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne…

rings.

Ezekiel 10:12
And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.

Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Zechariah 4:10
For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

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Ezekiel 1
1. The time of Ezekiel's prophecy at Chebar.
4. His vision of four cherubim;
15. of the four wheels;
26. and of the glory of God.














Their rims
The term "rims" in this context refers to the outer edges of the wheels described in Ezekiel's vision. In Hebrew, the word used is "גַּב" (gav), which can mean a convex surface or a rim. The imagery of wheels with rims suggests completeness and the ability to move in any direction, symbolizing the omnipresence and omnipotence of God. The rims being part of the wheels indicate that God's divine plan is all-encompassing and perfectly structured.

were high
The height of the rims signifies the grandeur and majesty of God's creation. In the ancient Near Eastern context, height often symbolized power and authority. The elevated rims suggest that God's ways and thoughts are higher than human understanding, as echoed in Isaiah 55:9. This height also implies that God's vision and oversight extend far beyond human limitations.

and awesome
The Hebrew word for "awesome" is "יִרְאָה" (yirah), which conveys a sense of fear, reverence, and awe. This term is often used in the Bible to describe the reaction of humans to the divine presence. The awesomeness of the rims reflects the overwhelming and awe-inspiring nature of God's glory and power, which commands respect and reverence from all creation.

and all four rims
The mention of "all four rims" emphasizes the completeness and universality of the vision. The number four in biblical symbolism often represents universality or the four corners of the earth. This suggests that God's presence and authority extend to all parts of the world, reinforcing the idea of His omnipresence.

were full of eyes
The eyes on the rims symbolize divine insight and omniscience. In biblical literature, eyes often represent knowledge and awareness. The presence of eyes all around the rims indicates that God sees all things, nothing is hidden from His sight, and He is fully aware of all events and actions. This imagery reassures believers of God's constant vigilance and care over His creation.

all around
The phrase "all around" underscores the totality and completeness of God's vision and presence. It suggests that there is no aspect of creation that is outside of God's knowledge and control. This comprehensive oversight provides comfort to believers, knowing that God is always watching over them and that His divine plan encompasses every detail of their lives.

(18) Their rings.--The same word is used twice in this verse, and means what we call the felloes. "They were both high and terrible," i.e., they had both these characteristics, but not, as seems to be implied in our translation, that one was the cause of the other. The height might be inferred from the fact that the wheel was "upon the earth," and yet was "by the living creatures" (Ezekiel 1:15) who were seen in the cloud (Ezekiel 1:5). The terribleness was in keeping with all other parts of the vision, and its reason is explained in the circumstances which follow.

Full of eyes.--In Ezekiel 10:12 it is said of the living creatures, "their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes round about." It was the same vision in either case (Ezekiel 10:20-22), only in the effort to describe it, which the prophet evidently feels it impossible to do adequately, he mentions now one particular and now another. In the corresponding vision in the Apocalypse the four living creatures are represented as "full of eyes within" (Revelation 4:8). In both places alike the symbolism sets forth God's perfect knowledge of all His works: here as showing the absolute wisdom of all His doings (comp. 2Chronicles 16:9), there as resulting in perfect and harmonious praise from all His works. The Hebrew seers ever looked through all secondary causes directly to the ultimate force which originates and controls all nature, and which they represent as intelligent and self-conscious. To do this the more effectively, they often use in their visions such concrete imagery as this before us. . . .

Verse 18. - As for their rings, etc. The "rings" or "felloes" of the wheels impressed the prophet's mind with a sense of awe, partly from their size, partly from their being "full of eyes." These were obviously, as again in Ezekiel 10:12, and in the analogues of the "stone with seven eyes" in Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10, and the "four beasts [i.e. 'living creatures'] full of eyes," in Revelation 4:6, symbols of the omniscience of God working through the forces of nature and of history. These were not, as men have sometimes thought, blind forces, but were guided as by a supreme insight (comp. 2 Chronicles 16:9).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Their rims
וְגַ֨בֵּיהֶ֔ן (wə·ḡab·bê·hen)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common plural construct | third person feminine plural
Strong's 1354: The back, the top, rim, a boss, a vault, arch of eye, bulwarks

were high
וְגֹ֥בַהּ (wə·ḡō·ḇah)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1363: Elation, grandeur, arrogance

and awesome,
וְיִרְאָ֣ה (wə·yir·’āh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3374: Fear, reverence

and all four
לְאַרְבַּעְתָּֽן׃ (lə·’ar·ba‘·tān)
Preposition-l | Number - masculine singular construct | third person feminine plural
Strong's 702: Four

rims
וְגַבֹּתָ֗ם (wə·ḡab·bō·ṯām)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1354: The back, the top, rim, a boss, a vault, arch of eye, bulwarks

were full of
מְלֵאֹ֥ת (mə·lê·’ōṯ)
Adjective - feminine plural construct
Strong's 4392: Full, filling, fulness, fully

eyes
עֵינַ֛יִם (‘ê·na·yim)
Noun - cd
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

all around.
סָבִ֖יב (sā·ḇîḇ)
Adverb
Strong's 5439: A circle, neighbour, environs, around


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 1:18 As for their rims they were high (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 1:17
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