Ezekiel 1:8
New International Version
Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings,

New Living Translation
Under each of their four wings I could see human hands. So each of the four beings had four faces and four wings.

English Standard Version
Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus:

Berean Standard Bible
Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four living creatures had faces and wings,

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

New King James Version
The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings.

New American Standard Bible
Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,

NASB 1995
Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,

NASB 1977
Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,

Legacy Standard Bible
And under their wings on their four sides were hands of a man. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,

Amplified Bible
Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,

Christian Standard Bible
They had human hands under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They had human hands under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings.

American Standard Version
And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings thus:

Contemporary English Version
Under each of their wings, these creatures had a human hand.

English Revised Version
And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides: and they four had their faces and their wings thus;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They had human hands under their wings on each of their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings.

Good News Translation
In addition to their four faces and four wings, they each had four human hands, one under each wing.

International Standard Version
From under their wings there were human hands on their four sides. Now as to their four faces and four pairs of wings,

Majority Standard Bible
Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four living creatures had faces and wings,

NET Bible
They had human hands under their wings on their four sides. As for the faces and wings of the four of them,

New Heart English Bible
They had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and the four of them had their faces and their wings thus:

Webster's Bible Translation
And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

World English Bible
They 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:
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and on their four sides [each had] hands of man under their wings; and [each] of the four had their faces and their wings;

Young's Literal Translation
and hands of man under their wings -- on their four sides, and their faces and their wings -- are to them four;

Smith's Literal Translation
And his hand of a man from under their wings upon their four sides; and their faces and their wings to these four.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides: and they bad faces, and wings on the four sides,

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they had the hands of a man under their wings on the four sides. And they had faces with the wings on the four sides.

New American Bible
Human hands were under their wings, and the wings of one touched those of another.

New Revised Standard Version
Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus:
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they had human hands under their wings on their four sides; and their faces and their wings were on their four sides.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the hand of a son of man was under their wings from their four sides, and their faces and their wings were at their sides
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and as for the faces and wings of them four,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the hand of a man was under their wings on their four sides.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Four Living Creatures
7Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, gleaming like polished bronze. 8Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four living creatures had faces and wings, 9and their wings were touching one another. They did not turn as they moved; each one went straight ahead.…

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!”

Isaiah 6:2
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.

Revelation 1:13-16
and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, with a golden sash around His chest. / 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. ...

Daniel 10:5-6
I lifted up my eyes, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. / His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

Revelation 10:1
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire.

Exodus 24:10
and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.

Revelation 19:10
So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

1 Kings 22:19
Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.

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.

Isaiah 1:6
From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil.

Revelation 15:6
And out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean and bright linen and girded with golden sashes around their chests.

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.

Zechariah 6:1-5
And again I lifted up my eyes and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. / The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, / the third white horses, and the fourth dappled horses—all of them strong. ...

Revelation 14:6
Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.

Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.


Treasury of Scripture

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 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 10:2,7,8,18,21
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…

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:

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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.














Under their wings
The phrase "under their wings" suggests a place of protection and covering. In the Hebrew context, the word for "wings" (כָּנָף, kanaph) often symbolizes shelter and divine protection, as seen in other scriptures like Psalm 91:4. The imagery of wings in Ezekiel's vision conveys the idea of God's creatures being under His sovereign care and guidance, emphasizing the divine nature of the vision.

on their four sides
This phrase indicates the completeness and omnidirectional presence of the creatures. The number four in biblical numerology often represents universality or the entirety of the earth (e.g., four corners of the earth). The creatures' ability to see and act in all directions without turning signifies God's omnipresence and omniscience, reinforcing the message that nothing is hidden from His sight.

they had human hands
The presence of "human hands" under the wings of these creatures is significant. Hands in the Bible often symbolize action, power, and capability. The Hebrew word for hand (יָד, yad) is frequently used to denote strength and authority. By attributing human hands to these divine beings, the text suggests that they are equipped to carry out God's will with precision and skill, bridging the divine and human realms.

All four of them
The repetition of "all four of them" underscores the unity and harmony among the creatures. Despite their complex and multifaceted appearance, they operate as a single entity, reflecting the unity within the divine order. This unity serves as a model for the Church, which, though diverse, is called to function as one body in Christ.

had faces and wings
The mention of "faces and wings" highlights the dual nature of these creatures as both sentient and spiritual beings. Faces represent identity and personality, while wings denote their heavenly origin and ability to transcend earthly limitations. This duality points to the creatures' role as intermediaries between God and humanity, capable of understanding and executing divine commands while remaining in constant worship and service to God.

(8) The hands of a man.--Implying, of course, also human arms. This particular adds to the generally human appearance of the cherubim, yet we must understand (see Ezekiel 1:11) that there were four hands corresponding to the wings for each cherub. These hands were "under their wings on their four sides." Hence the wings must have been attached at the shoulder. The repetition, "they four had their faces and their wings," is for the sake of emphasis and distinctness.

Verse 8. - They had the hands of a man, etc. The prophet seems to describe each detail in the order in which it presented itself to him. What he next sees is that each of the four forms has two hands on each of its four sides. Nothing could supersede that symbol of activity and strength.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Under
מִתַּ֙חַת֙ (mit·ta·ḥaṯ)
Preposition-m
Strong's 8478: The bottom, below, in lieu of

their wings
כַּנְפֵיהֶ֔ם (kan·p̄ê·hem)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3671: An edge, extremity, a wing, a flap, a quarter, a pinnacle

on
עַ֖ל (‘al)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

their four
אַרְבַּ֣עַת (’ar·ba·‘aṯ)
Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 702: Four

sides
רִבְעֵיהֶ֑ם (riḇ·‘ê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7253: Fourth part, four sides

they had human
אָדָ֗ם (’ā·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

hands.
וִידֵ֣י (wî·ḏê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - fdc
Strong's 3027: A hand

All four
לְאַרְבַּעְתָּֽם׃ (lə·’ar·ba‘·tām)
Preposition-l | Number - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 702: Four

of them had faces
וּפְנֵיהֶ֥ם (ū·p̄ə·nê·hem)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

and wings,
וְכַנְפֵיהֶ֖ם (wə·ḵan·p̄ê·hem)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3671: An edge, extremity, a wing, a flap, a quarter, a pinnacle


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 1:8 They had the hands of a man (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 1:7
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