Ezekiel 1:8 - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Bible Comments

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

They had the hands of a man - the hands of each were the hands of a man. The hand is the symbol of active power, guided by skillfulness" (Psalms 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 as that they do nothing at random, but all with divine wisdom.

They four had their faces and their wings. He returns to what he had stated already in Ezekiel 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 wheresoever they would, not by active energy merely, but also by knowledge (expressed by their "faces") and divine guidance (expressed by their "wings").

Ezekiel 1:8

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.