Chapter 2 →

Lutheran reading notes

In Ezekiel chapter 1, the prophetic message continues to reveal themes of divine judgment, prophetic visions, and restoration of Israel. Lutheran interpretation often emphasizes the contrast between divine law, which exposes sin, and the promise of grace through God's future redemption. The chapter illustrates both warning and hope within God's covenant relationship.

Theme: Prophetic call to repentance and hope Key people: Prophets; Israel/Judah Key place: Jerusalem; nations Liturgical use: Prophetic lections
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth {month}, in the fifth {day} of the month, as I {was} among the captives by the river of Chebar, {that} the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. {captives: Heb. captivity}
Ezekiel 1:1 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
2 In the fifth {day} of the month, which {was} the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
Ezekiel 1:2 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
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: Heb. Jehezkel}
Ezekiel 1:3 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
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. {infolding...: Heb. catching itself}
Ezekiel 1:4 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
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.
Ezekiel 1:5 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
Ezekiel 1:6 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
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. {straight...: Heb. a straight foot}
Ezekiel 1:7 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
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 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
9 Their wings {were} joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
Ezekiel 1:9 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
Ezekiel 1:10 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
11 Thus {were} their faces: and their wings {were} stretched upward; two {wings} of every one {were} joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. {stretched...: or, divided above}
Ezekiel 1:11 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; {and} they turned not when they went.
Ezekiel 1:12 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance {was} like burning coals of fire, {and} like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
Ezekiel 1:13 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
Ezekiel 1:15 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
16 The appearance of the wheels and their work {was} like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work {was} as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
Ezekiel 1:16 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: {and} they turned not when they went.
Ezekiel 1:17 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings {were} full of eyes round about them four. {and their rings: or, and their strakes}
Ezekiel 1:18 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
Ezekiel 1:19 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither {was their} spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature {was} in the wheels. {of...: or, of life}
Ezekiel 1:20 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
21 When those went, {these} went; and when those stood, {these} stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature {was} in the wheels. {of...: or, of life}
Ezekiel 1:21 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature {was} as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
Ezekiel 1:22 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
23 And under the firmament {were} their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.
Ezekiel 1:23 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
Ezekiel 1:24 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
25 And there was a voice from the firmament that {was} over their heads, when they stood, {and} had let down their wings.
Ezekiel 1:25 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
26 And above the firmament that {was} over their heads {was} the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne {was} the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
Ezekiel 1:26 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
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 1:27 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.
28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so {was} the appearance of the brightness round about. This {was} the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw {it}, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
Ezekiel 1:28 highlights prophetic call to repentance and hope with emphasis on law, gospel, grace, and faith.