The Meaning of Ezekiel 1:4 Explained

Ezekiel 1:4

KJV: 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.

YLT: And I look, and lo, a tempestuous wind is coming from the north, a great cloud, and fire catching itself, and brightness to it round about, and out of its midst as the colour of copper, out of the midst of the fire.

Darby: And I looked, and behold, a stormy wind 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 look of glowing brass, out of the midst of the fire.

ASV: And I looked, and, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire infolding itself, and a brightness round about it, and out of the midst thereof as it were glowing metal, out of the midst of the fire.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Ezekiel 1:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Ezekiel saw within the opened heavens a great cloud blown toward him by the north wind with lightning flashing from it almost constantly (cf. 1 Kings 19:11-13; Job 38:1; Job 40:6; Psalm 29:3-5). Israel"s enemies had invaded from the north, so the implication was that an invasion was coming. He also saw a bright light around this cloud and something like hot glowing metal shining in its midst, evidently God Himself (cf. Exodus 13:17-22; Exodus 19:16-18; Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:28-29). The biblical writers sometimes described God"s abode as in the north (e.g, Psalm 48:2; Isaiah 14:13; cf. Matthew 24:30; Matthew 26:32; 1 Thessalonians 4:17), and they often associated storms and clouds with theophanies (e.g, Job 38:1; Psalm 29:3-9; Psalm 104:3; Isaiah 29:6; cf. Exodus 13:21; Leviticus 16:2).
As God had riveted the attention of Moses by showing him a bush that was burning but not burning up ( Exodus 3:1-15), so God captured Ezekiel"s attention with this vision of a burning cloud.

Context Summary

Ezekiel 1:1-21 - A Vision Of God's Majesty
A dark storm-cloud approaches the prophet, from which an incessant blaze of lightning scintillated. As it drew near, the forms of four living creatures became visible, combining, under various figures, intelligence, strength, patience, and soaring aspiration. The wheels were evidently symbolical of the cycles of divine providence, which cooperate with the ministers of the divine will. The slab of blue expanse supported a human semblance, suggestive of that great after-event-God manifest in the flesh. The whole conception impresses us with the reality, order, majesty, and humanness, of the Eternal God. Those holy beings surely represent the intelligent company of innumerable angels and servants, while the wheels represent the material creation. All these are sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation. Angels and nature minister to us, if we are in union with God. All things serve the servants of the Most High. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 1:4 mean?

And I looked and behold wind a whirlwind was coming out of the north a cloud great and with [raging] fire engulfing itself and brightness [was] it all around and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber out of the midst of the fire
וָאֵ֡רֶא וְהִנֵּה֩ ר֨וּחַ סְעָרָ֜ה בָּאָ֣ה מִן־ הַצָּפ֗וֹן עָנָ֤ן גָּדוֹל֙ וְאֵ֣שׁ מִתְלַקַּ֔חַת וְנֹ֥גַֽהּ ל֖וֹ סָבִ֑יב וּמִ֨תּוֹכָ֔הּ כְּעֵ֥ין הַחַשְׁמַ֖ל מִתּ֥וֹךְ הָאֵֽשׁ

וָאֵ֡רֶא  And  I  looked 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וְהִנֵּה֩  and  behold 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
ר֨וּחַ  wind 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
סְעָרָ֜ה  a  whirlwind 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: סַעַר 
Sense: tempest, storm, whirlwind.
בָּאָ֣ה  was  coming 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
מִן־  out 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
הַצָּפ֗וֹן  of  the  north 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: צָפֹון  
Sense: north (of direction), northward.
עָנָ֤ן  a  cloud 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָנָן  
Sense: cloud, cloudy, cloud-mass.
גָּדוֹל֙  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
וְאֵ֣שׁ  and  with  [raging]  fire 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
מִתְלַקַּ֔חַת  engulfing  itself 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Participle, feminine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
וְנֹ֥גַֽהּ  and  brightness  [was] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: נׄגַהּ  
Sense: brightness.
סָבִ֑יב  all  around 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מוּסָב 
Sense: places round about, circuit, round about adv.
וּמִ֨תּוֹכָ֔הּ  and  radiating  out  of  its  midst 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
כְּעֵ֥ין  like  the  color 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, common singular construct
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
הַחַשְׁמַ֖ל  of  amber 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חַשְׁמַל  
Sense: a shining substance, amber or electrum or bronze (uncertain).
מִתּ֥וֹךְ  out  of  the  midst 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
הָאֵֽשׁ  of  the  fire 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.