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Ezechiel 1:5

And in the midst thereof the likeness of four living creatures: and this was their appearance: there was the likeness of a man in them.

Challoner: Living creaturesCherubims (as appears from Ecclesiasticus 49. 10) represented to the prophet under these mysterious shapes, as supporting the throne of God, and as it were drawing his chariot. All this chapter appeared so obscure, and so full of mysteries to the ancient Hebrews, that, as we learn from St. Jerome, (Ep. ad Paulin.,) they suffered none to read it before they were thirty years old.

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The verse in its languages

Vulgate (Clementine): et in medio ejus similitudo quatuor animalium. Et hic aspectus eorum, similitudo hominis in eis.
Septuagint (Swete): καὶ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ὡς ὁμοίωμα τεσσάρων ζῴων· καὶ αὕτη ἡ ὅρασις αὐτῶν· ὁμοίωμα ἀνθρώπου ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῖς.
Hebrew (WLC): וּמִ֨תּוֹכָ֔הּ דְּמ֖וּת אַרְבַּ֣ע חַיּ֑וֹת וְזֶה֙ מַרְאֵֽיהֶ֔ן דְּמ֥וּת אָדָ֖ם לָהֵֽנָּה

Haydock's commentary

Living creatures. Cherubims, (as appears from Ecclesiasticus xlix. 10.) represented to the prophet under these mysterious shapes, as supporting the throne of God, and as it were drawing his chariot. All this chapter appeared so obscure and full of mysteries to the ancient Hebrews, that, as we learn from St. Jerome, (ep. ad Paulin.) they suffered none to read it before they were thirty years old. (Challoner)

The pagans had many such compound figures as are here represented. (Parkhurst, p. 411.) (Haydock)

Sanchoniathon (apud Eusebius, præp. 2.) seems to have borrowed his description from this place.

In them. They stood upright, and had some parts of the human figure. (Calmet)

Indeed, it seems to have been predominant. (Haydock)

From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.

The Fathers on this verse

St Gregory Nazianzen The Second Theological Oration

XIX. To Elias neither the strong wind, nor the fire, nor the earthquake, as you learn from the story, but a light breeze adumbrated the Presence of God, and not even this His Nature. And who was this Elias? The man whom a chariot of fire took up to heaven, signifying the superhuman excellency of the righteous man. And are you not amazed at Manoah the Judge of yore, and at Peter the disciple in later days; the one being unable to endure the sight even of one in whom was a representation of God; and saying, “We are undone, O wife, we have seen God;” speaking as though even a vision of God could not be grasped by human beings, let alone the Nature of God; and the other unable to endure the Presence of Christ in his boat and therefore bidding Him depart; and this though Peter was more zealous than the others for the knowledge of Christ, and received a blessing for this, and was entrusted wit …