Ezechiel 1:9
And the wings of one were joined to the wings of another. They turned not when they went: but every one went straight forward.
Open Ezechiel 1:9 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Junctæque erant pennæ eorum alterius ad alterum : non revertebantur cum incederent, sed unumquodque ante faciem suam gradiebatur.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- οὐκ ἐπεστρέφοντο ἐν τῷ βαδίζειν αὐτά, ἕκαστον ἀπέναντι τοῦ προσώπου αὐτῶν ἐπορεύοντο.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- חֹֽבְרֹ֛ת אִשָּׁ֥ה אֶל אֲחוֹתָ֖הּ כַּנְפֵיהֶ֑ם לֹא יִסַּ֣בּוּ בְלֶכְתָּ֔ן אִ֛ישׁ אֶל עֵ֥בֶר פָּנָ֖יו יֵלֵֽכוּ
Haydock's commentary
Another. Two above were extended so as to support the throne, which seemed to rest on these eight wings connected together. The others were joined so as perfectly to cover what was below the breast. (Calmet)
Septuagint, "And the wings of those four were touching each other, and their faces (Calmet reads with Chaldean and Hebrew, wings) turned not," &c. (Haydock)
The wings did not imitate those of birds, going to and fro, but were constantly in the same direction; or the animals did not change their respective situations: as they had four faces, there was always one of them turned to the opposite quarters of the world. (Calmet)
They turned not about, (ver. 12.) but having faces on every side, were ready to go any way. (Worthington)
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 …