And I looked at the living creatures, and behold, one wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, toward their four faces.
Ezekiel has been watching four living creatures; now his eye drops to the ground, where a wheel stands beside each one. The vision has come down to earth, and it raises the question the chapter answers: who turns the wheels of history?
The living creatures move above; the wheels touch the ground. One writer notes where the wheels stand, what moves them, and what their jewel-like look shows.
Now we have another thing, which is completely outside the vision of Revelation. There, as already said, someone in heaven sees the vision. Here the prophet is on earth, and the wheels appear on earth too. They are tied to earth more closely than the living creatures are. Yet they move in unison with the living creatures — no, the living creatures move them, for the spirit of the living creatures is in the wheels. Their character is reflected in them. The wheels are also gem-like. Their appearance and their work is like the look of a topaz, for in them there is a display of the attributes of God.
Wheels are a picture, and in Ezekiel that picture has a set meaning. Events move, but they move with sight in them, along a path no one can fully trace.
In Ezekiel the wheels are a symbol, linked with the living creatures of God's providential rule on earth. The Spirit was in the wheels. The wheels looked like beryl, and they were full of eyes. This pictures the controlled but intelligent motion of events. Wheels were within wheels, which marks the control of the events as mysterious and hidden.
Ezekiel sees his nation falling under judgment. The wheel beside the creature says that this fall is not random. One writer draws out the contrast.
It is the exact reverse of circumstances left to blind chance. On the contrary, whatever the upheavals or changes among men, God guides everything knowingly, and where you would least expect it. The instruments of that providential government, below the expanse, agreed fully with what was above. Over this was the likeness of a throne.
The wheel on the earth had a name in Ezekiel's day: an invading empire. God judged His own city, and He used a foreign king to do it.
In Ezekiel we see His judgment on Jerusalem. God comes, and Nebuchadnezzar is the instrument. God comes on the cherubim in the way of providence — those wheels were so high that they were dreadful. He spares His own whom He has marked, and gives up the rest to destruction. He executes judgment, leaves them, and goes into heaven.
The wheels are the lowest part of the vision. The chapter climbs from the ground to a throne, and one writer makes that the key.
But how could these wings and wheels, and the living creatures they were joined to, work together toward this great end? The answer comes in chapter 1:26. Above the expanse, above those wheels and wings, there was a throne. On it was the likeness of the appearance of a man, and His voice controlled everything. It was a vision of a present great reality. There is a throne. It is the Father's throne, the supreme throne in the universe. On that throne there is a Man, and that Man is Jesus.
The vision settled this for a whole nation. It settles it for one tangled life too.
Do the times seem out of joint and the wheels always turning against them? Do they begin to think, like those who do not know God, that they are at the mercy of uncontrolled and fickle chance? Let them consider that the Saviour is on the throne, above all the wings and wheels that puzzle them… He is above all circumstances. He controls every wing and wheel that has a part in your life.
- Wheel. The wheel pictures God's providential rule. Events move, but they move with intelligence and control. Wheels within wheels mark that control as mysterious and hidden.
- Earth. The wheels stand on the ground. The prophet is on earth, and the wheels are tied to earth more closely than the living creatures are.
- Guided. History is the exact reverse of blind chance. Whatever changes come among men, God guides it all, and where you would least expect it.
- Instrument. God judged Jerusalem by way of providence, and Nebuchadnezzar was His instrument. He spares those He has marked, and He judges the rest through human power.
- Throne. Above the wheels is a throne, and on it a Man — Jesus. Peace of heart comes from seeing Him above every wheel that puzzles us.
The appearance of the wheels and their work was as the look of a chrysolite; 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 sees four living creatures, and then wheels on the ground beside them. They gleam like a jewel, they are built one wheel inside another, and they answer the question people ask when life feels out of control: who is running events?
The wheels are a symbol. Every detail of them carries meaning.
Ezekiel uses wheels as symbols, in connection with the living creatures of God's providential rule on earth. The Spirit was in the wheels. The wheels looked like beryl and were full of eyes. They picture the motion of events — controlled, yet intelligent. Wheels were within wheels, and these show that the control of events is mysterious and hidden.
Translations differ over the stone, and the writers admit no one can settle which gem it was. Scripture does show where else the same stone appears.
No one knows for certain which stone the word tarshish means. The Septuagint, the early Greek translation, uses different words for it. In Ezekiel 1:16 and Ezekiel 10:9 the "wheels" are compared to its colour, without stating what that was. Some suppose it was the golden topaz; others that it was the chrysolite. It was the first stone in the fourth row of the high priest's breastplate. It also appears in the foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem.
The wheels touch the earth, but they do not move on their own. They take their character — and their shine — from the living creatures above them.
Here the prophet is on earth, and he sees the wheels on earth too. They have a closer connection with the earth than the living creatures themselves. Yet the wheels move in step with the living creatures — indeed, the living creatures move them, for the spirit of the living creatures is in the wheels, and their character is reflected in them. The wheels are also gem-like. Their appearance and their work look like a topaz. God's attributes are on display in them, as in the jewels of the high priest's breastplate. Those jewels are the Urim and Thummim, the divine "lights and perfections" — the glory of the refracted light, which God is.
Another writer finds hope in the colour, and more than a straight line in the double wheel.
"The appearance of the wheels and their construction" is a more hopeful colour, beryl. It connects with the rainbow that in Revelation 4 always rises in divine promise above the fearful prospects of judgment. Their construction was "as it were a wheel within a wheel" — indirect and side results, alongside the leading feature of going straight ahead.
Now the shape itself. Two rims cross at right angles, and that changes how the wheels move.
The four wheels are alike, and have one basic meaning. Their appearance and their structure is "as it were a wheel within a wheel". So they go on four sides, one wheel set into the other, crossing it at right angles. Like the living creatures, they have no need to turn, whatever direction they go.
Nations rise and fall, and it can look like nothing is steering them. This writer draws the opposite conclusion.
It is the exact reverse of circumstances left to blind chance. On the contrary, whatever the upheavals or changes among people, God guides it all knowingly — even where you would least expect it. The instruments of His providential government, below the expanse, were in complete agreement with what was above. And over this was the likeness of a throne.
One writer turns the vision on the reader whose own life feels like a tangle.
Do the times seem out of joint, and the wheels always turning against them? Are they inclined to think, as those who do not know God think, that they are at the mercy of uncontrolled and fickle chance? Then let them consider that the Saviour is on the throne, above all the wings and wheels that puzzle them… He is above all circumstances, and controls all the wings and wheels that have their part in your life.
- Wheels — they picture how God governs the earth: events in motion, controlled and intelligent, never random.
- Wheel within wheel — the same control, but hidden. It works by indirect and side results as well as straight ones.
- Gem-like — the wheels shine like the stones of the high priest's breastplate. God's own attributes are on display in the way events move.
- Uncertain stone — writers differ over beryl, topaz or chrysolite. The same stone sits in the high priest's breastplate and in the foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem.
- Above the wheels — a throne. Events are the exact reverse of blind chance, and the One seated there is above every wheel turning in your life.
When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not when they went.
Ezekiel sees four gleaming wheels on the ground beside the living creatures, and what he notices is how they move: four directions, and no turning. That one detail carries the message of the whole vision — what looks like the churn of history has a shape, a direction and a driver.
The verse makes sense once you picture the build described just before it — one wheel set inside another. Older translations say the wheels went "upon their four sides," which the ESV gives as "in any of their four directions":
The four wheels are alike, and have one basic meaning. Their appearance and their structure is like a wheel in the middle of a wheel. One wheel sits inside the other and crosses it at right angles, so they go on four sides. So, like the living creatures, they have no need to turn, whatever direction they may go.
A wheel is the natural picture of events rolling on without anyone at the handle. Ezekiel's wheels teach the opposite:
It is the exact opposite of circumstances left to blind chance. Instead, God knowingly guides every revolution and change among people, even where you would least expect it. Below the expanse, the instruments of His government over events were in full accord with what was above. Over this was the likeness of a throne.
Everyday speech reaches for the same picture when life feels tangled:
We talk about the "flight of time" and "the wheels of fortune." Sometimes life seems so complicated that we talk of "wheels within wheels" — just what Ezekiel saw in his vision. To some, time and circumstances may seem so out of gear that they conclude they are the victims of blind chance. But these wings and wheels that Ezekiel saw were not blind or out of control. They were attached to living creatures that had great intelligence, and they were under very definite control.
Never turning means more than a neat design. It says something about God's plans:
Generals fighting a war would have what we would call "a major plan." If that failed, they would fall back on "a secondary plan." But there is no secondary plan suggested here. God needs no secondary plan. They are invincible; they cannot be deflected or turned aside. Nebuchadnezzar with all his power could not turn them aside.
The wheels are the part of the vision that touches the ground. But they do not supply their own motion:
Here the prophet is on earth. The wheels are seen on earth too, and they have a closer connection with it than the living creatures themselves. Yet they move in unison with the living creatures — indeed, the living creatures move them, for the spirit of the living creatures is in the wheels, and their character shows in them. The wheels are also gem-like. Their appearance and their work is like the look of a topaz, for they display the attributes of God.
The wheels are not the top of the picture. Everything in the vision depends on what is above them:
Intelligence, strength, stability and swiftness in judgment all depended on the throne. So did the movement of the whole course of events on earth. This living energy animated the whole. The wheels of God's government moved by the same spirit, and went straight forward. All was subservient to the will and purpose of Him who sat on the throne judging right. Majesty, government and providence united to form the throne of His glory.
This is not only about empires. The same control reaches into an individual life that feels knotted:
Do the times seem out of joint and the wheels always turning against them? Anyone who thinks that way should consider that the Saviour is on the throne, above all the wings and wheels that confuse them… He has not forgotten you, nor the apparent tangles in your life… He is above all circumstances. He controls all the wings and wheels that have their part in your life.
- Design — A wheel set inside a wheel at right angles moves four ways without ever swivelling.
- Direction — No turning means no detour and no backup plan. Not even Nebuchadnezzar could deflect God's government.
- Drive — The wheels touch earth, but the living creatures move them, and they display God's own attributes.
- Dominion — Above the wheels, the creatures and the expanse stands a throne. The whole course of events on earth depends on the One seated there.
- Daily — The tangles in your life run on the same wheels, and the Saviour on the throne is above them.
As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.
Ezekiel sees a throne carried on wheels, and this verse stops on the wheels themselves — their tall rims and the eyes all around them. Who steers the events that roll over nations and over one life, and does anything escape notice as they turn?
The wheels turn below the throne. They picture how God governs what happens on earth. One writer reads the vision as a direct denial that history drifts on its own.
It is the exact opposite of circumstances left to blind chance. On the contrary, whatever the revolutions or changes among men, all is knowingly guided where it might be least expected. Below the expanse, the instruments God uses to govern events were in full agreement with what was above.
The rims are tall, and the sight is awesome — older translations say "dreadful." One writer links that dread to how little of the wheel a man can trace.
And here the wheel rises so high that it is frightening. A man can see only a brief portion, and follow it only a short way. If he sees no more, the light dies out again.
A wheel rolls wherever something pushes it. Eyes on the rims change that. One summary ties the eyes and the wheels within wheels into one picture.
The Spirit was in the wheels. The wheels looked like beryl and were full of eyes. This pictures the motion of events as controlled but intelligent. There were wheels within wheels, which mark the control of events as mysterious and hidden.
Eyes all around the rim mean sight in every direction at once. One writer points out what that sight takes in.
They are full of eyes — they see everything before and behind, judging not only results but causes.
The dread is not the last word. The writer who described it finds hope in the same eyes.
The supreme control is not in man's hands, and still less can it be in the wheel itself. The eyes in it speak of a wisdom that mere machinery cannot have. If the wheel is only what God has appointed, we may learn hope from Him. His heavens tell us of their control over the earth, and show how He can bring light out of darkness, summer out of winter, life out of death.
One writer meets the same detail elsewhere in the Bible, and looks back to these wheels.
Being full of eyes reminds us of the eyes in the rims of Ezekiel's wheels (Ezekiel 1:18). This teaches us that the eyes of the Lord are in every place. He discerns perfectly every detail of every matter that He deals with.
The wheels are not the top of the vision. Ezekiel keeps looking up, and what he finds there is the answer to how all this movement holds together.
Above the expanse and above those wheels and wings there was a throne. On it was the likeness of the appearance of a man, and His voice controlled everything. It was a vision of a present great reality. There is a throne. It is the Father's throne, the supreme throne in the universe. On that throne there is a Man, and that Man is Jesus.
The same writer turns the vision toward anyone whose own life feels like a tangle.
Do the times seem out of joint and the wheels always turning against them? Are they inclined to think, as those who do not know God think, that they are at the mercy of uncontrolled and fickle chance? Then let them consider this: the Saviour is on the throne, above all the wings and wheels that puzzle them... He has not forgotten you, nor the apparent tangles in your life. He cannot forget you, for you are engraved on the palms of His hands.
- Wheels — the events of this world are not left to blind chance. Whatever changes come among men, God guides them all, even where you would least expect.
- Height — the rims are frightening because a man can see only a brief portion of the wheel and follow it only a short way.
- Eyes — sight all around the rim makes the motion controlled and intelligent. These eyes judge not only results but causes.
- Reach — the eyes of the Lord are in every place. They show a wisdom that machinery cannot have, so the frightening wheel becomes ground for hope.
- Throne — above the wheels sits a Man, and that Man is Jesus. His voice controls everything, even the tangles in your own life.
And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
The wheels in Ezekiel's vision never act on their own. Verse 19 sets the rule for everything that follows. So what do the wheels stand for, and who steers them?
The wheels roll on the earth, and the living creatures are above them. They match each other move for move. One commentator reads that as a flat denial of a world running at random.
This is the exact opposite of circumstances left to blind chance. On the contrary, whatever the upheavals or changes among men, God knowingly guides it all, even where you would least expect it. The instruments of providential government, below the expanse, agreed completely with what was above. Over this was the likeness of a throne. And above all was the likeness of a man carrying out judgment, though with the unfailing pledge of mercy to an evil world.
A wheel turns, and so does history. In Ezekiel the wheels belong to God's rule over the earth.
Ezekiel uses wheels as symbols, tied to the living creatures of God's providential rule on earth. The Spirit was in the wheels, and the wheels had the appearance of a beryl, and were full of eyes: a picture of the controlled but intelligent motion of events. Wheels were within wheels, which marks the control of events as mysterious and hidden.
The verse says the wheels went "beside them." A few lines later Ezekiel gives the reason: the spirit of the living creatures is in the wheels. One writer notes that the wheels touch earth more closely than the creatures do, yet take their character from them.
Here the prophet is on earth, and he sees the wheels on earth too. They have a closer connection with it than the living creatures themselves. Yet they move in step with the creatures. In fact the creatures move them, for the spirit of the living creatures is in the wheels, and their character shows in the wheels. But the wheels are also gem-like. Their appearance and their work is like the look of a topaz, because they display the attributes of God.
Note that commentators differ slightly on the stone named here: some read the older rendering "beryl," others "topaz."
The same Spirit drives every part. So the whole vision moves as one.
There is no hitch or jarring in the divine machinery, if we may say so with all reverence. The chariot of God's government never turns from its straight course. Ezekiel's first chapter gives a magnificent description of it: all its parts move together; wheel within wheel; everything directed by "the Spirit of Life" in the wheels.
When the creatures leave the ground, the wheels leave with them. A throne with wheels is a throne about to travel. That is what sets this vision apart from the throne in Revelation.
In Ezekiel, they are accompanied by wheels, but in the vision of Revelation by crowned and enthroned elders. In the prophet, one spirit animates both them and the wheels... For in those days of Ezekiel, the throne, whose purpose they express, was about to remove itself from the sanctuary, and wheels were suited to it; but in the day anticipated by this vision, the throne is at rest.
If God governs this way, most people will never notice. The machinery is real, but hidden from sight.
Divine power does indeed order and control all things... but it all works through a mysterious combining and overseeing of events that natural men know nothing about. Faith recognises it. Faith sees the hand of God in many things and confesses it in all. But the world at large sees and admits nothing beyond the course of events, and the human agents people credit them to.
- Linked — The wheels never move alone. They go and rise with the living creatures above them.
- Driven — The spirit of the living creatures is in the wheels. So earth's events carry the character of the throne above.
- Ordered — The wheels are the turning course of events: controlled and intelligent, never blind chance. Wheel within wheel keeps that control hidden.
- Unified — Nothing in this machinery jars or veers; every part answers to the One seated above.
- Moving — Wheels fit a throne about to travel. When they rise, God's throne is on the move, and only faith reads it.
Whithersoever the Spirit was to go, they went, thither would [their] spirit go; and the wheels were lifted up along with them for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
Ezekiel sees a vision of God's throne. Living creatures move under it, and beside them run huge wheels. The wheels rise, stop and travel exactly as the creatures do. This verse gives the reason for that perfect agreement. It also answers a question we all ask: who is steering the events that roll over my life?
So what does this linked movement prove? One writer starts with what the vision rules out.
It is the exact opposite of circumstances left to blind chance. Whatever the upheavals or changes among men, God guides it all with full knowledge, even where you would least expect it. The instruments of His providential government stood below the expanse, and they agreed completely with what was above. Over this was the likeness of a throne.
Why wheels, and why are they full of eyes? One reference work sums up what they picture.
In Ezekiel the wheels stand as symbols, linked with the living creatures of God's providential rule on earth. The Spirit was in the wheels. They gleamed like a beryl stone and were full of eyes: a symbol of the controlled but intelligent motion of events. There were wheels within wheels, which mark the control of events as mysterious and hidden.
The prophet stands on earth, not in heaven, and the wheels run on earth with him. One writer weighs what that closeness to earth does not change.
Here the prophet is on earth, and the wheels appear on earth too. They have a closer link with the earth than the living creatures themselves. Yet they move in unison with the creatures — no, the creatures move them. The spirit of the living creatures is in the wheels, so the character of the creatures shows in them.
Writers differ over this word spirit: some print it as the Spirit of God, others as the spirit of the creatures. Either way, the power is not the wheels' own. Above them all the chapter shows a throne.
Intelligence, strength, stability and swiftness in judgment all depended on the throne. So did the movement of the whole course of events on earth. This living energy animated the whole. It moved the cherubim who support the throne and are full of eyes. The same spirit moved the wheels of God's government, and they went straight forward. Everything served the will and purpose of Him who sat on the throne, judging rightly. But all the instruments of His glory were below the expanse. He whom they glorified was above.
The same living creatures appear in Revelation, but there they have no wheels. One writer explains the difference.
In Ezekiel the living creatures appear more in connection with the earth. That may be why they are said there to have wheels as well as wings. In Revelation, God has set His earthly people aside for a time and called a heavenly people. So there the creatures have only the wings suited for heaven, and not the wheels suited for earth.
Writers also apply the verse to God's people in action. One points back to Israel's victories under Joshua.
All things are ours. The sun stands still, and the moon stays its course. They witness to the power of God, and to the interest He takes in blessing His people. We may be sure that, wherever the Spirit will go, there the wheels will go (Ezek. 1:20).
The vision also has a personal use. One writer turns it on the reader who can see no order in his own life.
Are any tempted to think that their circumstances are a hopeless tangle? Do the times seem out of joint, and the wheels always turning against them? Do they think, as those who do not know God think, that they are at the mercy of uncontrolled and fickle chance? Let such a person consider that the Saviour is on the throne, above all the wings and wheels that perplex them. He is above all circumstances, and He controls all the wings and wheels that have their part in your life.
- Spirit first — the wheels never move themselves. The spirit of the living creatures is in them, so their motion is controlled and intelligent, not random.
- Wheels next — the wheels touch earth. They stand for the turning of events among nations and people. Wheel inside wheel marks a control that stays hidden from us.
- Character shared — one spirit drives both. So events on earth take the character of the creatures above them, and go straight forward.
- Throne above — every instrument in the vision stands below the expanse. The One they serve is above it, and all their energy depends on His throne.
- Peace below — wherever the Spirit goes, the wheels go. So a believer can stop reading life as blind chance.
When those went, they went; and when those stood, they stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up along with them for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
Ezekiel was a prisoner far from home when he saw four living creatures with wheels beside them. The wheels never moved on their own, which raises the question every age asks: does history roll on by accident?
Wheels that move with a life inside them say one thing about the events of nations: they are not random, even when they look it.
It is the exact opposite of circumstances left to blind chance. On the contrary, whatever the upheavals or changes among people, everything is guided on purpose, and in the places you would least expect. The instruments of God's providential government were below the expanse. They agreed fully with what was above. Over this was the likeness of a throne, and above it all the likeness of a man carrying out judgment, yet with a sure pledge of mercy to an evil world.
The details of the wheels — their colour, their eyes, the wheel inside a wheel — each say something about how God governs the earth.
In Ezekiel these wheels are a symbol, linked with the living creatures of God's providential rule on earth. The Spirit was in the wheels. The wheels looked like beryl and were full of eyes. This pictures the controlled but intelligent motion of events. Wheels were within wheels, which mark the control of the events as mysterious and hidden.
One living power runs through the whole vision, and it comes from the throne.
Intelligence, strength, stability and swiftness in judgment all depended on the throne. So did the movement of the whole course of events on earth. This living energy drove the whole vision. The cherubim who support the throne are full of eyes, and this energy moved them. The wheels of God's government moved by the same spirit, and went straight forward. All was subservient to the will and purpose of Him who sat on the throne judging right. Majesty, government and providence united to form the throne of His glory. But all the instruments of His glory were below the expanse; He whom they glorified was above.
The chapter works in layers. The spirit inside the wheels drives from within. The voice and the figure seen higher up direct from above.
In that verse the Spirit seems to be the inward power in control of them. Then in verse 24 we read, "And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty" — He was commanding them. Then verse 26 shows the One who had the administration in hand: "the appearance of a man above upon it." So while everything springs from God Himself, the administration is in Christ's hands, and the inward power that carries it out is the Spirit of God.
Kelly reads the wheels as a mark of where God's throne now stood, and he compares the scene with Revelation 4.
So the throne of God was no longer in Israel. The God of heaven saw fit to use the nations outside Israel, and He was about to do His will through them in punishing guilty Jerusalem. It is His throne from heaven, not yet His throne in heaven, as in Revelation 4, where we have no wheels, but six wings to each.
The vision is not only about nations. Anyone whose circumstances feel tangled can take it personally.
Do the times seem out of joint and the wheels always turning against them? Are they tempted to think, as those who do not know God think, that they are at the mercy of uncontrolled and fickle chance? Let such people remember that the Saviour is on the throne, above all the wings and wheels that puzzle them... He has not forgotten you, nor the apparent tangles in your life... He is above all circumstances, and controls all the wings and wheels that have their part in your life.
- Spirit — A living spirit is inside the wheels. Events on earth are driven, not drifting.
- Wheels — Full of eyes, and wheel within wheel. The motion is intelligent and controlled, yet how it works stays hidden.
- Accord — Creatures and wheels rise, stop and go together. All of it serves the will of the One on the throne.
- Throne — That throne judged Jerusalem from heaven, using nations outside Israel. The instruments were below; the God they glorified was above.
- Comfort — The Saviour on the throne controls the wheels that turn in your life. A tangle is never proof of blind chance.