The Meaning of Ezekiel 1:18 Explained

Ezekiel 1:18

KJV: As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

YLT: As to their rings, they are both high and fearful, and their rings are full of eyes round about them four.

Darby: As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.

ASV: As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

As for their rings,  they were so high  that they were dreadful;  and their rings  [were] full  of eyes  round about  them four. 

What does Ezekiel 1:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The rims around these wheels had eyes all around them (cf. Revelation 4:6). This gave the wheels an even more awesome appearance. Many eyes elsewhere in figurative language represent great intelligence and perception (cf. 2 Chronicles 16:9; Proverbs 15:3; Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10; Revelation 4:6).

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 1:18 mean?

And as for their rims so high they were and were awesome they and their rims [were] full of eyes all around the four of them
וְגַ֨בֵּיהֶ֔ן וְגֹ֥בַהּ לָהֶ֖ם וְיִרְאָ֣ה לָהֶ֑ם וְגַבֹּתָ֗ם מְלֵאֹ֥ת עֵינַ֛יִם סָבִ֖יב לְאַרְבַּעְתָּֽן

וְגַ֨בֵּיהֶ֔ן  And  as  for  their  rims 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common plural construct, third person feminine plural
Root: גַּב 
Sense: convex surface, back.
וְגֹ֥בַהּ  so  high 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּבַהּ  
Sense: height, exaltation.
לָהֶ֖ם  they  were 
Parse: Preposition-l, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
וְיִרְאָ֣ה  and  were  awesome 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: יִרְאָה  
Sense: fear, terror, fearing.
וְגַבֹּתָ֗ם  and  their  rims  [were] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: גַּב 
Sense: convex surface, back.
מְלֵאֹ֥ת  full 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural construct
Root: מָלֵא  
Sense: full, fullness, that which fills.
עֵינַ֛יִם  of  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cd
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
סָבִ֖יב  all  around 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מוּסָב 
Sense: places round about, circuit, round about adv.
לְאַרְבַּעְתָּֽן  the  four  of  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Number, masculine singular construct, third person feminine plural
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.