The Meaning of Ezekiel 1:22 Explained

Ezekiel 1:22

KJV: And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

YLT: And a likeness is over the heads of the living creatures of an expanse, as the colour of the fearful ice, stretched out over their heads from above.

Darby: And there was the likeness of an expanse over the heads of the living creature, as the look of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

ASV: And over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of a firmament, like the terrible crystal to look upon, stretched forth over their heads above.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the likeness  of the firmament  upon the heads  of the living creature  [was] as the colour  of the terrible  crystal,  stretched forth  over their heads  above. 

What does Ezekiel 1:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Ezekiel also saw something like a clear expanse (Heb. raqia", firmament, Genesis 1:6; Psalm 19:1; Psalm 150:1; Daniel 12:3) of ice (Heb. qerah, crystal) over the heads of these four living creatures. Rather than being empty space this expanse appeared to be a firm, level surface or platform.

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 1:22 mean?

And the likeness [was] above the heads of the living creatures of the firmament like the color of crystal an awesome stretched out over their heads above
וּדְמ֞וּת עַל־ רָאשֵׁ֤י הַחַיָּה֙ רָקִ֔יעַ כְּעֵ֖ין הַקֶּ֣רַח הַנּוֹרָ֑א נָט֥וּי עַל־ רָאשֵׁיהֶ֖ם מִלְמָֽעְלָה

וּדְמ֞וּת  And  the  likeness  [was] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: דְּמוּת  
Sense: likeness, similitude adv.
עַל־  above 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רָאשֵׁ֤י  the  heads 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
הַחַיָּה֙  of  the  living  creatures 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
רָקִ֔יעַ  of  the  firmament 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָקִיעַ  
Sense: extended surface (solid), expanse, firmament.
כְּעֵ֖ין  like  the  color 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, common singular construct
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
הַקֶּ֣רַח  of  crystal 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֶרַח  
Sense: frost, ice, ice crystal.
הַנּוֹרָ֑א  an  awesome 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
נָט֥וּי  stretched  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular
Root: נָטָה 
Sense: to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow.
עַל־  over 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רָאשֵׁיהֶ֖ם  their  heads 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
מִלְמָֽעְלָה  above 
Parse: Preposition-m, Preposition-l, Adverb, third person feminine singular
Root: מַעַל 
Sense: higher part, upper part adv.