Ezekiel 1:10

The form of their faces was that of a man, and each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and also the face of an eagle.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Ezekiel describes four living creatures moving in unison, recording their composite anatomy at the moment their wings touch one another.

The words — The Hebrew דְמוּת (de.Mut) means "likeness" or "form," and פְנֵי (pe.Nei) translates literally as "face," indicating the vision reports structured appearances rather than biological specimens.

The thread — This four-faced arrangement repeats in Ezekiel 10:14 and surfaces in Revelation 4:7, where identical beings surround a divine throne.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to fix attention on the precise spatial arrangement of the faces, treating the vision as a recorded sighting rather than an abstract symbol.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וּדְמ֣וּתu./de.Mutand/ [the] likeness of פְּנֵיהֶם֮pe.nei./Hemfaces/ their פְּנֵ֣יpe.Nei[was the] face of אָדָם֒'a.Dama human וּפְנֵ֨יu./fe.Neiand/ [the] face of אַרְיֵ֤ה'ar.Yeha lion אֶל־'el-to הַיָּמִין֙hai./ya.Minthe/ right [side]לְאַרְבַּעְתָּ֔םle./'ar.ba'.Ta/m[belonged] to/ [the] four of/ them וּפְנֵי־u./fe.nei-and/ [the] face of שׁ֥וֹרShoran ox מֵֽהַשְּׂמֹ֖אולme./ha./se.Molfrom/ the/ left [side]לְאַרְבַּעְתָּ֑ןle./'ar.ba'.Ta/n[belonged] to/ [the] four of/ them וּפְנֵי־u./fe.nei-and/ [the] face of נֶ֖שֶׁרNe.sheran eagle לְאַרְבַּעְתָּֽן׃le./'ar.ba'.Ta/n[belonged] to/ [the] four of/ them

King James Version

As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

Cross-references

Ezekiel 10:14 Each of the cherubim had four faces: the first face was that of a cherub, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.
Revelation 4:7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.
1 Corinthians 9:9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
Numbers 2:3 On the east side, toward the sunrise, the divisions of Judah are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Judahites is Nahshon son of Amminadab,
Numbers 2:10 On the south side, the divisions of Reuben are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Reubenites is Elizur son of Shedeur,
Numbers 2:18 On the west side, the divisions of Ephraim are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Ephraimites is Elishama son of Ammihud,
Numbers 2:25 On the north side, the divisions of Dan are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Danites is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai,
Deuteronomy 28:49 The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
Judges 14:18 Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!”
1 Chronicles 12:8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains: