Living Creatures

Concise Bible Dictionary:

These in Ezekiel point symbolically to the attributes of God in connection with His throne, and His acting upon earth in His judicial government and providence. There were wheels on earth, and there was a wheel within a wheel. These wheels acted in concert with the living creatures; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. The faces of these living creatures correspond with the faces of the “four beasts” (which should be translated “living creatures,” the word being ζῶον, and not θηρίον, which occurs for the “beasts” of Ezekiel 13) in Revelation 4, etc. Each living creature had four faces: the first was the face of a man, which speaks of “intelligence”; the second the face of a lion, which symbolizes “strength”; the third the face of an ox, representing “patient endurance”; and the fourth the face of an eagle, which implies “swiftness of execution.” All show perfect organization for carrying out the government of God according to His righteous judgment (Ezek. 1:5-25⁵Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. ⁶And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. ⁷And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass. ⁸And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. ⁹Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. ¹⁰As 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. ¹¹Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. ¹²And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. ¹³As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. ¹⁴And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. ¹⁵Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. ¹⁶The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. ¹⁷When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. ¹⁸As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. ¹⁹And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. ²⁰Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. ²¹When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. ²²And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. ²³And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. ²⁴And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. ²⁵And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. (Ezekiel 1:5‑25); Ezek. 3:13¹³I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. (Ezekiel 3:13); Ezek. 10:15-22¹⁵And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar. ¹⁶And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them. ¹⁷When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them. ¹⁸Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. ¹⁹And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord's house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. ²⁰This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims. ²¹Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. ²²And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward. (Ezekiel 10:15‑22)). See CHERUBIM.