Hebrew Bible · Ezekiel 1:4–28

Ezekiel's wheels

ReferenceEzekiel 1:4–28

Writtenc. 593–570 BCE, Babylonian exile

SetBy the river Chebar in Babylonia, 593 BCE

A whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber… their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel… their rings were full of eyes round about them four… I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters.

Translation: KJV

Read it literally

The most famous 'UFO' passage. Wheels that move in any direction without turning, rims covered in 'eyes' (lights or sensors), a crystal dome ('firmament') above, loud noise. NASA engineer Josef Blumrich drew it as a lander in 1974.

What scholars say

A throne-vision; the creatures match Mesopotamian winged guardians. Ezekiel calls it 'visions of God'.

From the sky Looks like technology

People and places hereEzekiel Josef Blumrich

Quick answers about Ezekiel 1:4–28

Where is Ezekiel 1:4–28 found?

Ezekiel 1:4–28 (Hebrew Bible). Translation quoted: King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with Apocrypha.

When was Ezekiel 1:4–28 written?

c. 593–570 BCE, Babylonian exile.

What do scholars say about Ezekiel 1:4–28?