Ezekiel 1:7

Amplified Bible

Their legs were straight and the soles of their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they sparkled and gleamed like shiny bronze.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, sparkling like the gleam of polished bronze.

Hebrew Names Version
Their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished brass.

King James Version
And 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 colour of burnished brass.

English Standard Version
Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze.

New American Standard Bible
Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they sparkled like polished bronze.

New Century Version
Their legs were straight. Their feet were like a calf's hoofs and sparkled like polished bronze.

World English Bible
Their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished brass.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And their feete were streight feete, and the sole of their feete was like the sole of a calues foote, and they sparkled like the appearance of bright brasse.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze.

Legacy Standard Bible
And their legs were straight, and their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they sparkled like the gleam of burnished bronze.

Berean Standard Bible
Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, gleaming like polished bronze.

Contemporary English Version
Their legs were straight, but their feet looked like the hoofs of calves and sparkled like bronze.

Complete Jewish Bible
Their legs were straight, with feet like calves' hoofs. They glittered like burnished bronze.

Darby Translation
And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled as the look of burnished brass.

Easy-to-Read Version
Their legs were straight. Their feet looked like calves' feet, and they sparkled like polished brass.

George Lamsa Translation
And their legs were straight; and the soles of their feet were like the soles of a calfs feet; and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass.

Good News Translation
Their legs were straight, and they had hoofs like those of a bull. They shone like polished bronze.

Lexham English Bible
And their legs were straight legs, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of the foot of a calf, and they were sparkling like the outward appearance of polished bronze.

Literal Translation
and their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their feet like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled like the color of burnished bronze.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Their legges were straight, but their fete were like bullockes fete, and they glistred, as it had bene fayre scoured metall.

American Standard Version
And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished brass.

Bible in Basic English
And their feet were straight feet; and the under sides of their feet were like the feet of oxen; and they were shining like polished brass.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And 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 colour of burnished brass.

King James Version (1611)
And their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calues foot, and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brasse.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Their feete were straight feete, and the sole of their feete lyke the sole of calues feete, and they glistered as the appearaunce of brasse burnished.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And their legs were straight; and their feet were winged, and there were sparks, like gleaming brass, and their wings were light.

English Revised Version
And 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 colour of burnished brass.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the feet of tho weren streiyt feet, and the soole of the foote of tho was as the soole of a foot of a calf, and sparclis, as the biholdynge of buylynge bras.

Update Bible Version
And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished bronze.

Webster's Bible Translation
And 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.

New English Translation
Their legs were straight, but the soles of their feet were like calves' feet. They gleamed like polished bronze.

New King James Version
Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves' feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze.

New Living Translation
Their legs were straight, and their feet had hooves like those of a calf and shone like burnished bronze.

New Life Bible
Their legs were straight, and their feet were like those of a calf. They shined like bright brass.

New Revised Standard
Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished bronze.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and their feet were straight feet, - and the sole of their feet was like the sole of the foot of a calf, but sparkling, as shining bronze to look upon;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their foot was like the sole of a calf’s foot, and they sparkled like the appearance of glowing brass.

Revised Standard Version
Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished bronze.

Young's Literal Translation
and their feet [are] straight feet, and the sole of their feet [is] as a sole of a calf's foot, and they are sparkling as the colour of bright brass;

Contextual Overview

⁴As I looked, I saw a stormy wind coming out of the north, a great cloud with fire flashing continually from it; and a brightness was around it, and in its core [there was] something like glowing [amber-colored] metal in the midst of the fire. ⁵Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. ⁶Each one had four faces and four wings. ⁷Their legs were straight and the soles of their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they sparkled and gleamed like shiny bronze.⁸Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, ⁹their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. ¹⁰Regarding the form and appearance of their faces: they [each] had the face of a man [in front], and each had the face of a lion on the right side, and the face of an ox on the left side; all four also had the face of an eagle [at the back of their heads]. ¹¹Such were their faces. Their wings were stretched out upward; two [wings] of each one were touching another [the wings of the beings on either side of it], and [the remaining] two [wings of each being] were covering their bodies. ¹²And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. ¹³Among the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

straight feet: Heb. a straight foot

like the sole: Leviticus 11:3, Leviticus 11:47

the colour: Ezekiel 1:13, Psalms 104:4, Daniel 10:6, Revelation 1:15

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 40:3 - whose

Cross-References

Genesis 1:8
God called the expanse [of sky] heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Genesis 1:9
Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place [of standing, pooling together], and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.

Genesis 1:11
So God said, "Let the earth sprout [tender] vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind, whose seed is in them upon the earth"; and it was so.

Genesis 1:15
and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth"; and it was so, [just as He commanded].

Genesis 1:24
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind: livestock, crawling things, and wild animals of the earth according to their kinds"; and it was so [because He had spoken them into creation].

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth."

Genesis 1:29
So God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the entire earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

Job 26:8
"He wraps the waters in His clouds [which otherwise would spill on earth all at once], And the cloud does not burst under them.

Psalms 104:10
You send springs into the valleys; Their waters flow among the mountains.

Psalms 148:4
Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters above the heavens!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And their feet [were] straight feet,.... And they went straight forward, as in Ezekiel 1:12; they made straight paths for their feet, and walked uprightly, according to the truth of the Gospel; did not go into crooked paths, or turn to the right hand, or the left; and having put their hand to the plough of the Gospel neither looked back, nor turned back.

And or "for"

the sole of their feet [was] like the sole of a calf's foot; round, and the hoof divided, and fit for treading out the corn, in which oxen were employed; denoting the firmness and constancy of ministers in their work, treading out the corn of the word for the nourishment of souls, to whom they minister. The Septuagint render it, "their feet were winged"; or "flying", as the Arabic version; in like manner as Mercury, the Heathen god, is painted: this may denote the readiness and swiftness of Gospel ministers to do their master's work; their feet being shod with the preparation of the Gospel, and so very beautiful, Ephesians 6:15. The Targum is,

"the sole of their feet as the sole of feet that are round l, and they moved the world where they went;''

and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass; that is, their feet; being burning and shining lights in their conversation, as well as in their doctrine; see Revelation 1:15.

l So R. Sol. Urbin, Ohel Moed, fol. 60. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The “foot” seems here to mean the lower part of the leg, including the knee, and this was “straight,” i. e. upright like a man’s. The “sole” is the “foot” as distinguished from the “leg,” the leg terminated in a solid calf’s hoof. This was suitable for a being which was to present a front on each of its four sides. Ezekiel was living in a country on the walls of whose temples and palaces were those strange mixed figures, human heads with the bodies of lions and the feet of calves, and the like, which we see in the Babylonian and Assyrian monuments. These combinations were of course symbolic, and the symbolism must have been familiar to Ezekiel. But the prophet is not constructing his cherubim in imitation of these figures, the Spirit of God is revealing forms corresponding to the general rules of eastern symbolism.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 1:7. Their feet were straight feet — There did not seem to be any flexure at the knee, nor were the legs separated in that way as to indicate progression by walking. I have before me several ancient Egyptian images of Isis, Osiris. Anubis, c., where the legs are not separated, nor is there any bend at the knees so that if there was any motion at all, it must have been by gliding, not progressive walking. It is a remark of AElian, that the gods are never represented as walking, but always gliding; and he gives this as a criterion to discern common angelic appearances from those of the gods: all other spiritual beings walked progressively, rising on one foot, while they stretched out the other; but the deities always glided without gradual progressive motions. And Heliodorus in his Romance of Theogines and Charicha, gives the same reason for the united feet of the gods, c., and describes the same appearances.

Like the sole of a calf's foot — Before it is stated to be a straight foot one that did not lay down a flat horizontal sole, like that of the human foot.

And they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. — I suppose this refers rather to the hoof of the calf's foot, than to the whole appearance of the leg. There is scarcely any thing that gives a higher lustre than highly polished or burnished brass. Our blessed Lord is represented with legs like burnished brass, Revelation 1:15.