Ezekiel 1:12

Bible in Basic English

Every one of them went straight forward; wherever the spirit was to go they went; they went on without turning.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the Spirit wanted to go, they went without turning as they moved.

Hebrew Names Version
They went everyone straight forward: where the spirit was to go, they went; they didn't turn when they went.

King James Version
And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

English Standard Version
And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went.

New American Standard Bible
And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went.

New Century Version
Each went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, the living creatures would also go, without turning.

Amplified Bible
And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went.

World English Bible
They went everyone straight forward: where the spirit was to go, they went; they didn't turn when they went.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And euery one went streight forward: they went whither their spirit led them, and they returned not when they went forth.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went.

Legacy Standard Bible
And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went.

Berean Standard Bible
Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they moved.

Contemporary English Version
Wherever the four living creatures went, they moved together without turning their bodies, because each creature faced straight ahead.

Complete Jewish Bible
Each [living creature] moved in the direction of any of its faces; in whichever direction the spirit wanted to go, they went, without turning as they moved —

Darby Translation
And they went every one straight forward: whither the Spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went.

Easy-to-Read Version
Each living being went in the direction it was looking. They went wherever the spirit caused them to go, but they did not turn when they moved.

George Lamsa Translation
And they went every one straight forward; wherever the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

Good News Translation
Each creature faced all four directions, and so the group could go wherever they wished, without having to turn.

Lexham English Bible
And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit went they went, and they did not turn as they went.

Literal Translation
And each went toward the front of their faces. To where the spirit was to go, there they went; they did not turn in their going.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Euery one when it wente, it wente straight forwarde. Where as the sprete led them, thither they wente, and turned not aboute in their goynge.

American Standard Version
And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they went every one straight forward; whither the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went.

King James Version (1611)
And they went euery one straight forward: whither the spirit was to goe, they went: and they turned not when they went.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Euery one went straight forward: whyther as the spirite led them, thither thei went, & returned not in their going.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And each one went straight forward: wherever the spirit was going they went, and turned not back.

English Revised Version
And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And ech of tho yede bifore his face. Where the fersnesse of the wynd was, thidur tho yeden, and turneden not ayen, whanne tho yeden.

Update Bible Version
And they went every one straight forward: where the spirit was to go, they went; they did not turn when they went.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; [and] they turned not when they went.

New English Translation
Each moved straight ahead—wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went.

New King James Version
And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went.

New Living Translation
They went in whatever direction the spirit chose, and they moved straight forward in any direction without turning around.

New Life Bible
And each one went straight ahead. Every place where the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went.

New Revised Standard
Each moved straight ahead; wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and each one straight before him, did they go, - whithersoever the spirit was minded to go, they went, they turned not when they went.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And every one of them went straight forward: whither the impulse of the spirit was to go, thither they went: and they turned not when they went.

Revised Standard Version
And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went.

Young's Literal Translation
And each straight forward they go, whither the spirit is to go, they go, they turn not round in their going.

Contextual Overview

⁴ And, looking, I saw a storm-wind coming out of the north, a great cloud with flames of fire coming after one another, and a bright light shining round about it and in the heart of it was something coloured like electrum. ⁵ And in the heart of it were the forms of four living beings. And this was what they were like; they had the form of a man. ⁶ And every one had four faces, and every one of them had four wings. ⁷ 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. ⁸ And they had the hands of a man under their wings; the four of them had faces on their four sides. ⁹ They went without turning, every one went straight forward. ¹⁰ As for the form of their faces, they had the face of a man, and the four of them had the face of a lion on the right side, and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four of them had the face of an eagle. ¹¹ And their wings were separate at the top; two of the wings of every one were joined one to another, and two were covering their bodies. ¹² Every one of them went straight forward; wherever the spirit was to go they went; they went on without turning. ¹³ And between the living beings it was like burning coals of fire, as if flames were going one after the other between the living beings; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went thunder-flames.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they went every: Ezekiel 1:9, Ezekiel 1:17, Ezekiel 10:22

whither: Ezekiel 1:20, Ezekiel 1:21, Hebrews 1:14

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 1:23 - their wings Ezekiel 10:17 - for Ezekiel 46:9 - he that entereth in

Cross-References

Genesis 1:10
And God gave the dry land the name of Earth; and the waters together in their place were named Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:11
And God said, Let grass come up on the earth, and plants producing seed, and fruit-trees giving fruit, in which is their seed, after their sort: and it was so.

Genesis 1:24
And God said, Let the earth give birth to all sorts of living things, cattle and all things moving on the earth, and beasts of the earth after their sort: and it was so.

Genesis 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, like us: and let him have rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every living thing which goes flat on the earth.

Isaiah 61:11
For as the earth puts out buds, and as the garden gives growth to the seeds which are planted in it, so the Lord will make righteousness and praise to be flowering before all the nations.

Mark 4:28
The earth gives fruit by herself; first the leaf, then the head, then the full grain.

Luke 6:44
For every tree is judged by its fruit. Men do not get figs from thorns, or grapes from blackberry plants.

2 Corinthians 9:10
And he who gives seed for putting into the field and bread for food, will take care of the growth of your seed, at the same time increasing the fruits of your righteousness;

Galatians 6:7
Be not tricked; God is not made sport of: for whatever seed a man puts in, that will he get back as grain.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they went everyone straight forward,.... Or, "over against his face" q; for, which way soever they went, whether forward or backward, or on either side, they had a face to go before them, to direct the way, and steer their course; so the ministers of the Gospel have a face to go by and follow after, the word of God, to look to and direct them, which way soever they go, or whatsoever service they are called unto;

whither the spirit was to go they went; which may be meant of their own spirit, will, and inclination; so the Targum,

"to the place where it was their good pleasure to go they went;''

so Jarchi and Kimchi; but this is not always the case, see Acts 16:6; rather the Holy Spirit of God is intended, by whom holy men of God were moved, and spoke formerly; and by whom Gospel ministers are led into the truth, as it is in Jesus; and by whom they are directed where to go, and what to do; and they are sent, and go where the Spirit of God is designed to go, in order to work upon the hearts of men and effectually call them by his grace, which is usually done by the ministry of the word; and therefore Gospel ministers must go, and they do go where the Spirit of God has work to do by them; see Acts 16:6;

[and] they turned not when they went; they had no occasion to turn their bodies, because, which way soever they went, they had a face to go before them, and direct the way; Acts 16:6- :.

q אל עבר פניו "coram facie sua", V. L. "in tractam faciei suae", [objectum], Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Polanus "ante faciem suam", Starckius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The “chariot,” though composed of distinct parts, was to be considered as a whole. There was one spirit expressive of one conscious life pervading the whole, and guiding the motions of the whole in perfect harmony.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 1:12. They went every one straight forward — Not by progressive stepping, but by gliding.

Whither the spirit was to go — Whither that whirlwind blew, they went, being borne on by the wind, see Ezekiel 1:4.