Ezekiel 1:7

Easy-to-Read Version

Their legs were straight. Their feet looked like calves' feet, and they sparkled like polished brass.

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.

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.

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.

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

⁴ I was watching a big storm come in from the north. It was a big cloud with a strong wind, and there was fire flashing from it. Light was shining out all around it. It looked like hot metal glowing in a fire. ⁵ Inside the cloud, there were four living beings that looked like people. ⁶ But each one of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight. Their feet looked like calves' feet, and they sparkled like polished brass. ⁸ Under their wings were human arms. There were four living beings. Each living being had four faces and four wings. ⁹ The wings touched each other. The living beings did not turn when they moved. They went in the direction they were looking. ¹⁰ Each living being had four faces. In the front they each had a man's face. There was a lion's face on the right side and a bull's face on the left side. There was an eagle's face on the back. ¹¹ Their wings were spread out over them. With two of the wings each living being reached out to touch the one near it, and with the other two wings it covered its body. ¹² 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. ¹³ That is what the living beings looked like. Inside the area between the living beings, there was something that looked like burning coals of fire. This fire was like small torches that kept moving around among the living beings. The fire glowed brightly and lightning flashed from it.

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 named that space "sky." There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the second day.

Genesis 1:9
Then God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered together so that the dry land will appear." And it happened.

Genesis 1:11
Then God said, "Let the earth grow grass, plants that make grain, and fruit trees. The fruit trees will make fruit with seeds in it. And each plant will make its own kind of seed. Let these plants grow on the earth." And it happened.

Genesis 1:15
They will be in the sky to shine light on the earth." And it happened.

Genesis 1:24
Then God said, "Let the earth produce many kinds of living things. Let there be many different kinds of animals. Let there be large animals and small crawling animals of every kind. And let all these animals produce more animals." And all these things happened.

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 1:29
God said, "I am giving you all the grain bearing plants and all the fruit trees. These trees make fruit with seeds in it. This grain and fruit will be your food.

Job 26:8
He fills the thick clouds with water. But he does not let its heavy weight break the clouds open.

Psalms 104:10
Lord, you cause water to flow from springs into the streams that flow down between the mountains.

Psalms 148:4
Praise him, highest heaven! Waters above the sky, praise him!

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.