Albert Barnes Commentary Ezekiel 1:4

"And I looked, and, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire infolding itself, and a brightness round about it, and out of the midst thereof as it were glowing metal, out of the midst of the fire." — Ezekiel 1:4 (ASV)

Out of the north - From this direction, the Assyrian conquerors came upon the holy land. The vision, though seen in Chaldea, referred to Jerusalem, and the seer is to contemplate judgment as it is coming upon the holy land. Others consider these words to express the special seat of Yahweh's power. The high mountain range of Lebanon, which formed the northern border of the holy land, naturally led its inhabitants to associate the northern region with the idea of great height, reaching to heaven. From such a lofty place, a vision like this might be supposed to originate.

Infolding itself - Forming a circle of light—flames moving round and round and following each other in rapid succession, to be, as it were, the framework of the glorious scene.

Amber - The original word occurs only in Ezekiel. The Septuagint and the Vulgate use “electrum,” a substance composed of a mixture of silver and gold, which corresponds very well to the Hebrew word. The brightness, therefore, is that of shining metal, not of a transparent gum. It should be rendered: “out of the midst thereof,” like (Ezekiel 1:7) burnished gold out of the midst of fire.