John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 1:16

"The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto a beryl: and they four had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel within a wheel." — Ezekiel 1:16 (ASV)

Now the Prophet uses the plural number, and says, there were four wheels. He says, the color was like a precious stone. Jerome translates it “sea,” because the sea that looks towards Cilicia with respect to Judea is called Tharsis. But I do not know why the color of the sea or the sky took his fancy.

But granting that, the word is not found simply for a bluish-green color, for tharsis is a precious stone, as we learn from Exodus 28:20 and many other places. The Greeks translated it chrysolite, but I do not know whether correctly, nor does it much matter. We need only hold it to be a precious stone whose color was so exquisite that it attracted all eyes to itself.

And so God wished, under the figure of wheels, to place before His Prophet something earthly; but, at the same time, to raise his mind by its color, because he would ascertain from this that they were not common wheels, nor wooden, nor of any earthly material, but heavenly ones. The color, then, was intended to draw away the Prophet’s mind so that he might ascertain that heavenly secrets were revealed to him.

Like the appearance of a precious stone, he says; afterwards, and they four had one likeness. This may, indeed, be referred to the living creatures as some have conjectured, but I have no doubt that the Prophet here teaches, that the wheels were so equal that there was no difference between them.

Therefore, their proportion and equality show that in all God’s work there is the greatest arrangement—not that this lies on the surface (for we would rather think that all things are involved in hurried confusion), but if we raise our senses above the world, it will doubtless be given to us to acknowledge what the Prophet here describes, namely: that in all God’s works the arrangement is so complete that no line could be better directed.

God therefore, while He turns the world, preserves an even course with respect to Himself, so that what we call changes or revolutions have no inequality with respect to Him, but each is in harmony with all the others. Finally, he adds, their aspect and workmanship, or form, was as if each wheel were in the midst of a wheel, so that the bending of one wheel is across that of another.

For he does not mean to say, that one wheel was greater and another less, but that two wheels were so united that they were at right angles to each other. Now, we may see why the wheels were double; I touched on it briefly yesterday—namely, because God does not seem to maintain a direct course, but to have various changes and, as it were, in contrary directions, as if the motion by which each creature is inspired with vigor was drawn in different ways. Therefore it is said, one wheel was in the middle of another.

Finally, here God represents to us vividly what experience teaches. For first, the world is carried along just as the wheels revolve, and that, not simply but with such great variety that God seems to send forth His impelling force, now to the right hand and now to the left. This, then, is as if two wheels were entangled together. But I cannot proceed further now and must leave the rest until tomorrow.

Prayer:

Grant, O Almighty God, since You wish us to be subject to so many changes that we cannot settle on earth with quiet minds—grant, I pray You, that, being subject to so varying a condition, we may seek our rest in heaven and always aspire to behold Your glory, so that what our eyes cannot discern may shine upon us from there; and may we so acknowledge Your hand and power in the government of the whole world, that we may repose upon Your paternal care until we arrive at the enjoyment of that happy rest which has been acquired for us by the blood of Your only begotten Son.—Amen.