CODEX LENINGRAD B19a
The Earliest Complete Hebrew Bible Manuscript
D. S. Loewinger, Editor
Makor Publishing, Jerusalem · 1970
CODEX LENINGRADENSIS — VOLUME II
EZEKIEL
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 1:1–3
1:1 And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, while I was among the exiles beside the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
1:2 On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—
1:3 The word of YHWH came to Ezekiel, son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans, beside the river Chebar. And the hand of YHWH was upon him there.
THE HEAVENS OPEN
Ezekiel's account begins among the Jewish exiles in Babylonia, where he reports witnessing the heavens open and receiving visions of God.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 1:4
1:4 And I looked, and behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud, and fire flashing within itself, with brightness surrounding it. And from its midst, from the midst of the fire, was something like the appearance of ḥashmal [a radiant, glowing substance].
THE APPROACHING PHENOMENON
The vision takes shape as an immense wind approaches from the north. Ezekiel describes a cloud enveloped in brightness, with fire flashing within it and a luminous substance at its center. The Hebrew ḥashmal remains difficult to identify exactly.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 1:5–9
1:5 And from its midst came the likeness of four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a human.
1:6 Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings.
1:7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of a calf's foot. And they gleamed like the appearance of polished bronze.
1:8 And human hands were beneath their wings, on their four sides. The four of them had their faces and their wings.
1:9 Their wings were joined, one to another. They did not turn as they moved; each went straight ahead.
THE FOUR LIVING BEINGS
Within the luminous phenomenon, Ezekiel encounters four extraordinary beings. Although humanlike, they possess multiple faces, wings, and metallic limbs. Their wings connect them, and their movement advances without turning their bodies.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 1:10–14
1:10 As for the likeness of their faces: each had the face of a human, the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle.
1:11 Their faces and their wings were separated above. Each had two wings joined to another, and two covering its body.
1:12 Each went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they went. They did not turn as they moved.
1:13 And the likeness of the living beings—their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches. Fire moved back and forth among the living beings, and the fire was bright, and lightning came out of the fire.
1:14 And the living beings ran and returned, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.
THE FACES AND THE FIRE
Ezekiel now describes the beings' four distinct faces and the force directing their movement. Fire passes among them, producing flashes of lightning. Their movements appear coordinated, governed by the spirit rather than independent direction.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 1:15–16
1:15 And I looked at the living beings, and behold, one wheel was on the earth beside the living beings, at their four faces.
1:16 The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like the gleam of tarshish [a precious stone of uncertain identification]. And the four had one likeness. Their appearance and workmanship were as though a wheel were within a wheel.
WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS
The vision presents another remarkable feature: four wheels placed next to the living beings. Each one has the same appearance and an unusual interlocking design.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 1:17–18
1:17 When they moved, they went toward their four sides. They did not turn as they moved.
1:18 And their rims—they were high and fearsome. And the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.
THE WHEELS COVERED IN EYES
Ezekiel adds two details to the wheels' construction: they can travel in four directions without turning, and their towering rims are covered with eyes.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 1:19–21
1:19 And when the living beings moved, the wheels moved beside them. And when the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose.
1:20 Wherever the spirit was to go, they went, wherever the spirit would go. And the wheels rose alongside them, for the spirit of the living being was in the wheels.
1:21 When those moved, these moved; and when those stood still, these stood still. And when they rose from the earth, the wheels rose alongside them, for the spirit of the living being was in the wheels.
A SHARED SPIRIT
The connection between the wheels and living beings becomes clear. Ezekiel describes a synchronized system where the wheels and living beings act as one.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 1:26–28
1:26 And above the expanse that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, like the appearance of a sapphire stone. And upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness like the appearance of a human, above it.
1:27 And I saw something like the appearance of ḥashmal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around it. From the appearance of his waist upward, and from the appearance of his waist downward, I saw something like the appearance of fire, with brightness surrounding him.
1:28 Like the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of YHWH. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
THE FIGURE ABOVE THE THRONE
The vision reaches its highest point. Above the expanse appears a sapphire-like throne occupied by a humanlike figure surrounded by fire and radiance.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 3:12–14
3:12 And a spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the sound of a great rushing: “Blessed be the glory of YHWH from His place.”
3:13 And the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great rushing.
3:14 And a spirit lifted me up and took me away. And I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of YHWH was strong upon me.
LIFTED BY THE SPIRIT
Ezekiel's experience moves beyond observation. The spirit lifts him and carries him away, accompanied by the tremendous sound of wings and wheels.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 8:1–4 pg. 318
8:1 And it happened in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord YHWH fell upon me there.
8:2 And I looked, and behold, a likeness like the appearance of fire. From the appearance of his waist downward was fire, and from his waist upward was something like the appearance of brightness, like the gleam of ḥashmal [a luminous substance of uncertain identification].
8:3 And he stretched out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head. And a spirit lifted me between the earth and the heavens and brought me to Jerusalem, in visions of God, to the entrance of the inner gate facing north, where the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes jealousy, was located.
8:4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the appearance that I had seen in the valley.
BETWEEN EARTH AND HEAVEN
Ezekiel encounters another radiant, humanlike figure that resembles the one described in his first vision. This time, the figure reaches out to him, and a spirit lifts him between earth and heaven, taking him to Jerusalem.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 10:1–7
10:1 And I looked, and behold, upon the expanse above the heads of the cherubim there appeared something like a sapphire stone, resembling the appearance of a throne.
10:2 And he spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Go in among the wheelwork, beneath the cherub, and fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” And he went in before my eyes.
10:3 Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the house when the man entered, and the cloud filled the inner court.
10:4 And the glory of YHWH rose from above the cherub to the threshold of the house. The house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of YHWH.
10:5 And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.
10:6 And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from between the wheelwork, from between the cherubim,” he entered and stood beside a wheel.
10:7 And the cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim toward the fire between them, took some of it, and placed it into the hands of the man clothed in linen. And he took it and went out.
THE THRONE AND THE BURNING COALS
The throne from Ezekiel's opening vision reappears above the cherubim, within the temple complex. A linen-clothed figure receives burning coals from between the beings and is commanded to scatter them over Jerusalem.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 10:8–17
10:8 And there appeared among the cherubim the form of a human hand beneath their wings. 10:9 And I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside one cherub and another wheel beside another cherub. The appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a tarshish stone.
10:10 And as for their appearance, the four had one likeness, as though a wheel were within a wheel.
10:11 When they moved, they went toward their four sides. They did not turn as they moved, but toward the place where the head faced, they followed it. They did not turn as they moved.
10:12 And all their flesh, their backs, their hands, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels belonging to all four of them.
10:13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing, “The Wheelwork.”
10:14 And each had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a human, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
10:15 And the cherubim rose upward. These were the living beings that I had seen beside the river Chebar.
10:16 And when the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them. And when the cherubim lifted their wings to rise from the earth, the wheels did not turn away from beside them.
10:17 When they stood still, these stood still; and when they rose, these rose with them, because the spirit of the living being was in them.
THE CHERUBIM IDENTIFIED
Ezekiel identifies the beings from his original vision as cherubim. Their wheels retain the same unusual construction, eye-covered surfaces, and synchronized movement. The recurring details establish a direct connection between the two encounters.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 10:18–22
10:18 And the glory of YHWH departed from above the threshold of the house and stood above the cherubim.
10:19 And the cherubim lifted their wings and rose from the earth before my eyes as they departed, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the eastern gate of the house of YHWH, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
10:20 These were the living beings that I had seen beneath the God of Israel beside the river Chebar, and I knew that they were cherubim. 10:21 Each had four faces, and each had four wings, and the likeness of human hands was beneath their wings.
10:22 And the likeness of their faces was the same as the faces I had seen beside the river Chebar—their appearances and themselves. Each went straight ahead.
THE GLORY DEPARTS
The divine glory leaves the temple threshold and moves above the cherubim. Ezekiel recognizes the same beings encountered beside the Chebar, with their appearance and movement unchanged.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 11:22–24
11:22 And the cherubim lifted their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
11:23 And the glory of YHWH rose from within the city and stood upon the mountain east of the city.
11:24 And a spirit lifted me and brought me to Chaldea, to the exiles, in a vision by the Spirit of God. And the vision that I had seen rose away from me.
THE DEPARTURE OF DIVINE GLORY
The movement that began at the temple reaches its conclusion. The cherubim and wheels accompany the divine glory beyond Jerusalem, while Ezekiel himself is carried back to the exiles through a vision.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Hebrew, Ezekiel 43:1–5
43:1 And he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east.
43:2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the direction of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.
43:3 And the appearance of the vision that I saw was like the vision I had seen when I came to destroy the city, and the visions were like the vision I had seen beside the river Chebar. And I fell upon my face.
43:4 And the glory of YHWH entered the house by way of the gate facing east.
43:5 And a spirit lifted me and brought me into the inner court, and behold, the glory of YHWH filled the house.
THE RETURN OF DIVINE GLORY
The divine presence returns from the east, accompanied by a tremendous sound and a radiance illuminating the earth. Ezekiel recognizes the same vision he witnessed beside the Chebar, before a spirit lifts and transports him into the temple. The departure and return of the divine presence is complete.
[Further Analysis Pending…]
