Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings: and the likeness of a man's hand was under their wings.

Each one had four faces, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

Every one had four faces each, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

Four faces are to each, and four wings to each, and the likeness of the hands of man is under their wings.

Every one had four faces and every one had four wings; and hands like a man's hands were under their wings.

Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. And the likeness of the hand of a man was under their wings.

Quatuor quatuor: [224] facies uni, et quatuor alae uni: et similitudo manuum hominis sub alis ipsorum.

The Prophet appears to dwell on points by no means doubtful: he has already spoken of the four heads, then why does he repeat it? Because he was dealing with a dull and perverse people: they were also slow in receiving the Prophet's doctrine: and they added this vice worse than all the rest, namely, a constant and open endeavor to detract from the authority of all the Prophets. For this reason the Prophet says, that there were four heads and four wings to each living creature, lest the Jews should scoffingly deride it as an empty specter and delusion of the Prophet, because he thought he saw what had no existence. For this reason he inculcates more frequently what. was sufficiently clear by itself had the Jews been docile and obedient. It follows --

Every one had four faces apiece,.... Every one of the four living creatures, or cherubim, had four faces; which were the face of a man, of a lion, of an ox, and of an eagle, Ezekiel 1:10;
and everyone four wings: the Septuagint version reads eight wings; and the Syriac version "six"; so many in all indeed they had; see Gill on Ezekiel 1:23;
and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings; See Gill on Ezekiel 10:8.

The repetition is in order that the people about to live without the temple might have, instead, the knowledge of the temple mysteries, thus preparing them for a future restoration of the covenant. So perverse were they that they would say, "Ezekiel fancies he saw what has no existence." He, therefore, repeats it over and over again.