(This article reflects the viewpoints of another and does not necessarily reflect the understanding of Qumran Bet Community or AmYHWH. Perhaps truth would be better served if you also added your contribution to this piece.)
The Encampment
by Tom Moniz
Just what is it Ezekiel is envisioning in Chapter 1? This is a
"vision" and has much figurative imagery. Let me offer my opinion
founded in Torah (EMPHASIS MINE).
Ezek 1:5 And out of its midst is a likeness of four living
creatures(ChYWT, alive feminine plural), and this is their appearance; a
likeness of MAN(Adam) is to them,
They looked like men, although Ezekiel sees them as alive, probably due to Yaqob
being their father and the Manna they received for 40 years in the wilderness. I
am changing "living creatures" to "alive ones" thru the rest
of the vision.
Continuing in Ezekiel:
6 and four faces are to each, and four wings(KNPYM) are to each of
them,
The word translated "wings" is the same Hebrew word translated
"skirts":
Nu 15:38 `Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them,
and they have made for themselves fringes on the skirts(KNPY) of their garments,
to their generations, and they have put on the fringe of the skirt a ribbon of
blue,
Continuing in Ezekiel:
7 and their feet are straight feet, and the sole of their feet is
as a sole of a calf's(AyGL) foot, and they are sparkling as the colour of bright
brass(NeChaShaT);
Remember "AyGL" and "NeChaShaT", it is important when
comparing to Ezek 10.
Continuing in Ezekiel:
8 and HANDS OF MAN under their wings--on their four sides, and their faces and
their wings--are to them four;
They were most likely wearing basically sheets with a hole for their heads, with
the tzitzis on the 4 corners, and their hands would indeed be underneath.
Continuing in Ezekiel:
9 joining one unto another are their wings, they turn not round in their
going, each straight forward they go.
They were "echad", one, and followed the cloud and pillar of fire thru
the wilderness.
Continuing in Ezekiel:
10 As to the likeness of their faces, the face of a man(Reuben, south, center
front from Ezekiel's perspective looking from the south), and the face of a
lion(Judah, east), toward the right are to them four, and the face of an
os(Ephraim, west) on the left are to them four, and the face of an
eagle(Dan, north, center back from Ezekiel's perspective) are to them
four.
Judah and Ephraim are easy to make the link. Reuben, the one who didn't receive
the birthright, is being described in this way due to his going up on his
father's bed in an attempt to take what was not yet his. His birthstone in the
Hebrew is ADaM, man, same as above. Dan, the adjudicator, other than tradition,
I have yet to make the link in the Hebrew Torah between him and the eagle.
Continuing in Ezekiel:
11 And their faces and their wings are separate from above, to each are
two joining together, and two are covering their bodies.
12 And each straight forward they go, WHITHER THE RUACH IS TO GO, THEY GO, they
turn not round in their going.
Nu 9: 16 So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance
of fire by night.
17 And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the
children of YShRAL journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the
children of YShRAL pitched their tents.
18 At the commandment of YHWH the children of YShRAL journeyed, and at the
commandment of YHWH they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle
they rested in their tents.
Continuing in Ezekiel:
13 As to the likeness of the ALIVE ONES, their appearances are as coals
of fire--burning as the appearance of lamps; IT is going up and down <01980>
BETWEEN the ALIVE ONES, and brightness is to the fire, and out of the
fire is going forth lightning.
The "fire" within them is fueled neshama, feuled by the manna.
"IT" is the Glory of YHWH, walking up and down amongst the encampment
in the wilderness:
Nu 14:14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for
they have heard that YHWH art among this people, that YHWH art seen face
to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou
goest <01980> before them, by day time
in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
De 23:14 For YHWH thy ALHYM walketh <01980>
in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before
thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee,
and turn away from thee.
Continuing in Ezekiel:
14 And the ALIVE ONES are running, and turning back, as the appearance of the
flash.
15 Now as I beheld the ALIVE ONES, behold one wheel upon the earth by the ALIVE
ONES, with his FOUR FACES.
16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour
of a beryl: and THEY FOUR HAD ONE LIKENESS: and their appearance and their work was
as it were a wheel IN THE MIDDLED a wheel.
17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not
when they went.
18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their
rings were full of eyes round about them four.
The "wheels" are the Levites, the inner encampment, the "inner
wheel" to the "outer wheel" of the 12 tribes in there
configuration. They to have "four faces" because they too are encamped
east, west, north and south.
Continuing in Ezekiel:
19 And when the ALIVE ONES went, the wheels went by them: and when the ALIVE
ONES were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
20 Whithersoever the ruach was to go, they went, thither ruach to go; and the
wheels were lifted up over against them: for the ruach of the ALIVE ONES was
in the wheels.
The order of decamping is found in Numbers 10 and it is Judah (the Lion) one of
the ALIVE ONES who decamps first after the movement of the cloud. The
"wheels" decamp in their order also. The "ruach" of the
ALIVE ONES was in the wheels for the Levites were the ones responsible for
teaching the sons of YShRAL the Torah:
De 24:8 Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently,
and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I
commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.
Mal 2:7 For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek
the law at his mouth: for HE IS THE MALAK (messenger, angel) OF YHWH OF HOSTS.
Continuing in Ezekiel:
21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood;
and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over
against them: for the ruach of the ALIVE ONES was in the wheels.
22 And the likeness of the firmament ABOVE the heads of the ALIVE ONES was
as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth OVER THEIR HEADS ABOVE.
Above them was the "throne".
23 And UNDER the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the
other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two,
which covered on that side, their bodies.
24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great
waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an
host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
You bet they heard His Voice. The "noise" that comes from the
"wings/skirts" is the commandments.
Nu 15:39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and
remember all the commandments of YHWH, and do them; and that ye seek not after
your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your ALHYM.
From what I can tell, Ezekiel is describing how these children of YShRAL who
were feeding on the manna were different than normal man, they were alive, truly
alive. For a better understanding of Ezekiel's vision I highly suggest indepth
study of the book of Numbers, especially the encampment and its arrangement
found in chapters 1-10.