Ezekiel 1:24

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 a host. When they stood, they let down their wings;

Ezekiel 1:24 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 1:24

And when they went
In their ministrations, preaching the Gospel, and administering ordinances: I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters:
so the voice of Christ, which is no other than his Gospel preached by his ministers, is said to be as the sound of many waters, ( Revelation 1:15 ) ; which is heard a great way off, as the Gospel ministry is, even to the ends of the earth; thither the sound of the apostles' words reached, ( Romans 10:18 ) ; and which, as they move with great force, yield a pleasant sound of and may denote both the energy of the word, and the delightfulness of it: as the voice of the Almighty;
the Gospel being the word of God, and not of man; which is quick and powerful, and full of majesty, and works effectually in them that believe: the voice of speech;
an articulate voice, a human one, pronounced by men, whom God employs to deliver out his mind and will: as the noise of an host;
the church being militant, to whom they minister; so that their voice, in their ministry, is sometimes reproving, convincing, confuting, contending, and disputing, as well as teaching and instructing. The Targum is,

``and the voice of their words, when they confess and bless the Lord, the living everlasting King, is as the voice of the host of angels on high:''

when they stood, they let down their wings;
those two with which they flew, and with them covered their faces, or some part of their bodies, as ashamed of their own unworthiness and imperfections; or this may denote their having done their work, and finished their course.

Ezekiel 1:24 In-Context

22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creatures was as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

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 of 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 a host. When they stood, they let down their wings;

25 and there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads when they stood and had let down their wings.

26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, with the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness in appearance of a man above upon it.