As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction … their construction …: Ezekiel now describes the appearance and construction of the wheels, that is, what they looked like and how they were made (their “structure” in New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh; their “design” in Anchor Bible). First he describes their appearance, then he describes their structure. In Hebrew he introduces each description with the words meaning “appearance” and “construction” (so King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Many translations avoid this repetition, because in the first part he only describes the appearance and in the second part he only describes the structure of the wheels. However, both the appearance and the shape of the wheels are important in the description of how they were made. Translators should not simply omit the reference to “appearance” in the second part, as Revised Standard Version does. They would do well to follow the model of New International Version in the latter part of the verse, which reads “Each appeared to be made like….” In this way both ideas (“appearance” and “construction”) are kept in the translation. This is another instance of where Ezekiel finds it difficult to describe exactly what he saw.

Their appearance was like the gleaming of a chrysolite: The wheels “shone” (Good News Translation), “sparkled” (New International Version, Revised English Bible), or “glittered” (Jerusalem Bible) like jewels. The Hebrew word for gleaming is also used to describe wine sparkling in the sunlight (compare Pro 23.31). It is not certain what chrysolite (tarshish in Hebrew) was, except that we know it was a jewel that probably came from Spain. Some think it was an opaque yellow stone, others think it was transparent yellow, still others claim it was olive green. Apart from chrysolite, tarshish has been rendered “beryl” (King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) and “topaz” (Revised English Bible). It would be wise to follow Good News Translation by saying “precious stone” or “jewel.” Translators may also say “precious stone called chrysolite.”

And the four had the same likeness means that the four wheels “were alike” (Good News Translation) or “looked the same” (New Century Version).

Their construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel: Here Ezekiel describes the construction of the wheels. Unfortunately, there are many different explanations of what these wheels were like. Like Revised Standard Version, some versions see them as “a wheel inside a wheel” (Revised English Bible; similarly New American Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). This gives the picture of a double wheel, perhaps something like a solid wheel made of wooden planks pegged together with a wooden or leather tire on the outside. Carvings and drawings of ancient Near Eastern wheels suggest that it may have been a wooden wheel with a smaller circle at the hub, giving the impression of two wheels, like the one illustrated below. Others understand them as “a wheel intersecting a wheel” (New International Version), “two wheels cutting through each other” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “one wheel crossways inside another wheel” (New Century Version), or “Each wheel … had a second wheel that cut through the middle of it” (Contemporary English Version). Good News Translation is similar with “each had another wheel intersecting it at right angles.” Brownlee explains how such wheels might work: “The outer wheel could flop over to the horizontal plane to give the inner wheel contact with the ground, which could then roll in either direction at right angles to the former.” This may explain how the wheels could move in any direction without turning (see verse 17). But in a supernatural vision, it is not necessary for there to be a natural explanation for everything. Although we cannot be sure, the first interpretation is more likely than the second one, because Ezekiel would have been familiar with the wooden wheels of the ancient Near East.

Here is one way translators can render this verse naturally:

• Each of the wheels looked the same and was made the same. They shone like a precious stone [called chrysolite], and each wheel had another wheel inside it.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .