Ezekiel 1:24

Noise. Heb. qol, a common word in the OT; also frequently translated “sound,” or “voice.” The context must determine which meaning best suits each particular instance. Qol occurs five times in this text alone, and is translated “noise” three times and “voice” twice. “Sound” instead of “noise” would be the preferable translation in the first occurrence of the word. The phrase would then read, “the sound of their wings.” Such a translation of qol in Gen. 3:8 would give to that passage also a more meaningful translation. Instead of reading, “they heard the voice of the Lord God walking,” we might read, “they heard the sound of the Lord God walking.”

The sound of the wings in motion that Ezekiel hears, strikes him as different from the ordinary sounds he is accustomed to hear. He casts about for some simile to describe the melody that thrills his soul. He finds a partial parallel in the sound of great waters, perhaps a rushing stream or a tumbling cataract. But the simile is inadequate. The sound is complex. In addition to the voice of God, Ezekiel also detects the voice of a great host, as though a large number of beings are involved in the movements of the living creatures and the movements of the wheels.