Verses 19-21 are very repetitious. The main point of these verses is the unity between the creatures and the wheels—they did everything together. Verse 19 describes how the creatures and the wheels always moved together. Verse 20 repeats this and adds that it was the spirit that controlled their movements. Verse 21 says the same thing as verse 20, but says it with greater force.

And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them: Whenever the creatures moved as a group in any direction, the wheels moved along with them. In verse 15 Ezekiel saw that the wheels were beside the creatures, and they stayed in the same position even when they were moving, that is, they moved all together as a group.

And when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose: Whenever the creatures rose and flew in the air, the wheels also rose up and flew. The wheels did not roll along the ground at that time. Ezekiel does not explain how they did this here, but in 1.24 and 11.22 he implies that the creatures used their wings to fly. Even when they took off and were flying through the air, the wheels maintained their position beside their legs. So the wheels were up in the air as well. New Jerusalem Bible makes this clear by saying “and when the living creatures left the ground, the wheels too left the ground.”

King James Version uses a passive verb here, saying “and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up” (similarly New Century Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). This rendering suggests that they did not move under their own power, but that someone or some external power lifted them and caused them to move. In this case it could only be the power of God. It would not be wrong to make that explicit. However, even though the Hebrew verb rendered rose has a passive form, it can also be used in a reflexive or intransitive sense. The active verb rose is preferable here, because throughout this chapter it is the spirit of the creatures that is the power that enables them to move (see the comments on verse 12).

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 .