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In Ezekiel, the living creatures rush back and forth like lightning. In 3 Enoch, they move because they fear God's voice will harm them, giving the motion a cause in the danger of being near God.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Ezekiel 1:13
Hebrew Bible
12 Each moved straight ahead—wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 In the middle of the living beings was something like burning coals of fire or like torches. It moved back and forth among the living beings. It was bright, and lightning was flashing out of the fire. 14 The living beings moved backward and forward as quickly as flashes of lightning. 15 Then I looked, and I saw one wheel on the ground beside each of the four beings. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their construction was like gleaming jasper, and all four wheels looked alike. Their structure was like a wheel within a wheel.
3 Enoch 22C:5
Hebrew Book of Enoch
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
And the arches of the Bow are set above the 'Araboth, and they are 1000 thousands and 10,000 times ten thousands (of parasangs) high. Their measure is after the measure of the 'Irin and Qaddishin (Watchers and Holy Ones). As it is written (Gen. ix. 13) "My bow I have set in the cloud". It is not written here "I will set" but "I have set", (i.e.) already; clouds that surround the Throne of Glory. As His clouds pass by, the angels of hail (turn into) burning coal. And a fire of the voice goes down from by the Holy Chayyoth. And because of the breath of that voice they "run" (Ezek. i. 14) to another place, fearing lest it command them to go; and they "return" lest it injure them from the other side. Therefore "they run and return" (Ezek. i. 14).
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Notes and References
“... Although the ocularcentric imagery of the divine Face is still strong in this pas-
sage, an aural theophanic dimension is also present in the form of the deity’s
speech coming from his mouth. It indicates that not only the sight of the deity
poses an imminent danger, but the divine Voice instills terror in the hearts of
the heavenly creatures as well. 3 Enoch 22C:5 further unfolds this aural dimen-
sion of the danger motif, as it describes the fear of the angelic hosts attempting
to hide from the harmful impact of the divine Voice: “the fire of the voice de-
scends from the holy creatures, and because of the breath of that voice they
‘run’ to another place, fearing lest it should bid them go; and they ‘return,’ lest
it should harm them on the other side; therefore ‘they run and return.’”129 ...”
Andrei A. Orlov
Yahoel and Metatron: Aural Apocalypticism and the Origins of Early Jewish Mysticism
(p. 174) Mohr Siebeck, 2017
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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