Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Upon their four sides – i. e. straight in the direction toward which their faces looked. Since the four quarters express all directions, the construction of the living creatures was such that they could move in each direction alike.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Eze 1:17

And they turned not when they went.

Concentrated lives

It is a grand thing to see a man thoroughly possessed with one master passion. Such a man is sure to be strong, and if the master principle be excellent, he is sure to be excellent too. The man of one object is a man indeed. Lives with many aims are like water trickling through innumerable streams, none of which is wide enough or deep enough to float the merest cockleshell of a boat; but a life with one object is like a mighty river flowing between its banks, bearing to the ocean a multitude of ships, and spreading fertility on either side. Give me a man not only with a great object in his soul, but thoroughly possessed by it, his powers all concentrated, and himself on fire with vehement zeal for his supreme object, and you have put before me one of the greatest sources of power which the world can produce. Give me a man engrossed with holy love as to his heart, and filled with some masterly celestial thought as to his brain, and such a man will be known wherever his lot may be cast, and I will venture to prophesy that his name will be remembered long after the place of his sepulchre shall be forgotten. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

When they went; the living creatures; indeed the wheels moved according to the motion of the living creatures, but it will as well agree with the truth, as it better agrees with the grammar of the words, to say this;

they, i.e. the wheels.

They went upon their four sides; the wheels being supposed spherical or round every way as a globe, by an exact and curious framing of two wheels one in the other, the four semicircles which are in two whole wheels may be well taken for these four sides on which these wheels do move, and such a wheel will readily be turned to all points of the compass, as a ball on a billiard table.

They turned not when they went; they needed not go back to turn, as we see other chariots or coaches must do, putting back somewhat to alter their course; or, returned not till they came to their journeys end; or, nothing could divert them, or put them out of their course. So firm and sure are the methods, so unalterable and constant the purposes, of God, and so invariable the obedience and observance of holy angels; so subject to the just sovereign will of God are all second causes.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

17. went upon their four sidesThosefaces or sides of the four wheels moved which answered to thedirection in which the cherubim desired to move; while the transversecircles in each of the four composite wheels remained suspended fromthe ground, so as not to impede the movements of the others.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

When they went, they went upon their four sides,…. On either of their crossing rings, as they were directed by the living creatures, at whose side they stood:

[and] they returned not when they went; they had no need to turn about when they were to go east, west, north, or south, as wheels usually do; but they turned upon the crossing ring, which was towards either of the four points. This denotes the perseverance of the churches, and the true members thereof, in faith and practice; they do not turn back, nor look back, but go right on, walking in the fear of the Lord, and in all his, ways and ordinances.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

What he had already explained he now repeats for the sake of confirmation, that they went upon their four sides — that is, each living creature proceeded straight forward; the words they turned not refer to their perseverance; not that they exceeded the appointed space, but because they went forward to their object without intermission. I touch but lightly now on what has been already sufficiently explained.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(17) Upon their four sidesi.e., forwards or backwards upon the one wheel, and to the right or the left upon the other. Four directions are considered throughout the vision as representing all directions, just as elsewhere the four winds represent all winds, and the four corners of the earth the whole earth.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

17. They turned not when they went Of course they revolved, but as each wheel had a double tire, cutting each other transversely, they never needed to turn around when they wished to go at right angles with their present course. Probably these revolving wheels looked like globes of fire, the tires, however, being distinguished by sparkling eyes.

Upon Rather, toward.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments