- I'll guess you're referring to Ezekiel 1:22 in the KJV or other older English translation ("chrystal" vs "crystal"). The KJV word "terrible" means awesome, awe-inspiring, dazzling, radiant, sparkling, brilliant, fearfully spectacular, etc. The verse is saying that the firmament above the living creatures looked like dazzlingly bright crystal. The Hebrew word for "crystal" can mean "ice," but the point here is the description of the look, not what it's made of.