Ezekiel
Book Type
The fourth book of the Major Prophets; the twenty-sixth book of the Old Testament; the twenty-sixth book of the Bible.Introduction to the Book of Ezekiel
Ezekiel prophesied while living in Babylon. He explained that God’s people had experienced Yahweh’s judgment—seen in their Babylonian exile—because they had worshiped idols and turned away from Yahweh. Ezekiel sees God’s glory depart from Jerusalem but also envisions the hope of its return. There is judgment and mercy throughout the book; there is pain and new life.The prophet Ezekiel’s book contains strange visions, images, and messages that seem far removed from contemporary life. It is not easy reading, yet its message remains very relevant: God will purify his people and live among them forever. Even during the darkest days, God insisted that he would restore his people. This message offers hope and inspiration not just to the exiled people of Judah, but to all who put their trust in him.The book of Ezekiel contains the divinely inspired prophecies of the prophet of the same name. These prophecies consist of oracles in the first person, giving the reader a sense of access to Ezekiel’s private memoirs. Written primarily to the exiles in Babylon, the prophecies equally emphasize judgment of sins and the promise of hope and restoration.Theme & Overview
Ezekiel the priest assures his fellow Jews that God will one day return them to Jerusalem and restore the temple.Filled with bizarre visions and puzzling revelations, this book might intimidate you. But it shouldn’t. Dig beneath the surface and you’ll find timeless lessons about God and his relationship with you: He’d rather forgive you than judge you. He remains faithful even if you don’t. He can use anything—even something bad—to accomplish his greater good. The NIV Quest Study Bible says Ezekiel wrote this book to the Israelites living in exile. They needed to know that the God of Israel was God even in pagan Babylon. Ezekiel warned the people that their idolatry would be judged. Later, after Jerusalem’s destruction, he wrote to encourage them that God would bring them back to Judah and Jerusalem. In Ezekiel, we see the large-scale ramifications of disobedience to Yahweh. The people of Judah had turned their backs on God. After abundant pleas and warnings, Yahweh eventually allowed the Babylonians to inflict pain on His people—an act meant to cause the people to acknowledge their sin and turn to Yahweh.Ezekiel also portrays the gravity of sin and the severity of the judgment that it warranted. In the sins of Judah, we see our own sins reflected—we, too, lose the power of God’s presence in our lives when we turn away from Him.Ezekiel also shows the people that restoration and reconciliation can follow judgment; they can return to Yahweh. Once Jerusalem was destroyed, Ezekiel changed his tone from one of warning to one of hope. Yahweh brings resurrection and new life: He can even raise dry bones in a desert and offer them new life, a prophecy the New Testament implicitly connects with the resurrection of the dead that Jesus’ own death and resurrection makes possible (Ezek 37; John 5:25–29; compare Rom 6:1–13; 1 Cor 15:12–34). Ezekiel’s language of a good shepherd—of Yahweh Himself seeking His people and strengthening them—is picked up in the New Testament when Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd” (Ezek 34:11–16; John 10:11).Theme and PurposeEzekiel spoke to a community forced from its home, a people who had broken faith with their God. As the spokesman for the God of Israel, Ezekiel spoke oracles that vindicate the reputation of this holy God. This radically God-centered point of view finds its sharpest expression in 36:22–23 (“It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name.… And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name.… And the nations will know that I am the LORD”). Thus the primary purpose of Ezekiel’s message was to restore God’s glory before the people who had spurned it in view of the watching nations. But Israel’s own welfare was bound up with its God. So the prophet pleads: “Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live” (18:31–32).Ezekiel’s message was unrelenting. Of all the books in the OT, only Psalms, Jeremiah, and Genesis are longer. Ezekiel’s uncompromising message is matched by language that often seems hard and sometimes offensive. If there is no softening his language, at least it appears that the grandeur of Ezekiel’s vision of God rendered much of the earthly reality he observed as sordid, and worse. The appropriate response, in Ezekiel’s terms, is not simply revulsion but repentance and a longing for the restoration of God’s glory.Key Themes1. As a priest, Ezekiel was deeply concerned with the holiness of God, and consequently with the sin of his people, that is, with any behavior that offended the holy God. These twin themes can hardly be separated, as attention to matters of purity can be found on nearly every page. Ezekiel’s perception of the depth of Israel’s sin shows graphically in his version of Israel’s history (ch. 20). Even the oracles of restored Israel in chapters 40–48 include provision for dealing with the people’s sin so they can survive in the presence of a holy God. This concern also accounts for the many echoes in Ezekiel’s oracles of the priestly material in the Pentateuch, particularly in the legislation of Leviticus and Numbers, as well as the resonances of Ezekiel’s new temple (Ezekiel 40–42) with the Exodus tabernacle.2. Israel was of course subject to its national God. However, Ezekiel’s God is no tribal deity but rather is supreme over all nations. Therefore Nebuchadnezzar, king of mighty Babylon, was simply a tool in God’s hand to accomplish God’s purpose (e.g., 21:19–23; 30:25). God’s absolute supremacy finds its most pronounced expression in the battle against Gog, the final enemy (chs. 38–39), where God alone crushes Gog’s vast hostile forces.3. The vigilance for holy living that the holy God demands places a claim both on individuals and on the whole community. Some see a significant milestone in biblical thought in Ezekiel’s preaching on individual responsibility in chapter 18 (cf. Jer. 31:29–30). While this chapter certainly focuses on the individual in the modern sense, Ezekiel’s clear expression of the requirements binding on communities should not thereby be ignored.4. The very structure of the book declares judgment on those clinging to (false) hope, but true hope for those who accept judgment (37:11). Ezekiel’s restoration message was heard both before and after the destruction of Jerusalem, but radically God-centered judgment is partnered with a hope (“salvation”) that wholly depends on God’s gifts of a new heart and spirit (36:22–32).5. The condemnation of Israel’s “princes” (e.g., ch. 19; Ezekiel is reluctant to use the title “king”) finds its hopeful counterpart in the promise of a future “prince” who would rule with justice (34:23–24) and stand at the point of connection between God and people (46:1–18).Author
Ezekiel, as specifically named in Ezekiel 1:3 and Ezekiel 24:24.Recipients
Ezekiel was written for Jewish people living in exile in Babylon. Many of these people continued to live in rebellion against God, despite the judgment that took place through the destruction of Jerusalem. Others desired to see God work in power again as the stories from their past. Ezekiel was written to condemn their sinful ways and call them to holy living, emphasizing a future plan for the Jewish people as well as the city of Jerusalem and land of Israel.Date
The last fulfilled prophecy spoken by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 29:17–21) occurred in approximately 570 BC, indicating the book was likely collected into its final form around this time. Other prophecies in the book involve the end times, and have yet to be fulfilled.Background
Since Ezekiel’s prophecies were directed not just toward Judah, but also toward nations including Babylon, Egypt, and Tyre, many can be linked with historical events and placed on a timeline. Ezekiel was probably a young man when King Josiah reigned and implemented religious reforms (640–609 BC), so while he saw a glimmer of what Judah could be, he would live to see the most tragic of its days.Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry (593–571 BC) took place during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. In 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Jerusalem, plundering the temple and taking more than 10,000 captives to Babylon, including officials, craftsmen, and nobles. This deportation included the priest Ezekiel (2 Kgs 24:10–16; Ezek 1:2). Ezekiel lived far from his home country of Judah, which was subservient to Babylon.A few years after the beginning of Ezekiel’s ministry, Judah’s King Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, who retaliated by destroying Jerusalem after two more years of brutal attack (2 Kgs 25; Jer 39:1–10). By 586 BC, both the city and the temple were in shambles. Some months later, the Jews living in Babylon heard the news (Ezek 33:21–22).The exiled Jews were assimilated into Babylonian life (Dan 1:1–9). Some bought homes (Ezek 33:30), and many eventually chose not to return to their homeland, but to remain in Babylon instead (compare Ezra 2:64–65). Ezekiel’s last recorded oracle, dated April of 571 BC (Ezek 29:17), describes Nebuchadnezzar attacking Egypt after his siege of Tyre.The book of Ezekiel was written during the difficult days of Judah’s exile in Babylon (605–538 BC). As the Assyrian empire’s power waned, the Babylonians gradually became more powerful. They captured the Assyrian capital of Nineveh (612 BC), and Babylonian domination was made complete with the defeat of the last resisting Assyrians at the decisive battle of Carchemish (605 BC). In the same year, the Babylonians raided Judah and took hostages from the upper classes back to Babylon, including Daniel and his three friends (Dan 1:1–5).In 601 BC, King Jehoiakim of Judah rebelled against the Babylonians, and he died during the ensuing siege (598 BC). His son, Jehoiachin, reigned for only a brief period before he surrendered and was taken to Babylon in 597 BC. The Babylonians also took the prophet Ezekiel and other prominent people into exile and plundered many treasures from the Temple in Jerusalem.While Ezekiel was in Babylon, the Babylonians placed Jehoiachin’s uncle Zedekiah on the throne of Judah. When Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, the Babylonians ravaged Judah and besieged Jerusalem in January 588 BC. The city was finally breached and destroyed in August 586 BC. The Babylonians forced Zedekiah to watch as they put his sons to death; then he was blinded and taken to Babylon with the other citizens of Judah who had skills useful to their overlords. These exiles remained in Babylon for a generation until the fortunes of the empire changed again (see Ezra).Ezekiel’s first visions took place in Babylon in 593 BC, when he was thirty years old (1:1–2).The Purpose & Audience (Reasons for the letter)
Before 586 BC, both the exiles in Babylon and the people remaining in Judah were convinced that Jerusalem could not fall. They believed that the presence of the Temple and its prescribed rituals would guarantee the city’s survival. Ezekiel had to tell them that they were completely wrong. Because the Temple and its rituals were corrupt and the hearts and lives of the people were thoroughly pagan, Jerusalem had to fall.While all the OT prophets condemned sin and idolatry, perhaps none used quite such sweeping terms as Ezekiel. From their time in Egypt onward, the disobedience of God’s people infected every branch of society and encompassed every form of offense against God. God could not ignore or condone such sin and would surely judge his people soon. Nothing could save God’s city or its people from his judgment.Following the destruction of Jerusalem, the prophet addressed his people, who were in grave danger of disillusionment and despair. They felt spiritually dead, abandoned by God and cut off from his presence. They said, “Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?” (33:10). Babylonian deities, who seemed to have triumphed over the Lord, surrounded the people. No one had ever returned home from captivity. Their hopes dashed, they believed they had no choice but to settle in the pagan land of Babylon and become part of its culture.To these disillusioned people, the prophet delivered a message of God’s sovereignty and glory, depicting God as majestic, transcendent, and powerful. The Babylonian gods had certainly not defeated God; rather, the Lord had temporarily abandoned his land and dwelling place because of his people’s sin. Although he left the defiled city of Jerusalem, this glorious God did not abandon his people. Instead, he went to the remnant of his people in exile (11:16), where Ezekiel himself first saw the Lord’s glory (1:1). God was still controlling all things, even the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar’s attempts to consult his own gods through divination (21:21–23; cp. Dan 2–4). The Lord had decreed the destruction of Jerusalem for its sins; Nebuchadnezzar simply acted as God’s agent.Destruction did not mark the end of the story for God’s people. God had promised to bless Abraham’s descendants, making them into a mighty nation and blessing all nations through them. The oracles against the nations surrounding Judah (chs 25–32) demonstrated that God had not forgotten his ancient promise that those who rejoiced at Israel’s downfall would themselves be severely judged. God would not forever abandon his people. One day he would return to be their shepherd (34:11); he would transform the land and the people from death into life. God’s glory would once again return to the Temple, which would never again be defiled. Further, God would gather his scattered people into his presence and replace the old ways of doing things with new laws and higher standards of holiness. When filled with God’s Spirit, the hearts of the people would no longer defile the land with their sins.Ezekiel points toward a greater revelation of hope fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Through him, God’s glory fully dwells in our midst as light in the darkness of our exile (11:16; 43:1–5; John 1:14). The Good Shepherd restores justice for his sheep (34:1–24; John 10:11). He fills us with his Spirit and makes us new creatures in him (36:26–28; 37:1–14; 2 Cor 5:17). Those who have allied themselves with Christ have even greater access to God’s presence than Ezekiel’s visions anticipated. They are able to approach the throne of grace freely and drink from the life-giving water that flows from the throne (47:1–11; Rev 22:1–5). Everything that Ezekiel anticipated—and more—is ours in Christ.The message of the book revolves around a pivotal event in the history of Israel—the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Prior to the announcement of Jerusalem’s fall, Ezekiel’s message was characterized by judgment. In his scathing review of Israelite history, Ezekiel exposed the nation’s moral depravity and absence of spiritual concern (2:1–8; 8:7–18; 13:1–23; 17:1–21; 20:1–32). After the destruction of Jerusalem was complete and the nation was in exile, his message changed. He turned to a proclamation of hope, which is what the people then needed most. God would provide a new heart and a new spirit to enable the people to be faithful and avoid a future judgment (11:17–20; 36:26–28). The Lord would establish a new temple (chaps. 40–48) and a new way of worship for the people once they were restored.The arrangement of the book (the announcement of judgment in the beginning and the declaration of restoration at the end) suggests that Ezekiel’s message was ultimately one of hope and encouragement.SIX MAJOR THEOLOGICAL STATEMENTS ARE AFFIRMED ON BEHALF OF ISRAEL IN THE BOOK:(1) The Lord will regather his scattered people (11:16–17; 16:1–63; 20:41; 34:11–13; 36:24; 37:21). (2) The Lord will bring the nation back to their land and will cleanse them from defilement (11:17–18; 20:42; 34:13–15; 36:24; 37:21).(3) The Lord will give his people a new heart and a new spirit so they might walk in his ways (11:19–20; 16:62; 34:30–31; 36:25–28; 37:23–24). (4) The Lord will restore the Davidic dynasty (34:23–24; 37:22–25). (5) The Lord will bless Israel with unprecedented prosperity and security in their land (34:25–29; 36:29–30; 37:26). (6) The Lord will establish his permanent residence in the midst of Israel (37:26–28; 40:1–48:35). All the covenants made with Israel will be fulfilled when she is restored to the promised land and the messianic kingdom is established.CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLEThere are few quotations of the book of Ezekiel in the NT, but there are some notable correlations. For instance, the structure of the book of Revelation, which begins with a vision of Christ, corresponds to the appearances of God in Ezekiel’s visions. The end of the book of Revelation also reflects the end of Ezekiel, where the river flows from the presence of God (Ezk 47:1–12; Rv 21:1–22:6). Finally, the depiction of the return of the exiles as resurrected from the dead is analogous to Paul’s concept of regeneration (Eph 2:5).Key Verses (ESV)
Ezekiel 2:3–6: "And he said to me, 'Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, "Thus says the LORD GOD." And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.'" Ezekiel 18:4: "Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die."Ezekiel 28:12–14: "Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the LORD GOD: \ `You were the signet of perfection, \ full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. \ You were in Eden, the garden of God; \ every precious stone was your covering, \ sardius, topaz, and diamond, \ beryl, onyx, and jasper, \ sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; \ and crafted in gold were your settings \ and your engravings. \ On the day that you were created \ they were prepared. \ You were an anointed guardian cherub. \ I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; \ in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.'"Ezekiel 33:11: "Say to them, As I live, declares the LORD GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?"Ezekiel 48:35: "The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There."Key Passages (NLT)
Eze 1:1–3 On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity. (The Lord gave this message to Ezekiel…Eze 33:21–22On January 8, during the twelfth year of our captivity, a survivor from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen!” The previous evening the Lord had taken hold of me and given me back my voice. So I was able to speak when this man arrived the…Structure & Outline 1
StructureThe book of Ezekiel can be divided into four main sections. The first 24 chapters describe the beginning of the prophet’s ministry and include his oracles against Judah and Jerusalem. After receiving his first vision (Ezek 1–3), Ezekiel prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem by using symbolic actions (Ezek 4–7). Other visions reveal the abominations taking place at the temple of Yahweh and the departure of His glory (Ezek 8–11). The people’s sins against Yahweh led to prophecies of judgment against Jerusalem (Ezek 12–24).In chs. 25–32, Ezekiel prophesies judgment against other nations. Chapters 33–39 focus on the theme of Israel’s restoration, including the famous vision of the valley of dry bones coming to life (Ezek 37). In the final section (Ezek 40–48) the prophet’s elaborate vision reveals a new temple that is cleansed so that Yahweh’s glory may return.Outline • Oracles against Judah and Jerusalem (Ezek 1:1–24:27) • Oracles against foreign nations (Ezek 25:1–32:32) • Prophecies of restoration (Ezek 33:1–39:29) • A restored temple (Ezek 40:1–48:35)Outline 2
Ezekiel is one of the longest books in the Bible, consisting of 48 chapters collected thematically regarding the prophet's writings. Interpreters generally divide Ezekiel's writing into four major sections. The first section covers the prophecies of Jerusalem's destruction (Ezekiel 1—24). Ezekiel is called as a prophet in a vision (Ezekiel 1) and given instructions from the Lord (Ezekiel 2—3). Ezekiel reveals Jerusalem's upcoming judgment (Ezekiel 4—7), including a lengthy vision of the abomination in Jerusalem and the temple (Ezekiel 8—11). Various teachings regarding this judgment follow the vision (Ezekiel 12—24).The second major section covers prophecies to other nations (Ezekiel 25—32). The Lord speaks through Ezekiel regarding seven groups: Ammon, Moab and Seir, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt. This passage also includes an interlude regarding future restoration for Israel (Ezekiel 28:25–26).The third section focuses on Israel's repentance (Ezekiel 33). Though only one chapter in length, these verses mark a turning point from Ezekiel's focus on judgment to Israel's future hope.The fourth section details these future hopes for Israel (Ezekiel 34—48). Israel will be reestablished in the Promised Land (Ezekiel 34—37). Their enemies will be destroyed by the supernatural power of the Lord (Ezekiel 38—39). A new temple will be established with true worship restored in the land (Ezekiel 40—46). The land will be reapportioned to the people of the Lord, with the Lord living among them (Ezekiel 47—48).