BACKGROUND

AUTHOR: There is sufficient reason for maintaining that the prophet Ezekiel composed the book of Ezekiel in Babylon. The work demonstrates such homogeneity and literary coherence that it is reasonable to conclude that all editorial work was carried out by a single person, the prophet himself.

The inclusion of historical dates at the beginning of many of the oracles and prophecies in Ezekiel is another important unifying factor. The book is one of the most chronologically ordered books of the Bible. Thirteen times a passage is introduced by an indication of time. The common point of orientation for the dates given in Ezekiel is the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah in 598/597 BC.

The occurrence of visions throughout the book (chaps. 1; 8-11; 40-48) is another strong argument in favor of its overall unity. Finally, stylistic features throughout the book strengthen the unity argument.

BACKGROUND: Ezekiel, son of Buzi, was among the approximately ten thousand citizens of Judah deported to Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem in 598/597 BC (2Kg 24:10-17). His prophetic call came to him five years later (the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile), in 593 BC. He received his call at the age of thirty (1:1), the year he should have begun his duties as a priest (Nm 4:3). The last dated oracle in the book occurs in the twenty-seventh year of King Jehoiachin (29:17), thus indicating that Ezekiel’s ministry lasted twenty-two or twenty-three years. The prophet lived during one of the greatest crises in Israel’s history—the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, plus the exile of Judah’s leading citizens to Babylon.

MESSAGE AND PURPOSE

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 BIBLE

There 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).

STRUCTURE

The prophet Ezekiel displayed a distinct style throughout his prophetic work. The phrase “son of man” occurs ninety-three times as a title for Ezekiel, focusing on the prophet’s human nature. The expression “the hand of the Lord was on me,” which is said elsewhere only of Elijah (1Kg 18:46) and Elisha (2Kg 3:15), occurs in the various major sections of Ezekiel (1:3; 3:22; 33:22; 37:1). The so-called recognition formula “that you (or they) may know that I am the Lord,” a characteristic phrase of the exodus narrative (Ex 6:6-8; 7:5; 10:1-2; 14:4,18), occurs about sixty times in Ezekiel. The introductory oracle phrase “the word of the Lord came to me” occurs forty-six times in the book and alerts the reader to the beginning of a separate section. The phrase “I, the Lord, have spoken” also occurs frequently in Ezekiel (5:13,15,17; 17:21,24; 22:14; 24:14; 26:14; 30:12; 36:36; 37:14).

Another feature for which Ezekiel is well known is his performance of symbolic, dramatic actions. Accounts of this method of communication occur throughout the book. He also used the literary technique of allegory to communicate his prophecies. His allegories include Jerusalem as a vine (chap. 15) and majestic eagles (17:1-21), the Davidic dynasty as a lioness (19:1-9) and a vineyard (19:10-14), a sword as judgment (21:1-17), and Oholah and Oholibah as corrupt sisters (23:1-35).

A final characteristic of the book is the citation of previously written Scripture in Ezekiel’s prophecies. This is evident in the judgment oracles of chaps. 4-5 that depend heavily on the curses listed in Leviticus 26. Ezekiel also references other portions of canonical Scripture, including Numbers 18:1-7,22-23 (in Ezk 44:9-16) and Zephaniah 3:1-4 (in Ezk 22:25-29).

OUTLINE

I.Israel, a Rebellious House, Will Fall (1:1-24:27).

A.Ezekiel sent as God’s spokesman (1:1-3:27)

B.First series of symbolic actions (4:1-7:27)

C.Vision of Israel’s doom (8:1-11:25)

D.Second series of symbolic actions (12:1-14:23)

E.Parables of doom (15:1-19:14)

F.Rebukes and threats (20:1-22:31)

G.Two final parables and last symbolic action (23:1-24:24)

H.News of the fall of the rebellious house (24:25-27)

II.Pagan Foreign Nations Will Be Destroyed (25:1-32:32).

A.Ammon (25:1-7)

B.Moab (25:8-11)

C.Edom (25:12-14)

D.Philistia (25:15-17)

E.Tyre (26:1-28:19)

F.Sidon (28:20-26)

G.Egypt (29:1-32:32)

III.Disciplined Israel Will Be Restored (33:1-48:35).

A.Basis of this message of hope (33:1-20)

B.News of Jerusalem’s fall arrives (33:21-33).

C.The promises of restoration (34:1-39:29)

D.The vision of restoration (40:1-48:35)

625-590 BC

Year of Ezekiel’s birth 623

First siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and first wave of exiles, including Daniel, taken to Babylon 605

Babylonians’ second siege of Jerusalem; King Jehoiachin and 10,000 citizens of Judah, including Ezekiel, exiled to Babylon 597

God calls Ezekiel, then thirty years old, to prophesy. 593

Ezekiel prophesies against pagan practices at the temple in Jerusalem. 592

Elders of Israel seek a word of the Lord from Ezekiel. 591

590-585 BC

The Lord tells Ezekiel to let the captives know that the king of Babylon has once again laid siege to Jerusalem. 588

Ezekiel prophesies Egypt’s ruin and the destruction of Pharaoh and his army. 587

Ezekiel prophesies the downfall of Tyre. 586

After a two-year siege, the walls of Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed; a third wave of exiles is taken to Babylon. 586

A messenger from Jerusalem comes to Ezekiel to announce the downfall of the city. 586/585

Ezekiel’s lament for Pharaoh 585

575-550 BC

The Lord gives Ezekiel a vision of the new temple. 573

The Lord shows Ezekiel that Egypt will be given over to the Babylonians. 571

Nebuchadnezzar invades Egypt in fulfillment of both Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s prophecies. 569

Evil-merodach, Nebuchadnezzar’s son, succeeds him as king of Babylon. 562

Evil-merodach releases Judean King Jehoiachin from prison. 561

Nergal-sharezer becomes king of Babylon. 560

Cyrus the Great founds the Persian Empire. 559

550-500 BC

Cyrus captures Babylon without resistance. 539

Cyrus issues decree allowing the Jews to return to Judah. 538

Work begins on rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. 536

Renewed work on the temple 520-518

New temple dedicated 515

The Greek thinker Hecataeus of Miletus draws the first recognizable map of the Mediterranean basin and writes the first known geography book. 500