Ezekiel will be the fourth of the prophetic books[1] I have approached in my studies on sign of the rose and the second major prophet[2] that I have engaged. Ezekiel is a book that has a significant impact on several later prophets and particularly the books of Zechariah and Daniel as well as the Christian book Revelation. The book of Ezekiel is a strange book full of evocative language which has inspired a plethora of odd interpretations. Jerome notes that Jews under thirty were forbidden from reading the beginning and ending of the book, yet it remained an important book for the rabbinical scholars. (Block, 1997, p. 44)

The Context of Ezekiel

Ezekiel son of Buzi began his prophetic ministry in exile in Babylon in the time between 597 and 586 BCE. This time period is between the first exile when King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon crushes the rebellion of King Jehoiakim and the larger exile when the forces of Babylon return and destroy Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BCE. Ezekiel is among the group of elites who were taken to Babylon in 597 while the remnant of the people were left under Mattaniah (renamed Zedekiah, see 2 Kings 24:17). Ezekiel’s status is similar to what is narrated at the beginning of the book of Daniel for the titular character as well as well as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (or as more commonly known by their Babylonian names: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego)[3]. Ezekiel has nothing positive to say about the Judeans who remained in Jerusalem between 597 and 587, and in Ezekiel’s mind the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple, and the severing of the Davidic line of kings is fully justified based on the unfaithfulness of the people to God’s covenant and their unwillingness to heed God’s words. (NIB VI: 1080) Ezekiel was the first prophet to operate in the Diaspora (the Judean people exiled among the nations). Ezekiel, like Jeremiah from inside Jerusalem, was deconstructing the beliefs that the people in Jerusalem had around the Davidic king, the land of Judea, the city of Jerusalem (Zion) and particularly the temple initially built by Solomon. Temple, land, and king all became symbols of God’s promise, but the prophets continued to call the people back to the covenantal nature of their relationship with God. The promise was dependent upon obedience to the laws, statutes, and ordinances of God and in Ezekiel’s view God’s judgment through Babylon was the just punishment for the lack of faithfulness to God’s laws and vision for the people.

Entering the Strangeness of Ezekiel

Ezekiel with his strange visions, passionate language, and symbolic actions seems like an alien work to most modern readers. The book’s visions attempt to describe things beyond description, the prophet’s actions as instructed by God seem out of step with the reality of his time or ours, and his language may offend our ears and sensibilities. Ezekiel’s language is supposed to be shocking to a complacent people who treated God’s covenant with Jerusalem as a guarantee of their security, and the first half of the book (like most of Jeremiah) is used to “debunk this illusory conviction.” (Block, 1997, p. 48) Yet, despite Ezekiel’s shocking words and performances he, nor his contemporary Jeremiah, is able to convince the people of Jerusalem to repent or change. As Tova Ganzel states:

Perhaps, then, we can see that Ezekiel’s prophetic mission at the time was not to call upon the people to mend their ways and repent, but rather to explain the significance of the events in Jerusalem, and thereby to lay the groundwork for the prophecies of rebuilding which came after the Destruction. (Ganzel, 2020, p. 16)

The Prophet of the Ruach

The prophet Ezekiel utilized the Hebrew word ruach throughout his book more than any other prophet. Ruach can mean “wind, breath, or spirit” and frequently, although translations have to focus on one meaning, there are shades of all three meanings. The living creatures are animated by the ruach, Ezekiel will be picked up and moved by the ruach, the ruach of the LORD will fall upon Ezekiel and cause him to prophesy, and his will prophesy to the ruach to reanimate the boneyard that represents Israel.

Resources Used on This Journey

As with my previous reflections I utilize the works of several authors who have spent their life studying this portion of scripture. I attempt to utilize various perspectives in all of these reflections to inform my own writing and reflections. Below are the works I am reading as I write my own reflections:

Block, Daniel I. The Book of Ezekiel: Chapters 1-24. (New International Commentary on the Old Testament series) Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.

_______. The Book of Ezekiel: Chapters 25-48. (New International Commentary on the Old Testament series) Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998.

The NICOT series of commentaries have often been helpful textual commentaries, and when looking for a volume to assist with the language as well as the historical background these have often been helpful. Daniel Block is viewed as an evangelical scholar who is well versed in the literature of Israel and its neighbors in the ancient world.

Darr, Katheryn Pfisterer. “The Book of Ezekiel.” In The New Interpreter’s Bible. (New International Commentary on the Old Testament series) Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.Volume VI. Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1994.

The NIB is a solid all-around commentary on the entire bible and apocrypha. It is designed for pastors and those leading in congregations, so it does not normally engage the textual issues as deeply as the NICOT or Anchor Bible commentaries.

Davis, Ellen F. Swallowing the Scroll: Textuality and the Dynamics of Discourse in Ezekiel’s Prophecy. Sheffield, England: Almond Press, 1989.

Ellen Davis is one of the scholars who I attempt to read anything that they write. This is her doctoral dissertation, so it will probably be a denser read focused on a smaller set of issues than a commentary would be, but I trust it will prove insightful.

Ganzel, Tova. Ezekiel: From Destruction to Restoration. Maggid Studies in Tanakh. Jerusalem: Maggid Books, 2020.

When I can I attempt to utilize a Jewish scholar when reading the scriptures that we share. The Maggid Studies I have utilized in the past have been approachable, but also provide a window into perspectives that most Christian scholars may not explore.

The Book of Ezekiel is a long book of forty-eight chapters, and some of its chapters are quite lengthy. I anticipate this study taking all of 2024 and may stretch into 2025 depending on how my sabbatical later this year impacts my writing. Unlike Isaiah which is used frequently in preaching and Jeremiah which I have written on, Ezekiel has many sections which are relatively unfamiliar to me as I begin this study and as I walk into its strangeness I am curious what this journey will yield.

[1] As Christians organize the Bible, according to the Jewish organization of scriptures both Judges and 1 Kings would also be included in the prophetic writings while most Christians view these as historical narratives.

[2] Jeremiah is the other major prophet I wrote on in 2013-14 as I was beginning this site. The other major prophet is Isaiah. The differentiation of major vs. minor prophets has to do with the length of their ‘books.’ The minor prophets could all be contained on one scroll (the twelve) when texts were compiled that way while Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel each required their own scroll.

[3] Daniel 1: 3-7