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INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL
 
 
          I.      NAME OF THE BOOK
 
            A.      It is named after its chief spokesman, the prophet Ezekiel.
            B.      His name meant “God strengthens,” or “May God make strong.”
 
 
          II.      CANONIZATION
 
            A.      This book had some difficulty being accepted into the Hebrew
canon:
               1.      Ezekiel’s temple and procedures are different from Moses.
               2.      the vivid visionary language, especially chapters 1, 8 & 10.
            B.      Rabbi Hananiah ben Hezekiah of the Rabbinical school of Sham-
mai, is said to have used 300 jars of oil reconciling Ezekiel with Moses (cf.
Shabb. 14b; Menahuth 45a; Hagigah 13a).
            C.      Jewish tradition said that when Elijah returned before the Messiah,
he would solve the problems between Ezekiel and Moses.
 
 
          III.      GENRE
 
            A.      This book contains many genres:
               1.      prophecy (chap. 37)
               2.      apocalyptic (chaps. 1, 8–10, 38–39, 40–48)
               3.      poetry
               4.      prose
               5.      dramatic parables (chaps. 4–7, 12)
               6.      typology (chap. 16)
            B.      How to interpret chapters 40–48
               1.      Opening Remarks
                 a.      The literary context of chapters 40–48 is the promise of restora-
tion as recorded in chapters 33–39.
                 b.      This section is a detailed architectural pattern of the eschatologi-
cal Temple as Ex. 25–27 is of the Tabernacle.
                 c.      Brief outline:
             1)      Chapters 40–43—the Temple restored
             2)      Chapters 44–46—the ritual restored
             3)      Chapters 47–48—the land reallocated
                 d.      This prophecy uses the ancient covenant between God and
Abraham and his seed to picture the end time restitution of the people of God.
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                 e.      Historically these chapters must relate to the return from the Ex-
ile (43:2). Yet, it is obviously eschatological in some ways because it does not fit
the post-exilic period.
              2.      Some possible interpretations:
                 a.      It was never meant to be literally fulfilled;
                 b.      It was conditional prophecy to which the Jews did not respond
appropriately;
                 c.      It was partially fulfilled in the return from the Exile under Zerub-
babel and Joshua;
                 d.      It was fulfilled in Herod’s temple;
                 e.      It was always meant to be symbolic (cf. Prophecy Interpreted by
John Milton);
                 f.      It will be fulfilled in an eschatological temple.
               3.      Problems in interpreting this text:
                 a.      There is no specific historical setting for either chapters 38 and
39 or 40–48. Because there is no historical setting, either in the text or in history,
most interpreters make it eschatological;
                 b.      The New Testament:
             (1)      seems to exclude an end-time sacrificial system in Heb 9 and 10;
             (2)      seems to include Gentiles while Ezek. 40–48 is very nationalistic.
                 c.      Jesus seems to have rejected the Jews as God’s instrument of
redemption in the parable of the wicked tenants (cf. Matt. 21:33–46; Mk. 12:1–12;
Lk. 20:9–19;
                 d.      Although I believe that God will use national Israel in the end-
time setting (cf. Rom. 9–11), I do believe that the Church is spiritual Israel (cf.
Rom. 2:28–29; Gal. 3:1ff; 6:16; Eph. 2–3.
            C.      Ezekiel composed most of his messages in written form. They were
not given orally as were Isaiah’s and Jeremiah’s. They are very structured.
 
 
          IV.      AUTHORSHIP
 
            A.      The authorship of the book has never been doubted. The entire
book except for 1:2–3 is written in the first person, singular (autobiographical.)
            B.      Jewish tradition, Baba Bathra 15a, said “the men of the Great Syna-
gogue wrote Ezekiel and the Twelve.” As we have seen the word “wrote” means
edited or compiled.
            C.      Josephus’ The Antiquities of the Jews, 10:5:1, said that Ezekiel
wrote two books. This may refer to the characteristic structure of many of the He-
brew prophets because their books easily divide into two halves. In the first part
the historical setting is his own day. In the second part of the book the setting is
the future (cf. Isa. 1–39 & 40–66; Dan. 1–6 & 7–12; Zech. 1–8 & 9–14 and Ezek.
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1–32 & 33–48). This may be the reason why Jerome expressed doubt about
Ezekiel’s unity. Also why Josephus thought he wrote two books.
            D.      All we know about the prophet Ezekiel is from his book. He is not
mentioned anywhere else in the OT:
               1.      he was a priest of the line of Zadok, 1:3,
               2.      he was married but had no children, 24:16–18,
               3.      he was taken captive when he was twenty-five years old in 597
B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar II along with King Jehoiachin, 1:1; 2 Kgs. 24:14–16,
               4.      he was exiled to a Jewish settlement not far from Babylon on a
man-made irrigation canal, Chebar, 1:1, 3, called Tel-Abib, 3:15,
               5.      he preached at least twenty-two years, 1:1–2; 29:17,
               6.      he was a strong but compassionate prophet, 9:8; 11:13.
 
 
          V.      DATE
 
            A.      He was born about 623 B.C. in Jerusalem.
            B.      Ezekiel is one of the seventh century prophets: Jeremiah, Daniel,
Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah.
            C.      During the period of the rise of Neo-Babylonian power under
Nabopolassar and the crown prince Nebuchadnezzar II, God spoke through
these prophets in different localities:
               1.      Daniel was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. He was
exiled to the palace in Babylon, Dan. 1:1.
               2.      Ezekiel was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C. along
with 10,000 craftsmen and King Jehoiachin, 2 Kgs. 24:14–16.
               3.      Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem until the death of Gedaliah.
      D.      Ezekiel dates his prophecies. These dates show that the book is not in
chronological order:
 
    Day
    Month
    Year of Jehoiachin’s exile
1. a vision, 1:1
    5
    4
    13
2. a vision, 1:2
    5
    4
    5
3. a vision, 8:1
    5
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    6
    6
4. elder’s questions, 20:1
    10
    5
    7
5. siege of Jerusalem began, 24:1
    10
    10
    9
6. oracle against Tyre, 26:1
    1
    ?
    11
7. oracle against Egypt, 29:1
    12
    10
    10
8. oracle against Egypt, 29:17
    1
    1
    27
9. oracle against Egypt, 30:20
    7
    1
    11
10. oracle against Egypt, 31:1
    1
    3
    11
11. oracle against Egypt, 32:1
    1
    12
    12
12. oracle against Egypt, 32:17
    15
    (12)
    12
13. fall of Jerusalem, 33:21
    5
    10
    12
14. a vision of new Jerusalem, 40:1
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    10
    1
    25
 
            E.      Thus Ezekiel’s ministry began about 592 and continued at least un-
til 570 B.C., possibly longer.
 
 
          VI.      HISTORICAL SETTING
 
 
          VII.      Literary Units
 
            A.      Ezekiel’s prophecies can be divided into two radically different mes-
sages:
               1.      before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. his sermons were charac-
terized for a call for repentance because of the coming judgement of God. (1–32)
               2.      after the fall of Jerusalem his sermons turned to hope, restoration,
forgiveness. (33–48)
            B.      Brief Outline
               1.      His call to ministry, 1–3.
               2.      The sinfulness of the Covenant People and the fall of Jerusalem,
4–24.
               3.      God’s judgement on the surrounding nations, 25–32
               4.      God’s promise of restoration of His people, city and Temple, 33–
37.
               5.      Apocalyptic invasion from the North, 38–39.
               6.      A vision of the restored Temple, 40–48.
 
 
          VIII.      MAIN TRUTHS
 
            A.      The Jews were suffering because of their own sin, not YHWH’s
weakness.
            B.      Covenant faith has both a corporate and individual aspect. The
New Covenant mentioned in Jer. 31:31–34 is basically individual, as are chapters
18 & 33. It was also guaranteed by God’s action (cf. chapters 36–37). This is the
same balance between God’s sovereignty and man’s covenental responsibilities
found in the New Testament.
            C.      God is faithful to the seed of Abraham and David. The Covenant
will be reestablished, chapters 37, 40–48. Exile was an act of love!
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            D.      The problems for the Jews are not over, chapters 38–39 (cf. Dan.
7–12). There is an on going struggle between the people of God and fallen, spiri-
tual, tempted humanity (Ps. 2).
 
 
          IX.      TERMS AND/OR PHRASES AND PERSONS TO BRIEFLY DEFINE
 
            A.      Terms and/or Phrases
               1.      shekels, 4:10
               2.      Tarshish stone, 10:9 (NIV, “chrysolite”)
               3.      “dig a hole through the wall in their sight and go out through it,”
12:5
               4.      magic bands, 13:18 (NIV, “magic charms”)
               5.      “make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit,” 18:31 (NIV, “get
a new heart and a new spirit”)
               6.      “pass through the fire,” 20:26 and 31
               7.      Bamah, 20:29
               8.      “pass under the rod,” 20:37
               9.      household idols, 21:21 (NIV “idols”)
               10.      “they will remove your nose and your ears,” 23:25
               11.      “you were in Eden the garden of God,” 28:13
               12.      handbreadth,
              13.      the continual, 46:15 (NIV, “morning by morning for a regular burnt
offering”)
            B.      Persons
               1.      “four living beings,” 1:5 (NIV, “four living creatures”)
               2.      son of man, 2:1
               3.      Tammuz, 8:14
               4.      cherubim, 10:6
               5.      Daniel, 14:14, 20
               6.      Oholah and Oholibah, 23:4
               7.      sons of Zadok, 40:46
 
 
          X.      MAP LOCATIONS
 
            1.      River Chebar, 1:1 (NIV, “Kebar River”)
            2.      land of Chaldeans, 1:3 (NIV, “the land of the
            3.      Tyre, 26:2
            4.      Javan, 27:13 (NIV, “Greece”)
            5.      Tubal, 27:13 Babylonians”)
            6.      Meshech, 27:13
            7.      Zoan, 30:14
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          XI.      STUDENT CONTENT QUESTIONS
 
            1.      What did Ezekiel see in chapter 1? Why was it unusual in Babylon?
     
            2.      What does the scroll of chapter 2 represent?
     
            3.      What do the symbolic acts of chapters 4 & 5 represent?
     
            4.      Why is chapter 8 so shocking? Was it real or symbolic?
     
            5.      How are chapters 1 & 11 related?
     
            6.      Why is chapter 18 so unusual in the OT?
     
            7.      How is Satan related to the King of Tyre (28)? Why is chapter 28 a
description of Satan?
     
            8.      How do chapters 36–39 relate to Ezekiel’s day?
     
            9.      How does 18:30–32 relate to 36:26–27?
     
            10.      Is Ezekiel’s temple symbolic or literal?