A major Prophet of the Old Testament

The Prophet's name, Ezechiel, signifies "God (El) strengthens," cf. Ezechias, "the Lord (Yah) strengthens."

Ezechiel was a priest, he appears to have been carried into captivity with Joachin the son of Joachim son of Josias. He dates his call to the prophetic office "in the thirteenth year ... the same was the fifth year of the captivity of king Joachin," i.e. 592 B.C. The "thirteenth year" presumably denotes the age of the Prophet as the time of his call. He was probably born, therefore, a year or two after Jeremiah began to prophecy. His wife went with him into captivity, and died in the ninth year of their exile, 588 B.C., Ezechiel 24:18. His last dated prophecy is referred, Ezechiel 29:17, to the twenty-seventh year of the exile, 570 B.C.

The Political Situation

Assyria is no more; from its ashes have sprung the now flourishing Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Empire of the Medes and Persians, though these latter are only to reach their full power at a later period and are then to prove the destruction of the Babylonian Empire. The Jews are vassals of Nabuchodonosor II. He has taken Joachin to Babylon, and in his stead has set up his uncle Matthanias after changing his name to Sedecias, the "righteousness of God," instead of the "gift of God." But though in a state of vassalage, the kingdom still stands, and Jerusalem has not been destroyed. For the state of feeling in that city itself, we must turn to the prophecies of Jeremiah as well as to those of Ezechiel. For the state of mind of the captives in Babylonia, Ezechiel is our sole informant. In Jerusalem a spirit of foolish optimism prevailed. In Babylonia a spirit of profound depression. Compare Ezechiel 8:12 and Ezechiel 9:9 for the attitude of the Jews in Jerusalem; and Ezechiel 12:27, Ezechiel 20:49, Ezechiel 33:10, Ezechiel 33:24, Ezechiel 33:30-33, for the despondent tone of those in captivity. Isaiah had insisted on the inviolability of Sion, and the destruction of Sennacherib had justified his attitude; but none but the most foolish optimist could fail to see that the days of David's city and David's line were numbered. What, then, had become of all the glorious prophecies of Isaiah, chapters 40-66? Ezechiel's mission is to show that God will be faithful in His threats as well as in His promises, and that consequently the city is doomed. But on the other hand, he shows that whereas His threats are for a time, His promises are for eternity, and though the Davidic line has fallen on evil days yet: "I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even My servant David," Ezechiel 34:23. Thus from 592-586 B.C. he foretold the destruction of the city, though even at this period he insists on the doctrine that a remnant shall be saved, e.g. Ezechiel 17:22; from the fifth year to the tenth month of the ninth year he foretold the calamity, Ezechiel 24:1. From the tenth month of the twelfth year, Ezechiel 33:21, he told of the new hope.

Contents of Ezechiel

Major Divisions

There is a remarkable similarity between the arrangement of the prophecies of Ezechiel and those of Isaiah. Thus:

Chapters 1-3:22

The introductory portion of Ezechiel, with an account of the Prophet's inauguration to his office; cf. Isaiah chapters 1-6.

Chapter 3:23-to-Chapter 39

Preparation for the Messianic Salvation; cf. Isaiah chapters 7-37.

Chapters 40-48

Description of the Messianic Salvation; cf. Isaiah chapters 38-66.

And the central portion, chapters 3:23 thru 39, runs on lines parallel with Isaiah chapters 7-37, thusly:

Chapters 3:23-24:7. Against the Chaldeans, as Isaiah 7-12, against the Syrians.

Chapters 25-32. Against the nations, as Isaiah 13-27, against the nations.

Chapters 33-39. Threats of punishment, mingled with promises of ultimate redemption, as in Isaiah 28-37, when he is preparing the nation for the coming of Sennacherib.

Detailed Analysis of Ezechiel

A. Chapters 1-24. Preparatory to the fall of the city.

Chapters 1-7. In the fifth year, 592 B.C.

Chapters 1-3. Introductory, his call, his vision,

Chapters 4-7. Symbolical descriptions of the future fall of the city.

Chapters 8-19. In the sixth year, 591 B.C.

Chapters 8-11. He is carried to Jerusalem in spirit; there he witnesses the prevailing idolatry; the Cross, Tau, is marked upon the foreheads of the elect, Ezechiel 9; his inaugural vision is renewed, Ezechiel 10; the punishment of the presumptuous people, yet a remnant shall be saved, Ezechiel 11.

Chapters 12-19. He is carried back to Babylonia; he foreshows by symbols the captivity of Sedecias, Ezechiel 12; he argues against the false prophets, Ezechiel 13; even Noe, Daniel, and Job would not avail by their prayers to save the people, and this because of their idolatry, Ezechiel 14; the people is likened to a lopped branch from a vine it is fit for nothing but the fire, Ezechiel 15; the past infidelities of the people are detailed, hence punishment is inevitable; yet: "I will remember My covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish with thee an everlasting covenant and thou shalt know that I am the Lord," Ezechiel 16; a parable of the two eagles, Assyria and Egypt, and their treatment of the vine Israel; but God Himself will replant that same vine, and it shall become a mighty cedar, Ezechiel 17; the doctrine of sin, each shall bear his own and not that of his father, Ezechiel 18, cf. Ezechiel 33; under the figure of a lioness Juda is depicted; under that of her cubs, Joachaz and Joachin, of whom the former was taken into Egypt, the latter into Babylon, Ezechiel 19.

Chapters 20-23. The seventh year, B.C. 590.

Chapter 20. What God did for the nation in the past, the return they made Him; yet even in spite of this: "I will accept of thee for an odor of sweetness... and you shall know that I am the Lord when I shall have done well by you for My own Name's sake."

Chapter 21. The sword against Juda and against Ammon; but the instrument of God's wrath, Babylon, shall ultimately be punished.

Chapter 22. The Princes, the Priests, the Prophets, and the People, have done ill, therefore: "I will disperse thee among the nations..." but "...I will possess thee in the sight of the Gentiles and thou shalt know that I am the Lord."

Chapter 23. The sins of Juda and Israel are depicted in striking terms: "you shall bear the sins of your idols, and you shall know that I am the Lord."

Chapters 24-25. In the ninth year, 589-588 B.C.

Under the figure of a boiling pot the siege is described. Ezechiel's wife dies, he is forbidden to mourn for her; he is forewarned that a fugitive from the siege shall come to him with the tidings, cf. Ezechiel 33:21.

B. Chapters 25-32. Prophecies against the Nations.

Chapter 25.

Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia, shall not rejoice over the fall of Jerusalem, for upon them also the scourge shall come.

Chapters 26-28. In the eleventh year, B.C. 586.

Prophecies against Tyre and Sidon; Juda shall be redeemed.

Chapters 29-30:19. In the tenth year, B.C. 588.

The desolation of Egypt, not till after forty years shall it be inhabited, 29:17; reference is made to the seven and twentieth year; Egypt is given to Nabuchodonosor as wages for his service against Tyre as the instrument of Divine wrath; but a horn shall bud forth to Israel, 29:21.

Chapter 30:20.

In the eleventh year, B.C. 586, the first month; further prophecies against Egypt.

Chapter 31.

In the eleventh year, the third month; as the Assyrian fell for his pride, so also shall Egypt be brought low; a vivid description under the figure of a spreading cedar of the Assyrian in his greatness, yet: he went down into hell.

Chapter 32.

In the twelfth year, B.C. 586. A further lamentation over Egypt; a picture of Hades; As Syria, Elam, Mosoch, Tubal, and Edom are all gathered there with Egypt.

C. Chapters 33-48. The Consolation.

Chapter 33.

The Prophet is reminded that he has been set as a watchman over Israel, cf. Ezechiel 3:17-21; the doctrine that each man shall bear his own sin is repeated, cf. chapter 17. The promised fugitive, Ezechiel 24:26-27, arrives in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, 33:21-22; Ezechiel, with a certain air of triumph, says: "then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them." The tide has turned, the siege is over, Jerusalem is no more, the vengeance has been taken, it is time to speak of the removal of God's wrath, hence:

Chapter 34.

A prophecy against the Pastors of Israel who have failed, but: "I Myself will seek My sheep and will visit them," and "I will raise up for them a bud of renown."

Chapter 35.

Let not Edam rejoice in the downfall of Juda, her turn shall come; cf. Ezechiel 25:8-14.

Chapter 36.

A prophecy against "the mountains of Israel," cf. Ezechiel 6:3; they have been afflicted but: "this is the people of the Lord ... I will put a new spirit within you." Yet the warning is added: "It is not for your sakes that I will do this ... be confounded and ashamed at your own ways."

Chapter 37. A vision of a field of dried bones

The Prophet, by the power of God, causes them to be once more clothed with flesh; so shall it be with Israel, the Schism between Juda and Israel shall be healed: "they shall be My people and I will be their God, and My servant David shall be king over them."

Chapters 38-39. Prophecies against Gog and Magog.

By these names are probably meant the Scythians who had overrun Armenia, and had apparently reached as far as Bethsan in the Plain of Esdraelon, cf. Ezechiel 39:11, this place was later called Scythopolis. In spite of this scourge: "I will hide My face no more from them, for I have poured out My spirit upon all the house of Israel."

Chapters 40-48. A vision of future glory.

An idealized description of the Temple and its courts as they will be in the days of the Messiah; also of the land and its boundaries, of the city and its walls: and the name of the city from that day: the Lord is there. The foregoing analysis will show how just is the title given to Ezechiel in the Talmud -- the Prophet of the Divine Fidelity. It is interesting, as throwing light upon the aims and ideals of the Prophets, to compare the various titles which they give to God. In Isaiah the expression "Holy One of Israel" is most frequent, it embodies the doctrine for which he strove; it never occurs in Ezechiel who insists rather on the fidelity of God, "the Lord Jehovah" is his usual formula, "I, Jehovah, have said it"; "Ye shall know that I am the Lord." Again, in Isaiah the term "Lord of Hosts" is frequent; not so in Ezechiel, where it only occurs in Ezechiel 14:11-14. For in truth God was no longer on the side of the armies of Israel, but on those of their enemies. Even the very names of these two Prophets show forth their different roles: Isaiah, "Salvation of the Lord," but Ezechiel, "whom the Lord strengthens."

The Style of Ezechiel

Certain expressions occur very frequently, hence the Prophet has been accused of a certain sameness and monotony, but this hardly seems justified; his language is due to the end he has in view; with hammer-like insistency he repeats his words and his figures till they ring in our ears even as they must have rung in the ears of his fellow-captives. None of the other Prophets has made such use of symbol as Ezechiel. Both Jeremiah and, in a lesser degree, Isaiah, performed certain symbolical actions with a view to driving home their teaching, but Ezechiel is told to turn nearly every act of his life into a symbol. Many of the commands thus laid upon him must have been revolting to flesh and blood, and must have provoked the scorn of those who witnessed them; indeed it is with a certain pathos that he cries out, Ezechiel 20:49, "Ah, ah, ah, O Lord God, they say of me: doth not this man speak by parables!"

• He was to wear bonds, 3:25;
• He was to be as one dumb, 3:27;
• He was to carry on a mimic siege of a plan of Jerusalem, 4:1-3;
• He was to sleep on his left side for a certain number of days, 4:4-5;
• He was to sleep on his right side, 4:6;
• He was to eat his food by measure, 4:9-17;
• He was to cut off his hair and perform certain symbolical actions with it, 5:1-4;
• He was solemnly and publicly to remove from his dwelling, and that in a fashion which must have provoked merriment from the bystanders, 12:3;
• He was to eat with haste, 12:18;
• He was not to mourn for his wife -- an outrage to Jewish sensibilities, 24:18-27;
• He was to signify the re-union between Juda and Israel by joining together two pieces of stick, 37:16-20, etc.

There is no reason to regard these acts as other than realities and as actually performed. But they had an influence on the Prophet's literary methods: he instinctively cast his prophecies into parabolic form and some of these parables form the most sublime passages in his book, cf. chapters 26-28, the prophecies against Tyre; also 31-32, the laments over Egypt. For other parables cf. chapters 15, 16, 17, 19, 24. The wonderful passage where the Sword of God's wrath is personified, Ezechiel 21, should be noted as an example of his dramatic power.

Theology of Ezechiel

From the day of his inaugural vision Isaiah is overwhelmed with the glory of God, and that word is constantly on his lips; it is the same with Ezechiel, all through the period of his ministry he never forgets the vision by the Chobar, and with him, too, the glory is a favorite expression. He dwells upon the Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence of God; His decrees are absolute He is Lord of all the nations. He is the only God, and He does all things for His own Name's sake, cf. 20:9, 20:14, 20:22, 20:44, 26:21-23, 39:7, 43:8. We have already referred to the terms in which the Prophet insists on the responsibility of the individual for his own personal sin, this doctrine is given in detail in 18 and repeated in 33. This doctrine is especially noticeable in view of the fact that the prophecies in general are directed against the nation as a whole:

• they are a provoking house, 2:5-6, 12:2, etc.;
• they are obstinate in their sin, 3:5-7, 5:7;
• they are idolaters, 6, 8:10, 14:5-6, 22:14, etc.

But side by side with this teaching regarding sin, its enormity, the retribution it will bring, etc., there runs all through Ezechiel's prophecies a golden thread of promise for the future:

• the restoration itself is dwelt upon at great length, 24:11-31, 36:8-15, 39:22-29;
• the Schism shall be healed, 37:16-28;
• a new heart shall be given them, 11:16-20;
• a remnant shall return, 11:13, 11:16, 12:16, 14:22, 16:60-63, 17:22-24, 20:40, 22:15-16;
• they are called My people, 11:20, 14:11, 37:23, 38:14-15, 39:7;
• a king of David's line is promised them, 34:23-24, 37:24-25;
• even the peculiarly Isaianic expression "My servant Jacob" is to be found, Ezechiel 28:25.

by
Very Rev. Hugh Pope, O.P., S.T.M.
Doctor in Sacred Scripture,
Member of the Society of Biblical Archaeology, and
late Professor of New Testament Exegesis at the Collegio Angelico, Rome.