Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel

Eze THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL. THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK AS A WHOLE. ( Introversion and Extended Alternation ) Ezekiel 1:1 - Ezekiel 12:28 . THE DESOLATION. Eze 13:1-25 . PROPHETS AND PROPHETESSES. Ezekiel 14:1-11 . ELDERS. Ezekiel 14:12 - Ezekiel 15:8 . THE LAND AND CITY. (JUDGMENT.) Ezekiel 16:1-63 . JERUSALEM. (DESERTED INFANT.) Ezekiel 17:1-24 . BABYLONIAN WAR. (PARABLE.) Ezekiel 18:1-32 . THE PEOPLE. PROVERB. (SOUR GRAPES.) Ezekiel 19:1-14 . THE PRINCES OF ISRAEL. Ezekiel 20:1-44 . ELDERS. Ezekiel 20:45-31 . THE LAND AND CITY. (JUDGMENTS.) Ezekiel 23:1-49 . JERUSALEM. (TWO SISTERS.) Ezekiel 24:13 - Ezekiel 32:32 . BABYLONIAN WAR. (PARABLE.) Ezekiel 33:1-22 . THE PEOPLE. SIGN. (WATCHMAN.) Ezekiel 33:23-33 . THE INHABITANT OF THE WASTES. Ezekiel 34:1-31 . SHEPHERDS AND FLOCK. Ezekiel 35:1 - Ezekiel 48:35 . THE RESTORATION. NOTES ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. For the Canonical order and place of the Prophets, see Appdx-1 and p. 1206. For the Chronological order of the Prophets, see Appdx-77. For the Inter-relation of the Prophetical Books, see Appdx-78. For the Formulae of Prophetic utterances, see Appdx-82. For the Chronological order of Ezekiel''s prophecy, see below. For the References to the Pentateuch in the Prophetical Books, see Appdx-92. For the Plan of Ezekiel''s temple, see Appdx-88. The Canonical order of Ezekiel''s prophecies is Logical , but not strictly Chronological . Later utterances and visions are recorded in their logical connections rather than in their historical sequence. This latter is noted, so that we make no mistake. When this fact is observed, and the records discriminated, the meaning becomes perfectly clear. See the table below. They may be set out as follows: THE DATED YEARS IN EZEKIEL. These are thirteen in number, and cover a period of twenty-one years (a period of three sevens):viz. from 484-3 to 463-2 B.C. Arranged chronologically, the seventh stands in the center, with six on either side. Reckoning the three in the 11th year as one year, and the three in the 12th year, as one year, we have nine several years:viz. the 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th ( seven ):and then, after a break of thirteen years, we have two :viz. the 25th and 27th.

Year of the Captivity of Jehoiachin. Month. Day Chapters B.C. 5th 4th Thammuz (July) 5th Ezekiel 1:1-2 484 5th 4th Thammuz (July) 12th Ezekiel 3:16 484 6th 6th Elul (Sept.) 5th Ezekiel 8:1 483 7th 5th Ab (Aug.) 10th Ezekiel 20:1 482 9th 10th Tebeth (Jan.) 10th Ezekiel 24:1 480 10th 10th Tebeth (Jan.) 12th Ezekiel 29:1 479 11th 1st Abid, or Nisan (April)1 1st Ezekiel 26:1 478 11th 1st Abid, or Nisan (April) 7th Ezekiel 30:20 478 478 478 478 478 478

These prophecies were uttered before the fall of Jerusalem.

12 Thessalonians 1:0 2th Adar (March)1st Eze 32:1 477 12th 12th Adar (March)2 15th Ezekiel 32:17 477 12th 10th (Tebeth (Jan.) 5th Ezekiel 33:21 477 25th 1st Abid, or Nisan (April) 10th Ezekiel 40:1 465 27th 1st Abid, or Nisan (April) 1st Ezekiel 29:17 463

These prophecies were uttered at and after the fall of Jerusalem.

...because the visions of ch. 1 and 10 had already been seen, and the one recorded in ch. 10 is said to have been similar to that already seen in ch. 1. Moreover, if it be in succession to the 27th year, why is it brought into the very beginning of the book without any reason being assigned, or hint given? The 30th year of Ezekiel 1:1 cannot have anything to do with Ezekiel''s age, or with the commencement of his service as priest; for this is to misread Numbers 4:3 , which states that "all that enter into the host, to do the work of the tabernacle", were taken after the end of the 29th year, "from thirty years old and upward, even until fifty years". Moreover, this thirty years'' rule was abrogated by Divine direction to David in 1 Chronicles 23:24-27 (cp. 2 Chronicles 31:17 ), and changed to "twenty years old and upward". The 30th year cannot be fitted into any sequence of dates commencing with the fifth year of Jehoiachin''s Captivity (Ezekiel 1:2 ), which, in 33:21 and 40:1, he speaks of as "our captivity". It must therefore be a cross-date to some unnamed terminus a quo , thirty years before the 5th year of the Captivity. This fixes it as being that epoch-making year 513 B.C., which was the year of Josiah''s great Passover, and of the finding the Book of the Law in the 18th year of King Josiah. From 513 B.C. to 484 B.C. is exactly twenty-nine complete years. So also reckons the learned Prideaux ( Connection , vol. 1, p.71, McCaul''s ed., 1845) 1 No month is named; but, by comparing Ezekiel 30:20 , it must be the 1st month. 2 No month is named; but it was probably the same as in Ezekiel 1:1 . Ezekiel . In Heb. Y heze el = yehazzek-el = El is strong, or El strengthens (cp. Isra-el, Genesis 32:28 ). Of the four greater prophets, Ezekiel and Daniel (who prophesied in Babylonia) are compounded with "El" (Appdx-4. IV); while Isaiah and Jeremiah (who prophesied in the land) are compound with "Jah". Ezekiel was a priest (Ezekiel 1:3 ), carried away eleven years before the destruction of the city and temple (Ezekiel 1:2 ; Ezekiel 33:21 , 2 Kings 24:14 ). He dwelt in his own house (Ezekiel 8:1 . Cp. Jeremiah 29:5 ). He was married; and his wife died in the year when the siege of Jerusalem began.