The Book of Ezekiel
 

 

Background

Ezekiel lived during a time of international upheaval. The Assyrian empire that had once conquered the Syro-Palestinian area and destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel (which fell to the Assyrians in 722–721 b.c.) began to crumble under the blows of a resurgent Babylon. In 612 the great Assyrian city of Nineveh fell to a combined force of Babylonians and Medes. Three years later, Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt marched north to assist the Assyrians and to try to reassert Egypt’s age-old influence over Canaan and Aram (Syria). At Megiddo, King Josiah of Judah, who may have been an ally of Babylon as King Hezekiah had been, attempted to intercept the Egyptian forces but was crushed, losing his life in the battle (see 2Ki 23:29–30; 2Ch 35:20–24).

Jehoahaz, a son of Josiah, ruled Judah for only three months, after which Neco installed Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah, as his royal vassal in Jerusalem (609 b.c.). In 605 the Babylonians overwhelmed the Egyptian army at Carchemish (see Jer 46:2), then pressed south as far as the Philistine plain. In the same year, Nebuchadnezzar was elevated to the Babylonian throne and Jehoiakim shifted allegiance to him. When a few years later the Egyptian and Babylonian forces met in a standoff battle, Jehoiakim rebelled against his new overlord.

Nebuchadnezzar soon responded by sending a force against Jerusalem, subduing it in 597 b.c. Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin and about 10,000 Jews (see 2Ki 24:14), including Ezekiel, were exiled to Babylon, where they joined those who had been exiled in Jehoiakim’s “third year” (see Da 1:1 and note). Nebuchadnezzar placed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, on the throne in Jerusalem, but within five or six years he too rebelled. The Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem in 588, and in July, 586, the walls were breached and the city plundered. On Aug. 14, 586, the city and temple were burned.

Under Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, Babylon dominated the international scene until it was crushed by Cyrus the Persian in 539 b.c. The reign of the house of David came to an end; the kingdom of Judah ceased to be an independent nation; Jerusalem and the Lord’s temple lay in ruins.

 

Author

What is known of Ezekiel is derived solely from the book that bears his name. He was among the Jews exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 b.c., and there among the exiles he received his call to become a prophet (see 1:1–3). He was married (see 24:15–18), lived in a house of his own (see 3:24; 8:1) and along with his fellow exiles, though confined to Babylonia, had a relatively free existence there.

He was of a priestly family (see NIV text note on 1:3) and therefore was eligible to serve as a priest. As a priest-prophet called to minister to the exiles (separated from the temple of the Lord with its symbolism, sacrifices, priestly ministrations and worship rituals), his message had much to do with the temple (see especially chs. 8–11; 40–48) and its ceremonies.

Ezekiel was obviously a man of broad knowledge, not only of his own national traditions but also of international affairs and history. His acquaintance with general matters of culture, from shipbuilding to literature, is equally amazing. He was gifted with a powerful intellect and was capable of grasping large issues and of dealing with them in grand and compelling images. His style is often detached, but in places it is passionate and earthy (see chs. 16; 23).

More than any other prophet (more even than Hosea and Jeremiah) he was directed to involve himself personally in the divine word by acting it out in prophetic symbolism.

 

Occasion, Purpose and Summary of Contents

Though Ezekiel lived with his fellow exiles in Babylon, his divine call forced him to suppress any natural expectations he may have had of an early return to an undamaged Jerusalem. For the first seven years of his ministry (593–586 b.c.) he faithfully relayed to his fellow Jews the stern, heart-rending, hope-crushing word of divine judgment: Because of all her sins, Jerusalem would fall (see chs. 1–24). The fact that Israel was God’s covenant people and that Jerusalem was the city of his temple would not bring their early release from exile or prevent Jerusalem from being destroyed (see Jer 29–30). The only hope the prophet was authorized to extend to his hearers was that of living at peace with themselves and with God during their exile.

After being informed by the Lord that Jerusalem was under siege and would surely fall (24:1–14), Ezekiel was told that his beloved wife would soon die. The delight of his eyes would be taken from him just as the temple, the delight of Israel’s eyes, would be taken from her. He was not to mourn openly for his wife, as a sign to his people not to mourn openly for Jerusalem (24:15–27). He was then directed to pronounce a series of judgments on the seven nations of Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon and Egypt (chs. 25–32). The day of God’s wrath was soon to come, but not on Israel alone.

Once news was received that Jerusalem had fallen, Ezekiel’s message turned to the Lord’s consoling word of hope for his people—they would experience revival, restoration and a glorious future as the redeemed and perfected kingdom of God in the world (chs. 33–48).

 

Date

Since the book of Ezekiel contains more dates (see chart, p. 1661) than any other OT prophetic book, its prophecies can be dated with considerable precision. In addition, modern scholarship, using archaeology (Babylonian annals on cuneiform tablets) and astronomy (accurate dating of eclipses referred to in ancient archives), provides precise modern calendar equivalents.

Twelve of the 13 dates specify times when Ezekiel received a divine message. The other is the date of the arrival of the messenger who reported the fall of Jerusalem (33:21).

Having received his call in July, 593 b.c., Ezekiel was active for 22 years, his last dated oracle being received in April, 571 (see 29:17). If the “thirtieth year” of 1:1 refers to Ezekiel’s age at the time of his call, his prophetic career exceeded a normal priestly term of service by two years (see Nu 4:3). His period of activity coincides with Jerusalem’s darkest hour, preceding the 586 destruction by 7 years and following it by 15.

 

Themes

The OT in general and the prophets in particular presuppose and teach God’s sovereignty over all creation, over people and nations and the course of history. And nowhere in the Bible are God’s initiative and control expressed more clearly and pervasively than in the book of Ezekiel. From the first chapter, which graphically describes the overwhelming invasion of the divine presence into Ezekiel’s world, to the last phrase of Ezekiel’s vision (“the Lord is there”) the book sounds and echoes God’s sovereignty.

This sovereign God resolved that he would be known and acknowledged. Approximately 65 occurrences of the clause (or variations) “Then they will know that I am the Lord” testify to that divine desire and intention (see note on 6:7). Overall, chs. 1–24 teach that God will be revealed in the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple; chs. 25–32 teach that the nations likewise will know God through his judgments; and chs. 33–48 promise that God will be known through the restoration and spiritual renewal of Israel.

God’s total sovereignty is also evident in his mobility. He is not limited to the temple in Jerusalem. He can respond to his people’s sin by leaving his sanctuary in Israel, and he can graciously condescend to visit his exiled children in Babylon.

God is free to judge, and he is equally free to be gracious. His stern judgments on Israel ultimately reflect his grace. He allows the total dismemberment of Israel’s political and religious life so that her renewed life and his presence with her will be clearly seen as a gift from the Lord of the universe.

Furthermore, as God’s spokesman, Ezekiel’s “son of man” status (see note on 2:1) testifies to the sovereign God he was commissioned to serve.

Prophecies

Bible passage: Ezekiel 4:3-6
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: 1948

In Ezekiel 4:3-6, the prophet said the Jews, who had lost control of their homeland, would be punished for 430 years. This prophecy, according to Bible scholar Grant Jeffrey, pinpointed the 1948 rebirth of Israel. Here's a summary of Jeffrey's theory:

1. Ezekiel said the Jews were to be punished for 430 years because they had turned away from God. As part of the punishment, the Jews lost control of their homeland to Babylon. Many Jews were taken as captives to Babylon.

2. Babylon was later conquered by Cyrus in 539 BC. Cyrus allowed the Jews to leave Babylon and to return to their homeland. But, only a small number returned. The return had taken place sometime around 536 BC, about 70 years after Judah lost independence to Babylon.

3. Because most of the exiles chose to stay in pagan Babylon rather than return to the Holy Land, the remaining 360 years of their punishment was multiplied by 7. The reason is explained in Bible's book of Leviticus. (Leviticus 26:18, 26:21, 26:24 and 26:28). In Leviticus, it says that if the people did not repent while being punished, the punishment would be multiplied by 7. And, by staying in pagan Babylon, most exiles were refusing to repent.

4. So, if you take the remaining 360 years of punishment and multiply by 7, you get 2,520 years. But, Jeffrey says those years are based on an ancient 360-day lunar calendar. If those years are adjusted to the modern solar calendar, the result is 2,484 years.

5. And, there were exactly 2,484 years from 536 BC to 1948, which is the year that Israel regained independence.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 11:17
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: 1948

In Ezekiel 11:17, the prophet reveals that although the people will be scattered throughout the world, they will return and have Israel as their own, again. During the time of Ezekiel, who lived about 2600 years ago, the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and had taken many Jews as captives to Babylon. Other Jews fled to Egypt and other countries in north Africa. Some Jews returned to their homeland after Babylon was conquered by the Medo-Persians, but they were again scattered by the Romans. The Romans scattered the Jews to several countries. But since the late 1800s, millions of Jews have returned to Israel and reclaimed independence in 1948. About one of every three Jews in the world now live in Israel. But the Bible says that someday all Jews will return and seek the Lord.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 20:34
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: late 1800s to today

In Ezekiel 20:34, the prophet said God would gather the people of Israel from around the world and bring them home to Israel. The people of Israel (today they are often called Jews) were forced out of their homeland in ancient times by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans. But, during the late 1800s, Jews returned by the thousands to the Holy Land, which at that time was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. During the early 1900s, Jews returned by the tens of thousands when the land was controlled by the British. And they returned by the hundreds of thousands after Israel had declared statehood in 1948.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 22:14-15
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: since 70 AD

In Ezekiel 22:14-15, the prophet said that the Jews would be scattered to other countries. When Ezekiel delivered this prophecy, he was in Babylon with many other Jews who had been exiled from their homeland and taken as captives to Babylon. But, after the Babylonian Captivity, many Jews had returned to their homeland only to be exiled and scattered by the Romans. The Romans, in the hopes of preventing the Jews from ever organizing another attempt to secure sovereignty for their homeland, scattered the Jews to several different countries. The plan successfully contributed to the worldwide dispersion of Jews. Even so, millions of Jews returned to their ancient homeland during the past century and successfully re-established independence for Israel in 1948.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 25:14
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: about 100 BC

In Ezekiel 25:14, the prophet said that the Jews would one day take vengeance on Edom, a nation that had often warred with the Jews. When Ezekiel delivered this prophecy, he and many other Jews were living as captives in Babylon. They didn't have control of their own country, let alone anyone else's. But, about 400 years later, Jews regained independence for Jerusalem and the surrounding area during the "Hasmonaean Period." During this time, the Jewish priest-king John Hyrcanus I defeated the Edomites. According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition: "Edomite history was marked by continuous hostility and warfare with Jews At the end of the second century B.C., they were subdued by Hasmonaean priest-king John Hyrcanus I"

Bible passage: Ezekiel 26:3
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 587-586 BC
Fulfilled: 573 BC, 332 BC, 1291 AD

In Ezekiel 26:3, the prophet said that Tyre, the Phoenician Empire's most powerful city, would be attacked by many nations, because of its treatment of Israel. At about the time that Ezekiel delivered this prophecy, Babylon had begun a 13-year attack on Tyre's mainland. Later, in about 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered the island of Tyre and brought an end to the Phoenician Empire. Tyre later fell under the rule of the Romans, the Crusaders and the Moslems, who destroyed the city, again, in 1291.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 26:4
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 587-586 BC
Fulfilled: 333 BC

In Ezekiel 26:4, the prophet said the buildings of Tyre would be ripped down and that the rubble would be scraped away. This might have happened in two stages. The Babylonians destroyed the mainland of Tyre during an attack that ended in 573 BC. Then, Alexander the Great attacked the island of Tyre in 333-332 BC. It is believed that Alexander's army scraped the rubble from the mainland and tossed it into the sea, building a land bridge to the island to conquer it. The prophecy may have been fulfilled in another way: During the centuries after Alexander's conquest of Tyre, the Greeks, Romans, Crusaders and Moslems came to the area of Tyre and put up their own buildings on or near the site of the original Phoenician Tyre. In doing this, the workers would have had to remove rubble from the original Phoenician Tyre.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 26:7-9
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 587-586 BC
Fulfilled: 573 BC

In Ezekiel 26:7-9, the prophet said in 590 BC that Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar would destroy the mainland of Tyre. Four years later, the Babylonians began a 13-year siege of Tyre. It lasted from 586 BC to 573 BC. (Alexander the Great later destroyed the island portion of Tyre, in 332 BC).

Bible passage: Ezekiel 26:12
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 587-586 BC
Fulfilled: 333-332 BC

In Ezekiel 26:12, the prophet said that Tyre's stones, timber and soil would be thrown into the sea. That probably would have been a fitting description of how Alexander the Great built a land bridge from the mainland to the island of Tyre when he attacked in 333-332 BC. It is believed that he took the rubble from Tyre's mainland ruins and tossed it - stones, timber and soil - into the sea, to build the land bridge (which is still there).

Bible passage: Ezekiel 26:21
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 587-586 BC
Fulfilled: after 332 BC

In Ezekiel 26:21, the prophet said that the Phoenician city of Tyre would be brought to an end and would never again be found. When Alexander the Great destroyed the city in 332 BC, he brought an end to the Phoenician Empire. The Empire was never revived or "found" again. As for the city itself, it has been torn down and built upon by a succession of world powers. Today, finding artifacts from the original Phoenician Tyre is difficult. Many of the original buildings were destroyed by Greeks, Romans, Crusaders and Moslems. According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition: "The principal ruins of the city today are those of buildings erected by the Crusaders. There are some Greco-Roman remains, but any left by the Phoenicians lie underneath the present town."

Bible passage: Ezekiel 29:15
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: 1967, etc.

In Ezekiel 29:15, the prophet says that Egypt would recover from a desolation (perhaps Babylon's attack about 2600 years ago), but that it would never again rule over other nations. Up until the time of Ezekiel, Egypt had been a world power for centuries, dominating many nations, including Israel. But for most of the past 2500 years, Egypt has been controlled by foreign powers, including the Romans, Ottomans and Europeans. Today, Egypt is an independent nation again. In 1948, 1967 and 1973, Egypt tried to dominate Israel but was unsuccessful each time, despite the fact that Egypt is 10 times larger than Israel. Egypt today, in many respects, is an impressive nation. But since the time of Ezekiel, it no longer rules over other nations.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 34:13
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: after May 14, 1948

In Ezekiel 34:13, the prophet said that God would gather the people of Israel scattered throughout the world and bring them back to "their own land." After many centuries of dispersion, hundreds of thousands of Jews returned to their ancient homeland beginning in the late 1800s. But, millions more returned after Israel declared independence in 1948. In other words, millions of exiles returned to their ancient homeland which was now truly "their own land" in the sense that it was now a sovereign Jewish state.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 36:11
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: late 1900s

In Ezekiel 36:11, the prophet said that there would come a time when Israel would be more prosperous than it was in the past. The Bible describes Israel as being a prosperous nation during the time of King David and King Solomon about 3000 years ago. But, Ezekiel knew a very different Israel. In Ezekiel's day (he lived about 2600 years ago), the northern part of the land had been decimated by the Assyrians, and the southern part, called Judah, was being destroyed by the Babylonians. The land of Israel suffered greatly, falling into a state of poverty and desolation that would last for many centuries. But today, Israel again is a sovereign nation. And it is a prosperous nation. In 1999, Israel had the highest per capita Gross Domestic Product of any nearby country, even though the surrounding countries have many oil resources.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 36:24
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: Partially in the 1900s

In Ezekiel 36:24, the prophet said that the Jews would be re-gathered to Israel. This prophecy was partially fulfilled after the Babylonian Captivity, which took place about 2600 years ago. This prophecy has been partially fulfilled again during the 1900s when millions of Jews returned to their ancient homeland. As of the year 2001, about 6 million Jews reside in Israel and an estimated 12 million Jews live in other countries, including the United States.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 36:33-35
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: 1900s

In Ezekiel 36:33-35, the prophet gave another prophecy about the re-population and rebuilding of Israel's ruined cities. American author Mark Twain described the land of Israel as being thoroughly desolate in the late 1800s. Since then, millions of Jews have returned to Israel and have been rebuilding their ancient homeland. Some of the parched desert has been converted into productive farmland. And Israel has undertaken one of the world's largest reforestation programs. Israel's population was 10 times larger in 1998 than it was in 1948.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 37:10-14
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: 1948

In Ezekiel 37:10-14, the prophet receives a vision in which Israel was seen as a scattering of dried-up bones. In this vision, God tells Ezekiel that the bones (Israel) would be brought back to life. Just as Ezekiel had prophesized about 2600 years ago, the Jews were brought back to the land, and the country of Israel was brought back to life. Israel re-established sovereignty in 1948, a mere three years after the end of the Holocaust, during which the Nazis killed about one-third of the world's Jewish population.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 37:15-19
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: since late 1800s

In Ezekiel 37:15-19, the prophet said that God would make the people of Israel a united people again. During Ezekiels time, the people of Israel had already divided themselves into two separate kingdoms. And both kingdoms had been conquered by foreign invasions, which resulted in many people being exiled. The southern kingdom was called Judah and the northern kingdom kept the name of Israel, although it was often referred to as Ephraim. This prophecy began to be fulfilled in an important way during the late 1800s, when leaders of the Zionist Movement began uniting exiled Jews around the world for the common goal of creating a new and independent Israel. This must have been quite a challenge because the Jews had been scattered to countries on six continents, where they spoke different languages and lived in different cultures. The Zionist Movement marked the first time in many centuries that the Jews had been united in such a significant way.

Bible passage: Ezekiel 37:21-22
Prophet: Ezekiel
Written: between 593-571 BC
Fulfilled: 1948

In Ezekiel 37:21-22, the prophet said that God would one day bring the people of Israel back to Israel, as a united nation. This might have been a shock for Ezekiel. He lived about 2600 years ago. At that time, the people of Israel had already divided themselves into two separate kingdoms. And, both kingdoms had been conquered by foreign invaders, who forced many of the people, including Ezekiel, into exile. But, when Jews reclaimed sovereignty in 1948, they did so as a united people, creating one nation - Israel.

Literary Features

The three major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) and Zephaniah all have the same basic sequence of messages: (1) oracles against Israel, (2) oracles against the nations, (3) consolation for Israel. In no other book is this pattern clearer than in Ezekiel (see Outline).

Besides clarity of structure, the book of Ezekiel reveals symmetry. The vision of the desecrated temple fit for destruction (chs. 8–11) is balanced by the vision of the restored and purified temple (chs. 40–48). The God presented in agitated wrath (ch. 1) is also shown to be a God of comfort (“the Lord is there,” 48:35). Ezekiel’s call to be a watchman announcing divine judgment (ch. 3) is balanced by his call to be a watchman announcing the new age to follow (ch. 33). In one place (ch. 6) the mountains of Israel receive a prophetic rebuke, but in another (ch. 36) they are consoled.

Prophetic books are usually largely poetic, the prophets apparently having spoken in imaginative and rhythmic styles. Most of Ezekiel, however, is prose, perhaps due to his priestly background. His repetitions have an unforgettable hammering effect, and his priestly orientation is also reflected in a case-law type of sentence (compare 3:19, “If you do warn the wicked . . .,” with Ex 21:2, “If you buy a Hebrew servant . . .”).

The book contains four major visions (chs. 1–3; 8–11; 37:1–14; 40–48) and 12 symbolic acts (3:22–26; 4:1–3; 4:4–8; 4:9–11; 4:12–14; 5:1–3; 12:1–16; 12:17–20; 21:6–7; 21:18–24; 24:15–24; 37:15–28). Five messages are in the form of parables (chs. 15–17; 19; 23).

 

Theological Significance

Other prophets deal largely with Israel’s idolatry, with her moral corruption in public and private affairs, and with her international intrigues and alliances on which she relied instead of the Lord. They announce God’s impending judgment on his rebellious nation but speak also of a future redemption: a new exodus, a new covenant, a restored Jerusalem, a revived Davidic dynasty, a worldwide recognition of the Lord and his Messiah and a paradise-like peace.

The contours and sweep of Ezekiel’s message are similar, but he focuses uniquely on Israel as the holy people of the holy temple, the holy city and the holy land. By defiling her worship, Israel had rendered herself unclean and had defiled temple, city and land. From such defilement God could only withdraw and judge his people with national destruction.

But God’s faithfulness to his covenant and his desire to save were so great that he would revive his people once more, shepherd them with compassion, cleanse them of all their defilement, reconstitute them as a perfect expression of his kingdom under the hand of “David” (34:23–24), overwhelm all the forces and powers arrayed against them, display his glory among the nations and restore the glory of his presence to the holy city.

Ezekiel powerfully depicts the grandeur and glory of God’s sovereign rule (see Themes) and his holiness, which he jealously safeguards. The book’s theological center is the unfolding of God’s saving purposes in the history of the world—from the time in which he must withdraw from the defilement of his covenant people to the culmination of his grand design of redemption. The message of Ezekiel, which is ultimately eschatological, anticipates—even demands—God’s future works in history proclaimed by the NT.

Ezekiel lived about 2600 years ago, during the time that the Babylonian Empire had subdued the nation of Judah and had destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. He was the son of Buzi, a Zadokite priest. Ezekiel was among the Jews in Judah who were taken as captives by the Babylonians to Babylon. He received his call as a prophet during the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin. Ezekiel's ministry lasted about 22 years.

Ezekiel's prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem caused friction among the Jews who were with him in Babylon. But, when his prophecies came true, people began to listen to him more intently. Ezekiel's wife died during the day that the Babylonians began their siege of Jerusalem. This siege began in about 586 BC, after Ezekiel and others had been taken as captives to Babylon. The siege ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple in Jerusalem.

After the destruction, Ezekiel's prophecies more or less changed from the theme of unbending judgment to the theme of hope and comfort in the future. Ezekiel was very much a shepherd and a watchman for the nation of Israel. As a shepherd, he protected the people. And as a watchman, he warned of dangers ahead. Ezekiel's name means "God strengthens." The Bible's book of Ezekiel is the third of the four Major Prophets.

 

Outline

  • Oracles of Judgment against Israel (chs. 1–24)
    • Ezekiel’s Inaugural Vision (chs. 1–3)
      1. Overwhelming display of the glory of the Lord (ch. 1)
      2. Ezekiel’s call to be a prophet (2:1—3:15)
      3. Ezekiel’s task as watchman (3:16–21)
      4. Restraints on Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry (3:22–27)
    • Symbolic Acts Portraying the Siege of Jerusalem (chs. 4–5)
      1. Ezekiel’s symbolic siege of Jerusalem (ch. 4)
      2. God’s razor of judgment at work (ch. 5)
    • Oracles of Divine Judgment (chs. 6–7)
      1. Doom for the mountains of Israel (ch. 6)
      2. The end has come on the land (ch. 7)
    • Corruption of the Temple and Its Consequences (chs. 8–11)
      1. Idolatry in the temple (ch. 8)
      2. Judgment on the idolaters (ch. 9)
      3. God’s glory departs from the temple (ch. 10)
      4. God’s sure judgment on Jerusalem (11:1–14)
      5. Those in exile to be restored (11:15–21)
      6. Conclusion of the vision (11:22–25)
    • Ezekiel Symbolizes the Exile of Jerusalem (ch. 12)
      1. An exile’s baggage (12:1–16)
      2. Anxious eating (12:17–20)
      3. The nearness of judgment (12:21–28)
    • Oracles concerning God’s Judgment on Judah (13:1—24:14)
      1. Condemnation of the false prophets (ch. 13)
      2. Condemnation of the idolaters (14:1–11)
      3. No mediators can turn back God’s judgment (14:12–23)
      4. Jerusalem likened to a piece of burnt vine (ch. 15)
      5. Jerusalem allegorized as an adulterous wife (ch. 16)
      6. Allegory of two eagles and a vine (ch. 17)
      7. The soul who sins will die (ch. 18)
      8. A lament over the fall of Jerusalem’s kings (ch. 19)
      9. Apostate Israel purged and renewed through judgment (20:1–44)
      10. Babylon, God’s sword of judgment (20:45—21:32)
      11. The sins for which Jerusalem is judged (ch. 22)
      12. Jerusalem and Samaria allegorized as adulterous sisters (ch. 23)
      13. Jerusalem cooked over the fire (24:1–14)
    • The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife Symbolizes Jerusalem’s Fall (24:15–27)
  • Oracles of Judgment against the Nations (chs. 25–32)
    • A Prophecy against Ammon (25:1–7)
    • A Prophecy against Moab (25:8–11)
    • A Prophecy against Edom (25:12–14)
    • A Prophecy against Philistia (25:15–17)
    • A Prophecy against Tyre (26:1—28:19)
      1. Tyre’s destruction announced (ch. 26)
      2. A lament over Tyre (ch. 27)
      3. A prophecy against the king of Tyre (28:1–19)
    • A Prophecy against Sidon (28:20–24)
      (For Israel, a restoration, 28:25–26)
    • A Prophecy against Egypt (chs. 29–32)
      1. Egypt a doomed monster (29:1–16)
      2. Egypt a payment to Nebuchadnezzar (29:17–21)
      3. Laments over Egypt (30:1–19)
      4. The pharaoh’s arms are broken (30:20–26)
      5. The pharaoh a felled Lebanon cedar (ch. 31)
      6. Lament over the pharaoh (32:1–16)
      7. The pharaoh consigned to the realm of the dead (32:17–32)
  • Oracles of Consolation for Israel (chs. 33–48)
    • Renewal of Ezekiel’s Call as Watchman (33:1–20)
    • Jerusalem’s Fall Reported and Its Remnant Condemned (33:21–33)
    • The Lord to Be Israel’s Shepherd (ch. 34)
    • A Prophecy against Edom (ch. 35)
    • Israel’s Complete Restoration Announced (ch. 36)
    • Israel’s Dry Bones Revived and Unity Restored (ch. 37)
      1. Israel’s dry bones restored to life (37:1–14)
      2. Again one nation under one King (37:15–28)
    • The Great Battle of the Ages (chs. 38–39)
    • The New Order for Purified Israel (chs. 40–48)
      1. The temple area restored (40:1–47)
      2. The new temple (40:48—42:20)
      3. God’s glory returns to the temple (43:1–12)
      4. Restoration of the great altar (43:13–27)
      5. Restoration of the priesthood (ch. 44)
      6. Restoration of the theocratic order (chs. 45–46)
      7. The river of life from the temple (47:1–12)
      8. The boundaries of the land (47:13–23)
      9. The distribution of the land (48:1–29)
      10. The twelve gates of the new city (48:30–35)
 

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