Series: 30 Prophets of the Bible - Dr. Randy White

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Download these notes here:

Ezekiel.pdf

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Key line: “They shall know that there hath been a prophet among them” (Ezek. 2:5).

Placement: Exilic prophet; priest, watchman, sign-actor, and visionary witness among the captives.

I. Identity of Ezekiel

Name and Known Facts

• “Ezekiel” (Hebrew: יְחֶזְקֵאל, Yechezqel) means “God strengthens” or “God will strengthen.”
• He was “the son of Buzi” and “the priest” (Ezek. 1:3).
• He prophesied “among the captives by the river of Chebar” in Babylonian exile (1:1-3).
• His call came in the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity, approximately 593 BC.
• Ezekiel likely reached priestly age when he instead received prophetic visions in exile.

The Man

• Ezekiel was not a court prophet in Jerusalem, but a prophet among displaced Jews in Babylon.
• He carried priestly concerns: glory, holiness, uncleanness, sanctuary, abominations, sacrifice, land, and temple order.
• His own life became part of the message: silence, symbolic actions, public signs, and even the death of his wife (24:15-27).

II. Historical Setting

Exile Before Jerusalem's Fall

• Ezekiel ministered after the 597 BC deportation but before and after Jerusalem's fall in 586 BC.
• Compare the historical frame in 2 Kings 24-25, 2 Chronicles 36, Jeremiah 29, and Daniel 1.
• His ministry therefore stands between deportation and destruction: the captives were already judged, but Jerusalem had not yet learned the lesson.