Yehezkiel 1:1

A Vision of God’s Glory

1:1 In the thirtieth year, ¹  on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles ²  at the Kebar River, ³  the heavens opened ⁴  and I saw a divine vision. ⁵ 

Yehezkiel 1:27

1:27 I saw an amber glow ⁶  like a fire enclosed all around ⁷  from his waist up. From his waist down I saw something that looked like fire. There was a brilliant light around it,

Yehezkiel 3:20

3:20 “When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I set an obstacle ⁸  before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he will die for his sin. The righteous deeds he performed will not be considered, but I will hold you accountable for his death.

Yehezkiel 3:27

3:27 But when I speak with you, I will loosen your tongue ⁹  and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ Those who listen will listen, but the indifferent will refuse, ¹⁰  for they are a rebellious house.

Yehezkiel 4:14

4:14 And I said, “Ah, sovereign Lord, I have never been ceremonially defiled before. I have never eaten a carcass or an animal torn by wild beasts; from my youth up, unclean meat ¹¹  has never entered my mouth.”

Yehezkiel 6:12

6:12 The one far away will die by pestilence, the one close by will fall by the sword, and whoever is left and has escaped these ¹²  will die by famine. I will fully vent my rage against them.

Yehezkiel 7:26

7:26 Disaster after disaster will come, and one rumor after another. They will seek a vision from a prophet; priestly instruction will disappear, along with counsel from the elders.

Yehezkiel 10:6

10:6 When the Lord ¹³  commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man ¹⁴  went in and stood by one of the wheels. ¹⁵ 

Yehezkiel 11:7

11:7 Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘The corpses you have dumped ¹⁶  in the midst of the city ¹⁷  are the meat, and this city ¹⁸  is the cooking pot, but I will take you out of it. ¹⁹ 

Yehezkiel 12:13

12:13 But I will throw my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans ²⁰  (but he will not see it), ²¹  and there he will die. ²² 

Yehezkiel 12:25

12:25 For I, the Lord, will speak. Whatever word I speak will be accomplished. It will not be delayed any longer. Indeed in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and accomplish it, declares the sovereign Lord.’”

Yehezkiel 13:9

13:9 My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying omens. They will not be included in the council ²³  of my people, nor be written in the registry ²⁴  of the house of Israel, nor enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the sovereign Lord.

Yehezkiel 14:9

14:9 “‘As for the prophet, if he is made a fool by being deceived into speaking a prophetic word – I, the Lord, have made a fool of ²⁵  that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.

Yehezkiel 14:20

14:20 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, they could not save their own son or daughter; they would save only their own lives by their righteousness.

Yehezkiel 16:7

16:7 I made you plentiful like sprouts in a field; you grew tall and came of age so that you could wear jewelry. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, but you were still naked and bare.

Yehezkiel 20:3

20:3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Are you coming to seek me? As surely as I live, I will not allow you to seek me, ²⁶  declares the sovereign Lord.’

Yehezkiel 20:5

20:5 and say to them:

“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore ²⁷  to the descendants ²⁸  of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore ²⁹  to them, “I am the Lord your God.”

Yehezkiel 20:9

20:9 I acted for the sake of my reputation, ³⁰  so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, ³¹  before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. ³² 

Yehezkiel 20:15

20:15 I also swore ³³  to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them – a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.

Yehezkiel 20:28

20:28 I brought them to the land which I swore ³⁴  to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoke me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings.

Yehezkiel 22:18

22:18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become slag to me. All of them are like bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the furnace; ³⁵  they are the worthless slag of silver.

Yehezkiel 23:4

23:4 Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah ³⁶  the name of her younger sister. They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. ³⁷  Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

Yehezkiel 25:3

25:3 Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the sovereign Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: You said “Aha!” about my sanctuary when it was desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and about the house of Judah when they went into exile.

Yehezkiel 28:13

28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. ³⁸ 

Every precious stone was your covering,

the ruby, topaz, and emerald,

the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper,

the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; ³⁹ 

your settings and mounts were made of gold.

On the day you were created they were prepared.

Yehezkiel 29:18

29:18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadrezzar ⁴⁰  of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. ⁴¹  Every head was rubbed bald and every shoulder rubbed bare; yet he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the work he carried out against it.

Yehezkiel 30:6

30:6 “‘This is what the Lord says:

Egypt’s supporters will fall;

her confident pride will crumble. ⁴² 

From Migdol to Syene ⁴³  they will die by the sword within her,

declares the sovereign Lord.

Yehezkiel 34:12

34:12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek out my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a cloudy, dark day. ⁴⁴ 

Yehezkiel 36:36

36:36 Then the nations which remain around you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruins and replanted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken – and I will do it!’

Yehezkiel 37:25

37:25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your fathers lived; they will live in it – they and their children and their grandchildren forever. David my servant will be prince over them forever.

Yehezkiel 38:12

38:12 to loot and plunder, to attack ⁴⁵  the inhabited ruins and the people gathered from the nations, who are acquiring cattle and goods, who live at the center ⁴⁶  of the earth.”

Yehezkiel 38:16

38:16 You will advance ⁴⁷  against my people Israel like a cloud covering the earth. In the latter days I will bring you against my land so that the nations may acknowledge me, when before their eyes I magnify myself ⁴⁸  through you, O Gog.

Yehezkiel 39:7

39:7 “‘I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. ⁴⁹ 

Yehezkiel 39:17

39:17 “As for you, son of man, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Tell every kind of bird and every wild beast: ‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around to my slaughter ⁵⁰  which I am going to make for you, a great slaughter on the mountains of Israel! You will eat flesh and drink blood.

Yehezkiel 39:23

39:23 The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile due to their iniquity, ⁵¹  for they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies; all of them died by the sword.

Yehezkiel 40:1

Vision of the New Temple

40:1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city ⁵²  was struck down, on this very day, ⁵³  the hand ⁵⁴  of the Lord was on me, and he brought me there. ⁵⁵ 

Yehezkiel 41:8

41:8 I saw that the temple had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers were a full measuring stick ⁵⁶  of 10½ feet ⁵⁷  high.

Yehezkiel 43:27

43:27 When the prescribed period is over, ⁵⁸  on the eighth day and thereafter the priests will offer up on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings; ⁵⁹  I will accept you, declares the sovereign Lord.”

Yehezkiel 44:12

44:12 Because they used to minister to them before their idols, and became a sinful obstacle ⁶⁰  to the house of Israel, consequently I have made a vow ⁶¹  concerning them, declares the sovereign Lord, that they will be responsible ⁶²  for their sin.

Yehezkiel 44:24

44:24 “‘In a controversy they will act as judges; ⁶³  they will judge according to my ordinances. They will keep my laws and my statutes regarding all my appointed festivals and will observe ⁶⁴  my Sabbaths.

Yehezkiel 45:1

The Lord’s Portion of the Land

45:1 “‘When you allot the land as an inheritance, you will offer an allotment ⁶⁵  to the Lord, a holy portion from the land; the length will be eight and a quarter miles ⁶⁶  and the width three and one-third miles. ⁶⁷  This entire area will be holy. ⁶⁸ 

Yehezkiel 46:17

46:17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will be his until the year of liberty; ⁶⁹  then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance will only remain with his sons.

Yehezkiel 47:8-9

47:8 He said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and flow down into the Arabah; when they enter the Dead Sea, ⁷⁰  where the sea is stagnant, ⁷¹  the waters become fresh. ⁷²  47:9 Every living creature which swarms where the river ⁷³  flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh ⁷⁴  and everything will live where the river flows.

Yehezkiel 48:1

The Tribal Portions

48:1 “These are the names of the tribes: From the northern end beside the road of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan (which is on the border of Damascus, toward the north beside Hamath), extending from the east side to the west, Dan will have one portion.

[1:1]  ¹ sn The meaning of the thirtieth year is problematic. Some take it to mean the age of Ezekiel when he prophesied (e.g., Origen). The Aramaic Targum explains the thirtieth year as the thirtieth year dated from the recovery of the book of the Torah in the temple in Jerusalem (2 Kgs 22:3-9). The number seems somehow to be equated with the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s exile in 1:2, i.e., 593 b.c.

[1:1]  ² sn The Assyrians started the tactic of deportation, the large-scale forced displacement of conquered populations, in order to stifle rebellions. The task of uniting groups of deportees, gaining freedom from one’s overlords and returning to retake one’s own country would be considerably more complicated than living in one’s homeland and waiting for an opportune moment to drive out the enemy’s soldiers. The Babylonians adopted this practice also, after defeating the Assyrians. The Babylonians deported Judeans on three occasions. The practice of deportation was reversed by the Persian conquerors of Babylon, who gained favor from their subjects for allowing them to return to their homeland and, as polytheists, sought the favor of the gods of the various countries which had come under their control.

[1:1]  ³ sn The Kebar River is mentioned in Babylonian texts from the city of Nippur in the fifth century b.c. It provided artificial irrigation from the Euphrates.

[1:1]  ⁴ sn For the concept of the heavens opened in later literature, see 3 Macc 6:18; 2 Bar. 22:1; T. Levi 5:1; Matt 3:16; Acts 7:56; Rev 19:11.

[1:1]  ⁵ tn Or “saw visions from God.” References to divine visions occur also in Ezek 8:3; 40:2

[1:27]  ⁶ tn See Ezek 1:4.

[1:27]  ⁷ tc The LXX lacks this phrase. Its absence from the LXX may be explained as a case of haplography resulting from homoioteleuton, skipping from כְּמַרְאֵה (kÿmar’eh) to מִמַּרְאֵה (mimmar’eh). On the other hand, the LXX presents a much more balanced verse structure when it is recognized that the final words of this verse belong in the next sentence.

[3:20]  ⁸ tn Or “stumbling block.” The Hebrew term refers to an obstacle in the road in Lev 19:14.

[3:27]  ⁹ tn Heb “open your mouth.”

[3:27]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the listener will listen, the refuser will refuse.” Because the word for listening can also mean obeying, the nuance may be that the obedient will listen, or that the one who listens will obey. Also, although the verbs are not jussive as pointed in the MT, some translate them with a volitive sense: “the one who listens – let that one listen, the one who refuses – let that one refuse.”

[4:14]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew term refers to sacrificial meat not eaten by the appropriate time (Lev 7:18; 19:7).

[6:12]  ¹² tn Heb “the one who is left, the one who is spared.”

[10:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man dressed in linen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the wheel.”

[11:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “placed.”

[11:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “in its midst.”

[11:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “she/it.” See v. 3.

[11:7]  ¹⁹ tc Many of the versions read “I will bring you out” (active) rather than “he brought out” (the reading of MT).

[12:13]  ²⁰ tn Or “Babylonians” (NCV, NLT).

[12:13]  sn The Chaldeans were a group of people in the country south of Babylon from which Nebuchadnezzar came. The Chaldean dynasty his father established became the name by which the Babylonians are regularly referred to in the book of Jeremiah, while Jeremiah’s contemporary, Ezekiel, uses both terms.

[12:13]  ²¹ sn He will not see it. This prediction was fulfilled in 2 Kgs 25:7 and Jer 52:11, which recount how Zedekiah was blinded before being deported to Babylon.

[12:13]  ²² sn There he will die. This was fulfilled when King Zedekiah died in exile (Jer 52:11).

[13:9]  ²³ tn The Hebrew term may refer to the secret council of the Lord (Jer 23:18; Job 15:8), but here it more likely refers to a human council comprised of civic leaders (Gen 49:6; Jer 6:11; 15:17 Ps 64:3; 111:1).

[13:9]  ²⁴ tn The reference here is probably to a civil list (as in Ezra 2:16; Neh 7:64) rather than to a “book of life” (Exod 32:32; Isa 4:3; Ps 69:29; Dan 12:1). This registry may have been established at the making of David’s census (2 Sam 24:2, 9).

[14:9]  ²⁵ tn The translation is uncertain due to difficulty both in determining the meaning of the verb’s stem and its conjugation in this context. In the Qal stem the basic meaning of the verbal root פָּתַה (patah) is “to be gullible, foolish.” The doubling stems (the Pual and Piel used in this verse) typically give such stative verbs a factitive sense, hence either “make gullible” (i.e., “entice”) or “make into a fool” (i.e., “to show to be a fool”). The latter represents the probable meaning of the term in Jer 20:7, 10 and is followed here (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 1:193; R. Mosis “Ez 14, 1-11 - ein Ruf zur Umkehr,” BZ 19 [1975]: 166-69 and ThWAT 4:829-31). In this view, if a prophet speaks when not prompted by God, he will be shown to be a fool, but this does not reflect negatively on the Lord because it is God who shows him to be a fool. Secondly, the verb is in the perfect conjugation and may be translated “I have made a fool of him” or “I have enticed him,” or to show determination (see IBHS 439-41 §27.2f and g), or in certain syntactical constructions as future. Any of these may be plausible if the doubling stems used are understood in the sense of “making a fool of.” But if understood as “to make gullible,” more factors come into play. As the Hebrew verbal form is a perfect, it is often translated as present perfect: “I have enticed.” In this case the Lord states that he himself enticed the prophet to cooperate with the idolaters. Such enticement to sin would seem to be a violation of God’s moral character, but sometimes he does use such deception and enticement to sin as a form of punishment against those who have blatantly violated his moral will (see, e.g., 2 Sam 24). If one follows this line of interpretation in Ezek 14:9, one would have to assume that the prophet had already turned from God in his heart. However, the context gives no indication of this. Therefore, it is better to take the perfect as indicating certitude and to translate it with the future tense: “I will entice.” In this case the Lord announces that he will judge the prophet appropriately. If a prophet allows himself to be influenced by idolaters, then the Lord will use deception as a form of punishment against that deceived prophet. A comparison with the preceding oracles also favors this view. In 14:4 the perfect of certitude is used for emphasis (see “I will answer”), though in v. 7 a participle is employed. For a fuller discussion of this text, see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 23-25.

[20:3]  ²⁶ tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”

[20:5]  ²⁷ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

[20:5]  ²⁸ tn Heb “seed.”

[20:5]  ²⁹ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

[20:9]  ³⁰ tn Heb “for the sake of my name.”

[20:9]  ³¹ tn Heb “before the eyes of the nations in whose midst they were.”

[20:9]  ³² tn Heb “to whom I made myself known before their eyes to bring them out from the land of Egypt.” The translation understands the infinitive construct (“to bring them out”) as indicating manner. God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt was an act of self-revelation in that it displayed his power and his commitment to his promises.

[20:15]  ³³ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

[20:28]  ³⁴ tn Heb “which I lifted up my hand.”

[22:18]  ³⁵ tn For similar imagery, see Isa 1:21-26; Jer 6:27-30.

[23:4]  ³⁶ tn The names Oholah and Oholibah are both derived from the word meaning “tent.” The meaning of Oholah is “her tent,” while Oholibah means “my tent is in her.”

[23:4]  ³⁷ sn In this allegory the Lord is depicted as being the husband of two wives. The OT law prohibited a man from marrying sisters (Lev 18:18), but the practice is attested in the OT (cf. Jacob). The metaphor is utilized here for illustrative purposes and does not mean that the Lord condoned such a practice or bigamy in general.

[28:13]  ³⁸ sn The imagery of the lament appears to draw upon an extrabiblical Eden tradition about the expulsion of the first man (see v. 14 and the note there) from the garden due to his pride. The biblical Eden tradition speaks of cherubs placed as guardians at the garden entrance following the sin of Adam and Eve (Gen 3:24), but no guardian cherub like the one described in verse 14 is depicted or mentioned in the biblical account. Ezekiel’s imagery also appears to reflect Mesopotamian and Canaanite mythology at certain points. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:119-20.

[28:13]  ³⁹ tn The exact identification of each gemstone is uncertain. The list should be compared to that of the priest in Exod 28:17-20, which lists twelve stones in rows of three. The LXX apparently imports the Exod 28 list. See reference to the types of stones in L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:91.

[29:18]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “Nebuchadrezzar” is a variant and more correct spelling of Nebuchadnezzar, as the Babylonian name Nabu-kudurri-usur has an “r” rather than an “n” (so also in v. 19).

[29:18]  ⁴¹ sn Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre from 585 to 571 b.c.

[29:18]  map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[30:6]  ⁴² tn Heb “come down.”

[30:6]  ⁴³ sn Syene is known as Aswan today.

[34:12]  ⁴⁴ sn The imagery may reflect the overthrow of the Israelites by the Babylonians in 587/6 b.c.

[38:12]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “to turn your hand against.”

[38:12]  ⁴⁶ tn The Hebrew term occurs elsewhere only in Judg 9:37. Perhaps it means “high point, top.”

[38:16]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “come up.”

[38:16]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “reveal my holiness.”

[39:7]  ⁴⁹ sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.

[39:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “sacrifice” (so also in the rest of this verse).

[39:23]  ⁵¹ tn Or “in their punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18: 17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment” for iniquity or “guilt” of iniquity.

[40:1]  ⁵² sn That is, Jerusalem.

[40:1]  ⁵³ tn April 19, 573 b.c.

[40:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “power.”

[40:1]  sn Hand in the OT can refer metaphorically to power, authority, or influence. In Ezekiel God’s hand being on the prophet is regularly associated with communication or a vision from God (3:14, 22; 8:1; 37:1; 40:1).

[40:1]  ⁵⁵ sn That is, to the land of Israel (see v. 2).

[41:8]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “reed.”

[41:8]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “six cubits” (i.e., 3.15 meters).

[43:27]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and they will complete the days.”

[43:27]  ⁵⁹ sn The people also could partake of the food of the peace offering (Lev 3).

[44:12]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “a stumbling block of iniquity.” This is a unique phrase of the prophet Ezekiel (cf. also Ezek 7:19; 14:3, 4, 7; 18:30).

[44:12]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

[44:12]  ⁶² tn Heb “will bear.”

[44:24]  ⁶³ sn For a historical illustration of the priest carrying out this function, see 2 Chr 19:9-11.

[44:24]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “sanctify, set apart.”

[45:1]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “a contribution.”

[45:1]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers). The measuring units here are the Hebrew “long” cubit, consisting of a cubit (about 18 inches or 45 cm) and a handbreadth (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm), for a total of 21 inches (52.5 cm). Because modern readers are not familiar with the cubit as a unit of measurement, and due to the additional complication of the “long” cubit as opposed to the regular cubit, all measurements have been converted to American standard miles (one mile = 5,280 feet), with the Hebrew measurements and the metric equivalents given in the notes.

[45:1]  ⁶⁷ tc The LXX reads “twenty thousand cubits.”

[45:1]  tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).

[45:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “holy it is in all its territory round about.”

[46:17]  ⁶⁹ sn That is, the year of Jubilee (Lev 25:8-15).

[47:8]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “the sea,” referring to the Dead Sea. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[47:8]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “to the sea, those which are brought out.” The reading makes no sense. The text is best emended to read “filthy” (i.e., stagnant). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:273.

[47:8]  ⁷² tn Heb “the waters become healed.”

[47:9]  ⁷³ tn Heb “two rivers,” perhaps under the influence of Zech 14:8. The translation follows the LXX and other ancient versions in reading the singular, which is demanded by the context (see vv. 5-7, 9b, 12).

[47:9]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “will be healed.”