The Prophet Ezekiel

The Prophet Ezekiel is considered to be one of the most colorful prophets found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Taking place during dramatic times, Ezekiel’s ministry reflected this drama with evocative, perhaps, even bizarre allegories designed to communicate his perspective on these events. Around the time of Ezekiel’s call, many important theological and historical events were occurring, the most significant of which was the Babylonian invasion of Judah with the subsequent exile of Judah’s inhabitants. The invasion culminated with a siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE, where the Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar, broke through the walls, plundered the city and razed the Temple of Solomon. This was an immense tragedy for the Judeans, and for Ezekiel

Chronologically following the historical events, first comes the section devoted to pronunciations of judgment on Judah, and Jerusalem specifically. (Chapters 1-24). These chapters take place before the fall of Jerusalem, however they certainly foretell it. The first major symbol used by Ezekiel is seen in Chapter 4, where Ezekiel is told to build a model of a siege to represent the coming siege of Jerusalem and to lay on his side for 390 days then again for 40 days to symbolize the punishment to be inflicted on Israel and Judah respectively(Ezekiel 4:1-8). Ezekiel is next commanded to prepare his food over dung to symbolize how the Judeans will be forced to eat unclean food in the coming times(Ezekiel, 4:9-17). The last major symbolic action of this section involves Ezekiel shaving his head and beard, which he divides into three groups. The first of which he burns in a fire to symbolize how a third of the people will be killed by a fire from God. The second pile is scattered into the winds, symbolizing how a third of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be exiled to foreign lands. Another third, he cuts with a sword to show how a third of the people will be killed at the hands of their conquerors, though he does take a small number from that group to weave into his clothes, symbolizing how a small number will be taken back into the fold of God(Ezekiel 5-12). Through the much of the

This second section extends from Chapters 25-32 and it carries predictions of the downfall of Ammon, Moab, Edom, Egypt, and especially Tyre, a rich trade city on an island in the Mediterranean. It focuses on the hubris of Tyre, how the people of that city have grown exceedingly wealthy and feel themselves as elevated to the level of gods. This arrogance is what would, in Ezekiel’s mind, cause the Lord to bring about their downfall. Though the foretold destruction of Tyre did not occur, (Ezekiel, 29:16) this pattern is an important one in the Bible and can be seen in a number of important stories including that of Adam and Eve, and the Tower of Babel (Collins 233). After this failure in prophecy, Ezekiel proclaims that Egypt would be the next on the path of King Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest (Ezekiel 30). Though he was right about the attack on Egypt, he was wrong on who would be the winner of that battle. He predicted that Egypt would be decimated for 40 years, though in reality, Egypt repelled the