About Ezekiel
God's glory cannot be contained in any building or nation - it departed from a corrupted temple and will return to fill a restored creation with his presence.
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you."
Ezekiel 36:26
Written
circa 593-571 BC
Author
Ezekiel
Genre
Prophecy / Apocalyptic
Position
26th of 66 books - Major Prophets
Authorship
Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest exiled to Babylon with the first group of deportees in 597 BC. He ministered among the exiles at Tel Abib by the Chebar canal.
Historical Context
Ezekiel ministered from 593 to 571 BC, both before and after Jerusalem's final fall (586 BC). Writing in Babylon to exiles who still hoped Jerusalem would survive, he first announced judgment (chs. 1-24), then shifted after the fall to comfort and restoration (chs. 33-48).
Purpose
To demonstrate that God is not defeated by Babylon - his glory departed from Jerusalem willingly (ch. 10) - and to promise a future restoration with a new heart, a new spirit, and a new temple.
Key Message
God's glory cannot be contained in any building or nation - it departed from a corrupted temple and will return to fill a restored creation with his presence.
Book Structure
Interesting Facts
Ezekiel's opening vision of the four living creatures (ch. 1) influenced Revelation's throne room imagery directly.
The valley of dry bones (ch. 37) has become one of the most powerful resurrection metaphors in all of Scripture.
Ezekiel 36:26 - I will give you a new heart - is the most explicit OT promise of the new covenant transformation.
The book uses the phrase they will know that I am the LORD over 60 times.
Ezekiel's Temple Vision (chs. 40-48) is so detailed it has been studied by architects for centuries.