Ezekiel CommentaryThe Bible Says Commentary on Ezekiel

The Book of Ezekiel was written by the prophet Ezekiel, a priest who served as God’s messenger during the Babylonian exile. Ezekiel began his prophetic ministry around 593 BC and continued until approximately 571 BC, speaking to fellow Jewish exiles who had been removed from their homeland. He was called by God while living by the river Chebar, an important canal near the city of Nippur in what is now modern-day Iraq, one of the primary locations where the Judean deportees settled.

Ezekiel’s prophecies address the spiritual and moral failures that led to Jerusalem’s destruction, but they also carry a message of restoration and hope. The prophet uses vivid imagery to highlight God’s holiness, depicting divine visions that emphasize the presence of the Lord even when His people are scattered. For example, Ezekiel 2:3 says, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.” Throughout his prophecies, Ezekiel repeatedly underscores personal responsibility and calls Israel to repent and return to faithful worship of God.

The context of the Babylonian exile is key to understanding this book. After the first stage of Babylon’s campaign in 605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar (reigned from 605 to 562 BC) launched subsequent deportations of Judah, including the one in 597 BC that likely took Ezekiel himself to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was a major power figure in the ancient Near East, overseeing the empire that destroyed Jerusalem and forced many of its leaders and craftsmen to relocate. This upheaval and displacement left the people questioning the fate of their covenant with God, and Ezekiel provided them with divine reassurance that the Lord was still in control and would bring about a future renewal.

Throughout the Book of Ezekiel, readers encounter messages of judgment against Israel’s leaders, oracles against foreign nations, and remarkable signs of future hope such as the vision of a restored temple and the promise of a new heart for God’s people. While the immediate historical setting involved a people in crisis, the enduring spiritual lesson is that God remains sovereign over all kingdoms, and He desires genuine worship and moral accountability from those who follow Him.