Ezekiel’s precise dating of this moment highlights God’s timely and directed revelation.
Ezekiel introduces a specific moment in time when God offers another word of prophecy through His prophet. He states, “Now in the eleventh year, on the first of the month, the word of the LORD came to me saying,” (v.1). This reference to “the eleventh year” situates the prophecy around 586 BC, a crucial period coinciding with the final stages of Jerusalem’s destruction. Ezekiel, who prophesied from about 593 BC to 571 BC, is living in exile in Babylon and consistently receives divine revelations meant to guide and warn both the exiles and the nations surrounding Israel. His opening phrase, “Now in the eleventh year,” highlights that the pronouncement he is about to deliver is anchored to a specific date in history, demonstrating God’s organized plan and sovereign timing.
When Ezekiel writes, “the word of the LORD came to me” (v.1), it underscores the core of his ministry: He is merely the messenger, and the words belong to God. Prophets, such as Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, served as instruments of divine communication, each in their unique historical moment. This particular verse is the gateway to a larger prophetic declaration against the city of Tyre (unfolding in the subsequent verses), revealing how God addresses earthly powers and holds them accountable for their dealings with His chosen people. The setting (Babylonian exile) paints a backdrop of national calamity for Israel, yet it also reveals God’s sovereignty over all nations.
Although the verse itself is brief, its mere mention of time and divine speech implies that God’s hand is orchestrating events far beyond Israel’s borders. There is also a foreshadowing here of how God would later speak through other prophets in the New Testament era (Hebrews 1:1-2). The detailed date marks this utterance as a historical reality, and it reminds readers that God’s words are precise and purposeful, not vague or arbitrary.
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Ezekiel 26:1 meaning
Ezekiel introduces a specific moment in time when God offers another word of prophecy through His prophet. He states, “Now in the eleventh year, on the first of the month, the word of the LORD came to me saying,” (v.1). This reference to “the eleventh year” situates the prophecy around 586 BC, a crucial period coinciding with the final stages of Jerusalem’s destruction. Ezekiel, who prophesied from about 593 BC to 571 BC, is living in exile in Babylon and consistently receives divine revelations meant to guide and warn both the exiles and the nations surrounding Israel. His opening phrase, “Now in the eleventh year,” highlights that the pronouncement he is about to deliver is anchored to a specific date in history, demonstrating God’s organized plan and sovereign timing.
When Ezekiel writes, “the word of the LORD came to me” (v.1), it underscores the core of his ministry: He is merely the messenger, and the words belong to God. Prophets, such as Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, served as instruments of divine communication, each in their unique historical moment. This particular verse is the gateway to a larger prophetic declaration against the city of Tyre (unfolding in the subsequent verses), revealing how God addresses earthly powers and holds them accountable for their dealings with His chosen people. The setting (Babylonian exile) paints a backdrop of national calamity for Israel, yet it also reveals God’s sovereignty over all nations.
Although the verse itself is brief, its mere mention of time and divine speech implies that God’s hand is orchestrating events far beyond Israel’s borders. There is also a foreshadowing here of how God would later speak through other prophets in the New Testament era (Hebrews 1:1-2). The detailed date marks this utterance as a historical reality, and it reminds readers that God’s words are precise and purposeful, not vague or arbitrary.