Summary[i]
Ezekiel was carried away to
Babylon between the first and final deportation of Judah (2Ki_24:11-16). Like Daniel and the Apostle John,
he prophesied out of the land, and his prophecy, like theirs, follows the method
of symbol and vision. Unlike the pre-exilic prophets, whose ministry was
primarily to either Judah or the ten-tribe kingdom, Ezekiel is the voice of
Jehovah to "the whole house of Israel."
Speaking broadly, the purpose of
his ministry is to keep before the generation born in exile the national sins
which had brought Israel so low (e.g. Eze_14:23);
to sustain the faith of the exiles by predictions of national restoration, of
the execution of justice upon their oppressors, and of national glory under the
Davidic monarchy.
Ezekiel is in seven great
prophetic strains indicated by the expression, "The hand of the Lord was
upon me." (Eze_1:3; Eze_3:14; Eze_3:22;
Eze_8:1; Eze_33:22;
Eze_37:1; Eze_40:1).
The minor divisions are indicated
in the text.
The events recorded in Ezekiel
cover a period of 21 years (Ussher).