Ezekiel 1

Ezekiel 1 is the first chapter of the Book of Ezekiel. It establishes the book's date and setting and recounts the vision in which Ezekiel is called to be a prophet. This call narrative continues through chapter 3.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 It is the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, which is the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity. By the river Chebar in the land of the Chaldeans, the heavens are opened, and the word and the hand of the LORD come upon Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi.
• Verses 4–14 A whirlwind and a great cloud enfolding fire come out of the north, and within it four living creatures appear. Each creature has four faces (those of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle) and four wings, and the creatures go straight forward without turning.
• Verses 15–21 Beside the creatures are wheels that look like "a wheel in the middle of a wheel." The rims of the wheels are full of eyes, and because the spirit of the living creatures is in the wheels, the wheels move together with the creatures.
• Verses 22–25 Above the heads of the creatures is a firmament (a canopy spread out like the sky) resembling crystal. The sound of their wings is like the noise of great waters and the noise of an army.
• Verses 26–28 Above the firmament is a throne like sapphire, and upon it is a figure with the likeness of a man, surrounded by brightness like fire and like a rainbow. Ezekiel calls this "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD" and falls on his face.

Key Verses

• Ezekiel 1:1 "The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God." This is the book's starting point: God reveals Himself even in exile, where there is no temple.
• Ezekiel 1:26 "Upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it." Rather than describing God's form directly, the text speaks cautiously, layering terms such as "likeness" and "appearance."
• Ezekiel 1:28 "This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD." "The glory of the LORD" becomes a theme that runs throughout the rest of the book.

People and Places

• Ezekiel: The son of Buzi and a priest. He was among those in the Babylonian exile.
• Jehoiachin: The king of Judah who was carried captive to Babylon. This chapter dates its events by the years of his captivity.
• The river Chebar: A river or canal in the land of Babylon (Chaldea), where the exiles lived.

Points for Reflection

• The text does not specify the reference point for "the thirtieth year." A widely known interpretation takes it as Ezekiel's age, but other views exist. The fifth year of Jehoiachin's captivity is usually dated to around 593 BC.
• In chapter 10 the four living creatures are called cherubim (Ezekiel 10:20).
• The interpretation that associates the four faces with the four Gospels was added by church tradition; the text itself makes no such connection. The best-known arrangement is that of Jerome, who paired Matthew with the man, Mark with the lion, Luke with the ox, and John with the eagle.
• Jewish tradition called this vision God's "chariot" (Merkabah). Public teaching of its interpretation is known to have been approached with great caution.
• In the New Testament, the descriptions of the throne, the four living creatures, and the rainbow in Revelation 4 are frequently compared with this chapter.