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Book 26 of 66 · Prophets

Ezekiel

A priest taken to Babylon sees strange visions of God, acts out bizarre street signs, and watches God’s presence leave the temple. He blames leaders who fed themselves instead of the people. Then he sees dry bones come to life.

The big idea

In short: leaders exist to feed the flock, not themselves. “Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?” (34:2). God himself will “seek that which was lost… and will strengthen that which was sick” (34:16).

Ezekiel also teaches that no one is stuck: “turn yourselves, and live ye” (18:32).

The rule underneath: Law 11 · Power serves

Authority serves the people under it and answers to God.

Keep it: People do well under their leaders.
Break it: Leaders take, and kingdoms fall.

Shows up in: Deuteronomy, 1 Samuel, 1 Kings, Proverbs, Mark, 1 Peter

Other rules in this book: Repair, Protect the weakest

Live it: Playbook 09 · How to lead

2Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. 4The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.Ezekiel 34:2-4 · KJV

At a glance

What it is
A book of visions, sign-acts, and messages. 48 chapters, mostly in time order.
Who wrote it
Ezekiel, a priest taken to Babylon with the first exiles in 597 BC (1:1–3). Most scholars accept that much of it goes back to him, with later editing. debated
When
About 593–571 BC. His messages are dated, which is rare among the prophets.
Why it matters
The valley of dry bones (37) and the promise of “an heart of flesh” (36:26) come from here. The book of Revelation borrows many of its images.
In which Bibles
All of them.
Read it in
About 3½ hours.

What it says

1–3 · The vision and the call. By a river in Babylon, Ezekiel sees God’s glory on a throne with wheels, fire, and living creatures (1). God makes him a “watchman” who must warn the people whether they listen or not (3:17).

4–24 · Street signs and judgment. Ezekiel lies on his side for months, shaves his head, and packs a bag like a refugee, as living signs of the siege and exile (4–5; 12). In a vision he sees leaders worshiping idols in secret, saying, “The LORD seeth us not” (8:12). God’s glory leaves the temple (10:18). The sin of Sodom is named: “pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness… neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy” (16:49).

18 · Each person is responsible. People said children pay for their parents’ sins. God says no: “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father” (18:20). The good person is one who returns what a debtor pledged, feeds the hungry, and does not charge interest (18:7–8). And anyone can turn: “I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth… turn yourselves, and live ye” (18:32).

25–32 · The nations. Messages against nearby kingdoms, including proud Tyre, a trading city that grew rich and arrogant (27–28).

33–39 · Hope. Jerusalem has fallen (33:21). The leaders who fed themselves are condemned, and God promises to shepherd the people himself (34). He will give “a new heart” (36:26). In a valley of dry bones God asks, “can these bones live?” The bones join together and breathe (37).

40–48 · A new temple. Ezekiel sees a new temple. A river flows from it and turns salt water fresh, so that “every thing shall live whither the river cometh” (47:9). The city’s name will be “The LORD is there” (48:35).

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.Ezekiel 36:26 · KJV
Go deeper
  • Original words. God calls Ezekiel ben adam, “son of man,” about 90 times. Here it means “human being,” stressing how small the prophet is before God. Kavod, “glory,” means weight or heaviness: God’s real, felt presence.
  • Structure. Judgment on Jerusalem (1–24), judgment on the nations (25–32), and restoration (33–48). God’s glory leaves the temple (10–11) and returns to the new one (43).
  • How the laws interlock. Law 11 is tested by Law 4: leaders are judged by how they treat the weak and sick (34:4). Law 12 is personal: anyone can turn and live (18). Laws 7 and 8 appear in Ezekiel’s picture of a good person (18:7–8) and in Sodom’s sin of plenty with no help for the poor (16:49).

Hard parts

Graphic images of women

What it says In chapters 16 and 23 Jerusalem and Samaria are pictured as unfaithful wives, in very graphic language, who are stripped and punished (16:37–41; 23:20–29).

The rule underneath Image, not tool. Real women are not symbols to be shamed.

What people added Some readers see shocking language meant to jolt a proud nation. Many modern readers see it as harmful when read as a picture of how men may treat women. One early rabbi, Eliezer, ruled that chapter 16 should not be read aloud as a public reading from the prophets (Mishnah Megillah 4:10); later Jewish law did not follow him. Churches and scholars have split; this page does not settle it.

“Statutes that were not good” (20:25)

What it says God says, “I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live” (20:25).

The rule underneath God first. The chapter is about how the people turned God’s gifts into a curse.

What people added Readers take it as God handing people over to the bad choices they wanted, as a comment on child sacrifice (20:26), or as a real puzzle. debated

Gog and Magog (38–39)

What it says An enemy called “Gog, the land of Magog” attacks Israel in the future and is destroyed (38:2).

The rule underneath God first. The point is that God protects his people.

What people added Some modern teachers have matched Gog to present-day nations, often Russia, and set timelines for the end of the world. Many scholars read it as a symbolic picture of all enemies. These matchups have changed over time as world politics changed.

Translation notes that change meaning

  • 16:49 Sodom’s sin. Ezekiel names pride, plenty, idleness, and no help for the poor. Genesis 19 describes a violent mob. Readers weigh the two passages together.

How it has been used: In the film Pulp Fiction (1994), a character recites a speech he calls Ezekiel 25:17. Only the last lines echo the verse; the rest was written for the film.

Where it leads

One thing to do

This week

Feed the flock

If you lead anyone, at work, at home, on a team, ask one person this week: “What do you need from me to do well?” Then do one thing they ask. If you don’t lead anyone, do it for a friend. Write in your journal what you learned.

How to read it. Read 1–3, 18, 34, 36–37, and 47. Then read the rest in order.