CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT · MAJOR PROPHETS
Ezekiel
48 chapters · ~593–571 BC — during the Babylonian exile
Ezekiel — at a glance
Who’s in Ezekiel
The story of Ezekiel
Ezekiel was a priest who was taken to Babylon as a captive and became a prophet there. His book is filled with dramatic visions, symbolic actions, and powerful messages delivered to the Jewish exiles between about 593 and 571 BC. He warned that Jerusalem would be destroyed because of its sins, but he also promised that God would one day restore His people, give them new hearts, and bring them back to their land. His famous vision of a valley of dry bones coming to life shows God's power to bring hope from hopelessness.
Ezekiel at a glance
Chapters 1–6 The Time and Place of the Vision
Ezekiel, a priest living among the Jewish exiles in Babylon, sees an amazing vision of God's glory. He describes four living creatures, spinning wheels covered with eyes, and a throne of brilliant light above them all. God calls Ezekiel to be a prophet to the rebellious people of Israel.
Read chapter 1 →Chapters 7–12 The End Has Come
God announces that the end has come for the land of Israel. Disaster is coming, and nothing can stop it. Money will be worthless, and the people will be helpless as invaders take over their land and even enter God's temple. In a vision, God transports Ezekiel from Babylon to the temple in Jerusalem.
Read chapter 7 →Chapters 13–18 False Prophets Condemned
God condemns the false prophets of Israel who tell the people lies, saying there will be peace when there is no peace. They are like builders who plaster over a weak wall instead of fixing it. God also condemns women who practice magic to deceive people.
Read chapter 13 →Chapters 19–24 The Lioness and Her Cubs
Ezekiel sings a funeral song for the princes of Israel. He uses two images: a lioness whose cubs were captured, and a vine that was torn up and planted in the desert. Both pictures represent the fall of Judah's last kings. Some elders come to Ezekiel to ask God for guidance, but God refuses to be questioned by them.
Read chapter 19 →Chapters 25–30 Judgment on Ammon
God turns his attention to four nations that were enemies of Israel: Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia. Each one celebrated when Jerusalem fell, and each one will face God's judgment for their cruelty and arrogance.
Read chapter 25 →Chapters 31–36 The Great Cedar Tree
God uses the image of a great cedar tree to warn Egypt. The tree represents Assyria, which was once the greatest empire in the world but was cut down by God because of its pride. Egypt should learn from Assyria's example. Ezekiel sings a funeral song for Pharaoh, comparing him to a great sea creature that God will catch in a net.
Read chapter 31 →Chapters 37–42 The Valley of Dry Bones
In one of the most famous visions in the Bible, God shows Ezekiel a valley full of dry bones and asks, 'Can these bones live?' God brings the bones back to life, showing that he can restore Israel from the death of exile. Then God tells Ezekiel to join two sticks together, symbolizing the reunion of Israel and Judah under one king.
Read chapter 37 →Chapters 43–48 God's Glory Returns to the Temple
The glory of God returns to the new temple through the east gate, the same gate through which it departed in chapter 10. God declares this will be his eternal dwelling place. The chapter also gives instructions for the altar and its consecration. God explains that the east gate of the temple will remain shut because the Lord entered through it.
Read chapter 43 →Five themes that reveal Ezekiel’s deeper meaning
Personal responsibility
God addressed the people's objection directly. They asked why a good son should not share his father's punishment. God explained his principle of individual responsibility clearly. A wicked person who turns from sin and does right will live, and none of their past sins will be held against them. But a righteous person who turns to evil will die.
Prophetic sign-acts
God told Ezekiel to draw a picture of Jerusalem on a clay brick, which was common in Babylon. Then he was to set up a model siege around it with tiny forts, ramps, and battering rams. An iron pan placed between Ezekiel and the model city represented the wall of separation between God and his people.
God defends his people
The Ammonites, who lived east of the Jordan River, had cheered when the Jerusalem temple was destroyed and the people of Judah went into exile. Because they said 'Aha!' over God's sanctuary, God would hand their land over to the people of the East (desert nomads).
God's glory
Above the four creatures was a crystal-like surface, and above that was a throne made of sapphire. On the throne sat a figure that looked like a man, glowing with fire and surrounded by brilliant light like a rainbow. This was the glory of the Lord. Ezekiel fell face-down in awe.
Divine visions
Ezekiel was among the Jews taken captive to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC. He lived by the Chebar River, which was actually a large canal in Babylonia. The 'thirtieth year' likely refers to Ezekiel's age, which was when priests normally began their service.
Essential verses from Ezekiel
“Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:”
“The Lord God says to these bones: "I am about to breathe life into you, and you will come alive."”
The Spirit of the Lord carried Ezekiel to a valley filled with dry bones, representing the people of Israel in exile who said, 'Our bones are dried up. Our hope is gone.
“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.”
“"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 a heart of flesh."”
This is one of the most important passages in the Old Testament. God promised to gather Israel from all the nations, sprinkle them with clean water to purify them, give them a new heart and a new spirit, and put his own Spirit within them.
“And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.”
“"I will bless them and the land surrounding my hill. I will send rain at the right time. Showers of blessing will fall."”
God promised to set up one shepherd over his people, a descendant of David. God would make a 'covenant of peace' with them and rid the land of wild animals. The land would produce abundantly, the people would live in safety, and no one would make them afraid.
“And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.”
“"I will breathe my own Spirit into you, and you will live again. I will bring you home and settle you on your own soil. Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, made this promise and then kept it," says the Lord.”
The Spirit of the Lord carried Ezekiel to a valley filled with dry bones, representing the people of Israel in exile who said, 'Our bones are dried up. Our hope is gone.
“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”
“"I searched for a single person among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so I would not have to destroy it. But I could not find even one."”
God condemned every segment of society. The leaders were like roaring lions tearing their prey. The priests violated God's law and made no distinction between what was holy and what was common. The prophets covered up wrongdoing like whitewashing a wall.
How Ezekiel points to Christ
John's vision of the river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God, with trees on either side bearing fruit for healing, directly echoes Ezekiel's river flowing from the temple that brings life and healing wherever it goes. Ezekiel's image of God planting a tender shoot that becomes a great tree where birds find shelter echoes Jesus' parable of the mustard seed growing into a tree that shelters birds, both pointing to God's kingdom. Jesus identified himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, directly fulfilling Ezekiel's prophecy that God would set one shepherd over his people — a servant like David. Jesus' promise that rivers of living water would flow from within those who believe in him draws on Ezekiel's temple river imagery, pointing to the Holy Spirit as the source of spiritual life. John's vision of God dwelling with his people echoes the glory of God returning to fill the temple in Ezekiel, pointing to the ultimate fulfillment when God will dwell among humanity forever. The new Jerusalem in Revelation, where God dwells with his people forever, fulfills Ezekiel's vision of the city named 'The Lord is There,' completing God's plan to live among his people.
How to apply Ezekiel to your life
Ezekiel 37 is the vision you need when everything in your life looks dead. God took Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones — completely lifeless, completely hopeless — and asked, 'Can these bones live?' The only right answer is Ezekiel's: 'Lord, you know.' You don't know what God can do with dead things. That dead dream. That dead relationship. That dead career. Don't bury it — prophesy to it. Speak life over it. God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, and they started rattling, reconnecting, growing flesh. Then God breathed life into them and they stood up as an army. Your words carry creative power. What you speak over your situation matters. Stop declaring death over things God hasn't declared dead. And chapter 36:26 gives you the ultimate upgrade: 'I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.' You don't need to repair the old heart. You need a transplant. God specializes in complete transformation, not incremental improvement.
Common questions about Ezekiel
What is the valley of dry bones?
Study Ezekiel in the Clarity Edition
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