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First named in Scripture at Ezekiel 1:3 — read the chapter.

What Ezekiel Did

Priest and prophet of the captivity, carried to Babylon with Jehoiachin: by the river Chebar he saw the glory of the Lord, ate the roll of the book, and for some twenty years acted and spoke God’s word to the exiles — the siege of Jerusalem in sign, the valley of dry bones, the watchman’s charge, and the vision of the temple and the river of life.

Accomplished for Good

He delivered God’s word whole, whether the house would hear or forbear (Ezek 2:5-7); his dry-bones vision (Ezek 37) is the Bible’s great picture of God raising the dead — first Israel, and by figure every sinner quickened by the Spirit; he bore the shame of the people’s sin in silence when his wife died and God forbade him to mourn (Ezek 24:16-18).

Mistakes and Failures

Scripture records no sin of Ezekiel’s; when God made him dumb toward the people’s reproof, he obeyed, and spoke only when God opened his mouth (Ezek 3:26-27; 33:22).

From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

God will strengthen. (1.) 1 Chronicles 24:16, “Jehezekel.” (2.) One of the great prophets, the son of Buzi the priest (Ezekiel 1:3). He was one of the Jewish exiles who settled at Tel-Abib, on the banks of the Chebar, “in the land of the Chaldeans.” He was probably carried away captive with Jehoiachin (1:2; 2 Kings 24:14-16) about B.C. 597. His prophetic call came to him “in the fifth year of Jehoiachin’ s captivity” (B.C. 594). He had a house in the place of his exile, where he lost his wife, in the ninth year of his exile, by some sudden and unforeseen stroke (Ezekiel 8:1; 24:18). He held a prominent place among the exiles, and was frequently consulted by the elders (8:1; 11:25; 14:1; 20:1). His ministry extended over twenty-three years (29:17), B.C. 595-573, during part of which he was contemporary with Daniel (14:14; 28:3) and Jeremiah, and probably also with Obadiah. The time and manner of his death are unknown. His reputed tomb is pointed out in the neighbourhood of Bagdad, at a place called Keffil.

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