Best Resources on Ezekiel
Ezekiel prophesied while living in Babylon. He explained that God’s people had experienced Yahweh’s judgment—seen in their Babylonian exile—because they had worshiped idols and turned away from Yahweh. Ezekiel sees God’s glory depart from Jerusalem but also envisions the hope of its return. There is judgment and mercy throughout the book; there is pain and new life.
—Faithlife Study Bible, Lexham Press
Everything You Need to Study & Teach Ezekiel
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Best Commentaries on Ezekiel
Daniel I. Block, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT), Eerdmans, 1997–1998, 1,757 pp.
An extensive introduction helps to orient readers of Ezekiel’s prophecies to the times, methods, and message of the prophet and to the special literary features of the book. Block then deals successively with each literary/prophetic unit of Ezekiel. The treatment of each unit consists of a fresh translation of the text accompanied by technical textual notes, a discussion of the style and structure of the pericope, a verse-by-verse commentary on the unit, and theological reflections on the significance of the unit. Throughout the commentary, special attention is also paid to the rhetorical methods that the prophet employs to get his message across to his original audience.
- Level: Intermediate
- Type: Expository
Iain M. Duguid, NIV Application Commentary (NIVAC), Zondervan, 1999, 576 pp.
Properly understood, this mysterious book with its obscure images offers profound comfort to us today. Filled with both an indictment of sin and promise for God’s people, it can help us to live—like the ancient Israelites during the Babylonian captivity—as exiles in the foreign country of this world, with endurance and hope. Ezekiel helps readers learn how the message of Ezekiel can have the same powerful impact today that it did when it was first written.
- Level: Intermediate
- Type: Devotional
Leslie C. Allen, Word Biblical Commentary (WBC), Thomas Nelson, 1990–1994, 684 pp.
Delve deep into the language, structure, and background of the mysterious prophecies of Ezekiel. Allen’s mastery of Hebrew provides a fresh translation and is accompanied by notes interpreting the significance of textual variants. Focusing on the meaning of the text, Allen illuminates the historical setting of the book and explains the role of the prophet with clarity and precision.
- Level: Advanced
- Type: Technical
Lamar Eugene Cooper, New American Commentary (NAC), B&H, 1994, 448 pp.
Human interest in eschatology is perennial. This perhaps is one reason for the enduring interest of Ezekiel. But the Book of Ezekiel is much more than a book about end-time events. It also is a book about present spiritual realities relevant for every age. The message of Ezekiel is timeless. It speaks to us in the midst of our world despite our need.
- Level: Intermediate
- Type: Expository
Christopher J.H. Wright, Bible Speaks Today (BST), InterVarsity Press, 2001, 368 pp.
Christopher Wright is a proven interpreter and communicator of the Old Testament, and he masterfully opens our eyes to see and understand the message of Ezekiel. Ezekiel’s vision of the glory of God—its departure and return—is first set within Israel’s history, then in the culmination of God’s promises in Christ. Embedded in the pattern of the strange, the bizarre, and the wonderful is a word that still speaks to God’s people today.
- Level: Basic
- Type: Devotional
Best Books on Ezekiel
Beyond the River Chebar: Studies in Kingship and Eschatology in the Book of Ezekiel
To many readers the book of Ezekiel is a hopeless riddle. However, if we take the time to study it, we will discover that despite the strangeness of the man and his utterances this is the most clearly organized of the major Prophetic Books. If we persist, we will also discover that from a rhetorical perspective this priestly prophet knew his audience—he recognized in Judah’s rebellion against YHWH the underlying cause of the divine fury that resulted in the exile of his people and the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BC. But he also recognized that YHWH’s judgment could not be the last word. Because God's covenant was eternal and irrevocable, he looked forward to a day of spiritual renewal and national restoration.
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Ezekiel’s Prophecy on Tyre: A New Approach
In Ezekiel's Prophecy on Tyre: A New Approach, the author prefers not to take a stand on questions that go beyond the philological and syntactical problems in these chapters. He will center his attention upon controversial points, describing their particular difficulties, referring to the different ways scholars have sought to master the questions, and proposing his own suggestions. In as far as seems desirable, the author takes the liberty of applying these solutions to other biblical texts as well. Moreover, linguistic parallels in Ugaritic and other Northwest Semitic dialects are discussed at some length. If this study achieves anything, it will prove the soundness of the standard Hebrew text and will illustrate the necessity of having recourse to the other dialects of Northwest Semitic.
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By the River Chebar: Historical, Literary, and Theological Studies in the Book of Ezekiel
This is the first of two volumes of essays on Ezekiel and his book. The seven general essays and two studies of particular texts in this collection explore the times, the message, and the methods of the prophetic priest.
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Gender Reversal and Cosmic Chaos: A Study on the Book of Ezekiel
This book is about both the fear of gender reversal and its expression in the prophet Ezekiel's reworking of the marital metaphor. Kamionkowski argues that the abomination of "wife Jerusalem" is that she is attempting to pass for a male, thereby crossing gender boundaries and upsetting the world order. This story is therefore one of confused gender scripts, ensuing chaos, and a reordering through the reinforcement of these strictly defined prescriptions of gendered behavior. Using socio-historical evidence and the existence of the literary motif of men turning into women as a framework, this book argues that Ezekiel 16, in particular, reflects the gender chaos that arises as an aftermath of social and theological crises.
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John's Use of Ezekiel: Understanding the Unique Perspective of the Fourth Gospel
In this volume, Peterson analyzes new connections between motifs, themes, and the macrostructure of Ezekiel at the points where John diverges from the synoptic narrative. Explore a new understanding of John as steeped in the theology of Ezekiel and of the Johannine Christ as the fulfillment of the vision of Ezekiel.
Learn moreBest Courses on Ezekiel
Mobile Ed: OT231 Survey of the Major Prophets (9 hour course)
The prophets of the Old Testament conveyed the words of God to ancient Israel, promised the advent of Jesus the Messiah, and are still relevant to our modern setting. Paul Ferris educates viewers on the office of prophet, provides detailed character studies of prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, and outlines his methodology for teaching powerful lessons drawn from their lives and teaching. This course allows modern students and teachers of the Bible to identify themes in the ministries of Old Testament prophets and to relate them to their church, their classroom, and in a devotional sense.
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Mobile Ed: BI205 Old Testament Exegesis: Understanding and Applying the Old Testament (15 hour course)
Embark on a journey of OT Hebrew exegesis with Jason DeRouchie. The books of the OT were the only Scriptures Jesus had. It was books like Genesis, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Psalms that shaped Jesus’ upbringing and guided his life in ministry as the Jewish Messiah. It was these Scriptures Jesus identified as God’s Word and that he considered to be authoritative; it was these Scriptures he believed called people to know and believe in God and guarded them against doctrinal error and hell. This course will give you the tools you need to access meaning in the OT, then apply it to your life. It will help you to grow in reading God’s living Word for depth and not just distance.
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Mobile Ed: OT203 Literary World of the Old Testament (6 hour course)
Join David W. Baker on a whirlwind tour to explore the Old Testament from many different angles and how it relates to ancient Near Eastern literature. From creation accounts and stories of destruction to Wisdom Literature, discover different biblical literary genres that have parallels in ancient Near Eastern literature. Explore extrabiblical historical texts that mention key events and figures from the Old Testament. Understand how Israel fits into and is impacted by its ancient Near Eastern environment but also how it is separate and unique, mainly on a theological level, but also by its distinct worldview.
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Mobile Ed: OT102 Introducing the Old Testament: Its Poetry and Prophecy (6 hour course)
This course provides a practical foundation for reading the poetry and prophecy of the Old Testament. Dr. David Baker begins by discussing poetic writing in general, then the elements specific to both Hebrew and English poetry. Applying these elements to the text, he examines the content, structure, and themes of the Psalms, Proverbs, Lamentations, Job, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Dr. Baker then turns to the Prophetic Books, providing historical background, theological motifs, and the structure and content of specific books. He shows that these ancient messages remain relevant in modern life.
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