Answer
The book of Ezekiel stands as a prominent piece of prophetic literature. It is categorized as a Major Prophet in the Christian Bible due to its length. It was written during the Babylonian Exile by Ezekiel, a priest taken into captivity during the second deportation from Jerusalem to Babylon. His messages are arranged in three parts: judgment against Israel, condemnation of other nations, and a promise of restoration for Israel. Amid the despair of exile, Ezekiel underscores God’s enduring control in employing judgment intended to bring the people to humility and repentance.
Notably, the book of Ezekiel incorporates passages hinting at a new covenant (Ezekiel 36:24–28). Themes include the dangers of sin, the inevitability of God’s judgment, and His commitment to restoration despite human shortcomings. The overarching emphasis is on God’s sovereignty, even in the face of challenging circumstances.
The book opens with Ezekiel’s first-person perspective, “In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God” (Ezekiel 1:1). The third verse explicitly states the author: “The Lord gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians, and he felt the hand of the Lord take hold of him” (Ezekiel 1:3). The prophet’s authorship is further attested in Ezekiel 24:24. It is certain that Ezekiel, the prophet after whom the book was named, wrote the book.
Ezekiel identifies himself as the son of the priest Buzi. He channeled his background into his prophetic focus on topics such as the future expansion of the temple (Ezekiel 40—42), the glory of the Lord (43:1–12), and the sacrificial system in the restored Israel (45:13—46:24). Ezekiel began his prophetic journey at age 30, five years after his deportation. He and the prophet Daniel were contemporaries. Ezekiel had a wife whom God took away to symbolize the complete destruction of Solomon’s temple. Ezekiel was not allowed to mourn her death as a sign to the people that they should not mourn the loss of their homeland, being as it was the just judgment of God (Ezekiel 24:15–27). Ezekiel delivered his prophecy from Tel-abib, a place where the Babylonians held numerous exiles, including King Jehoiachin (1:2).
There is little controversy on the authorship of Ezekiel, though some Jewish traditions propose that the final edition was compiled by the men of the Great Assembly—composed of scribes, sages, and prophets—based on Ezekiel’s words. Modern scholars argue for additions from later scribes, but, overall, the consensus is that Ezekiel is the sole author of the book.
