The Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 1–24 9780802825353

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The Book of

EZEKIEL Chapters 1-24

DANIEL I. BLOCK

WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN / CAMBRIDGE, U.K.

THE NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMENTARY ON THE OLD TESTAMENT

General Editors R. K. HARRISON (19 68- 1993) ROBERT L. HUBBARD, JR. (1994)

Publisher's Note This commentary was planned and written as a single volume, but its length dictated the need to publish it in two volumes. The reader should note that the Introduction in the present volume covers the entire book of Ezekiel; thus the second volume comprises only commentary on chapters 25-48 of Ezekiel. For the reader's convenience, each volume bas its own table of contents, abbreviation list, and indexes.

© 1997 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2140 Oak Industrial Drive N.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 495051 P.O. Box 163, Cambridge CB3 9PU U.K. All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America 19 18 17 16

12 11 \0 9 8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Block, Daniel Isaac, 1943The Book of Ezekiel: chapters 1-241 Daniell. Block. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 978-0-8028-2535-3 (cloth: alk. paper) I. Bible. O.T. Ezekiel I-XXIV - Commentaries. I. TItle. BS 1545.3.B575 1997 224'.4077 - dc21 96-49758 CIP

www.eerdmans.com

TO ELLEN

maJ:tmad- cenay

CONTENTS

Author's Preface Abbreviations

xi xiv

INTRODUCTION I. Background: The World of Ezekiel II. Author, Purpose, and Methods: The Response of Ezekiel III. The Nature of Prophecy and Ezekiel's Literary Style IV. Text V. Ezekiel in Jewish and Christian Tradition VI. The Enduring Theology of Ezekiel VII. Select Bibliography

1 9

17 41 42

46

60

TEXT AND COMMENTARY PART 1: MESSAGES OF DOOM AND GLOOM FOR JUDAu/IsRAEL (1:1-24:27) I. The Call of Ezekiel to the Prophetic Ministry (1:1-3:27) 77 A. THE SUPERSCRIPTION (1:1-3)

B. EZEKIEL'S INAUGURAL VISION 0:4-28a) 1. Preamble (1:4) vii

79 89 92

THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL 2. The Living Creatures (1:5-14) 3. The Wheels (1:15-21)

93

4. The Platfonn and Throne (1 :22-27)

98 101

5. Concluding Colophon (1:28a)

104

C. THE COMMISSIONING OF EZEKIEL (1:28b-3:11)

111

1. Preamble (1 :28b-2:2)

114

2. The First Commissioning Speech (2:3-7)

115

3. The Vision of the Scroll (2:8-3:3)

122

4. The Second Commissioning Speech (3:4-11)

127

D. THE PREPARATION OF EZEKIEL (3:12-15)

132

E. YAHWEH'S INDUCTION SPEECH FOR EZEKIEL (3:16-21)

139

F. THE INITIATION OF EZEKIEL (3:22-27)

150

II. Signs and Visions of Woe for Israel/Judah (4:1-11:25)

162

A. DRAMATIZING THE FALL OF JERUSALEM (4:1-5:17)

1. The Dramatic Perfonnances (4:1-5:4) 2. The Verbal Proclamation (5:5-17)

164 167 196

B. PROCLAIMING JUDGMENT AGAINST THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL (6:1-14)

217

1. Cleaning House: The Primary Announcement (6:1-10)

219

2. Cleaning House: The Second Announcement (6:11-14)

233

C. SOUNDING THE ALARM FOR THE LAND OF ISRAEL (7:1-27)

240

1. The First Alarm (7: 1-4)

247

2. The Second Alann (7:5-9)

250

3. The Third Alann (7:10-27)

254

D. ENVISIONING THE DEPARTURE OF YAHWEH (8:1-11:25)

272

1. Preamble to the First Temple Vision (8: 1-4)

276

2. The Abominations in the Temple (8:5-18)

283

3. Yahweh's Response to the Abominations in the Tcmplc (9: I-II )

300

viii

CONTENTS 4. The Burning of Jerusalem and Yahweh's Departure from the Temple (10:1-22)

314

5. The Pot of Stew (11:1-13)

327

6. The Gospel according to Ezekiel (11:14-21)

341

7. Epilogue to the Temple Vision (11 :22-25)

357

III. A Collection of Prophecies of Woe against Israel (12:1-24:27) A. SIGNS OF THE TIMES (12:1-20) 1. Packed for Exile (12: 1-16) 2. A Pantomime of Horror (12:17-20) B. PROPHECY - TRUE AND FALSE (12:21-14:11) 1. Two Oracles against Cynics (12:21-28) 2. Two Oracles against Counterfeit Prophets (13:1-23) 3. The Oracle against Prophetic Abuse (14:1-11) C. THE mGH PRICE OF TREACHERY (14:12-15:8) 1. A Lecture on Divine Justice (14: 12-23) 2. A Metaphor on Divine Judgment (15:1-8) D. THE ADULTEROUS WIFE: TRAMPLING UNDERFOOT THE GRACE OF GOD (16:1-63) 1. The Call for Israel's Arraignment (16:1-3a) 2. The Indictment of Jerusalem (16:3b-34) 3. The Sentencing of Jerusalem: The Suspension of Grace (16:35-43) 4. Like Mother, Like Daughter: Jerusalem's Disqualification from Grace (16:44-52) 5. The Double Ray of Hope (16:53-63) E. MESSAGES OF SIN AND RETRIBUTION (17:1-22:31) 1. The Eagle and the Vine: A Fable (17:1-24) 2. Disputing the Justice of God (18: 1-32) 3. A "Lament" for the Davidic Dynasty (19:1-14) 4. Rewriting Sacred History (20: 1-44) 5. The Avenging Sword of Yahweh (21:1-37 [Eng. 20:45-21 :32]) 6. Woe to the Bloody City (22:1-31)

F. 0 OHOLAH! 0 OHOLIBAH! (23:1-49) ix

360 362 362 380 384 386 393 419 437 439 453 459 470 471 498 504 511 522 /522 554 591 611 659 699 729

THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL

1. The Introduction of the Accused (23: 1-4) 2. The Historical Background to the Case (23:5-35) 3. The Case against Oholah and Oholibah (23:36-49) G. THE BOILING CAULDRON (24:1-14) 1. Preamble (24: 1-3a) 2. The Popular Saying (24:3b-5) 3. The Dispute (24:6-8) 4. The Counterthesis (24:9-13) 5. Conclusion (24:14) H. THE END OF AN ERA (24:15-27) 1. The End Is Prefigured: The Death of Ezekiel's Wife (24:15-24) 2. The End Is in Sight! (24:25-27)

INDEXES I. Selected Subjects n. Authors III. Scripture References IV. Extracanonical Literature V. Selected Hebrew Words and Phrases

x

732 737 756 765 772 775 776 779 781 783 787 794

799

808 818 867 869

AUTHOR'S PREFACE

The publication of this commentary marks the culmination of a laborious but stimulating adventure with the prophet Ezekiel. For the past thirteen years Ezekiel has been my constant companion, taking up all my spare moments and consuming all my spare energy. Little did I realize how arduous a project I had assumed when, in 1983, I accepted the invitation of R. K. Harrison to write a commentary on the book of Ezekiel. The effort has left me breathless not only because of the energy expended but especially because of the vitality of this exilic prophet's message. No one can spend this amount of time with a person so gripped by the power and Spirit of God, and so forceful in his proclamation of the message he receives from the Lord, and remain unchanged. But at last it is finished! The time has come to move on to other adventures. For many Christians Ezekiel is too strange and his book too complex and bizarre to deserve serious attention. So the prophet remains a mystery. This commentary has been driven by a single passion: to make this prophecy understandable and meaningful for contemporary readers. In recording my observations I have constantly tried to imagine what questions students of Scripture ask when they pick up the book of Ezekiel. I have been greatly assisted and inspired in this process by hundreds of students and countless parishioners with whom I have had the privilege of sharing my discoveries. As I have been wrestling with this prophet and the written record of his ministry, trying to answer the questions readers ask, I have been guided by several crucial questions, directed at the prophet himself: (1) Ezekiel, what are you saying? (the text-critical issue); (2) Ezekiel, why do you say it like that? (the cultural and literary issue); (3) Ezekiel, what do you mean? (the hermeneutical and theological issue); (4) Ezekiel, what is the significance of this message for me? (the application issue). Accordingly, for each literary unit readers of this commentary will encounter a fresh translation of the Hebrew text with textual notes, a discussion of the style and structure of the XI

THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL

unit, verse-by-verse commentary, and a summary of the permanent theological lessons of the unit. The translation offered is as tight as possible but as free as necessary. Where a literal rendering of the Hebrew results in gaps, additions to complete the sense have been identified with square brackets. Quotations of other biblical texts occur frequently in the commentary. Unless the source of the quotation is noted, the translation is my own. The summary at the end of the discussion of each prophecy is designed to guide pastors and teachers in the proclamation of Ezekiel's message in our time. While a project like this must finally come to a conclusion, the process of biblical interpretation never ends. This is certainly the case with a document as complex and mysterious as the book of Ezekiel. Consequently, many of the observations and conclusions offered in this commentary are experimental and provisional. The present manuscript was submitted to the publishers in March 1994. Although a few minor revisions have been made since then, because of commitments to other projects it has been impossible to incorporate all of the new insights that have been published later than that date in scholarly journals and monographs. I regret especially not having been able to take fuller advantage of the textual and literary observations in Leslie Allen's superb commentary on Ezekiel 1-19, which appeared after I had submitted my work. Nevertheless, to the extent that my comments declare the truth of Ezekiel's message and/or stimulate further investigation that leads to the truth, I shall be satisfied. This project could not have been completed without institutional support and the assistance of a host of individuals. Special thanks are extended to Bethel Theological Seminary (St. Paul, Minn.), where I had the joy of teaching throughout the time I was researching for and composing this commentary. The administration was generous in granting me a year's sabbatical leave to complete the final draft. Thanks are also expressed to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Ky.) for providing financial assistance for a proofreader of the page proofs. Personal expressions of thanks must begin with the late R. K. Harrison, the former editor of the NICOT series, who has inspired an entire generation of evangelical scholars with his own written works and his leadership in this commentary series. Except for his declaration of confidence in inviting me to produce this work, I would have missed out on this adventure. I must also thank his successor, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., to whom the mantle of editor of this series has fallen. Dr. Hubbard offered invaluable assistance in refining the shape of this work, especially the Introduction. I should like to thank all the others who have assisted me along the way: Gloria Metz, faculty secretary at Bethel, for her creative efforts in producing many of the figures and diagrams in this volume; a series of student assistants who have read and commented on bits and pieces of this work along the way (Barry Hansen. Brad Soukup. Kathy Brogan. Bill Odcrmann. and

xii

AUTHOR'S PREFACE

Greg Mathias); the members of the SBL Ezekiel Consultation Steering Committee, whose partnership in the study of Ezekiel has been a great encouragement over the years (Kathe Darr, Julie Galambush, James Kennedy, Maggie Odell, John Strong, and Steven Tuell); Rick Mansfield for checking all the biblical references in this commentary; and my wife Ellen for her assistance in the preparation of the indexes. Special thanks go to my editor, Mr. Gary Lee, for his painstaking work on my manuscript. In his pursuit of excellence he has saved me from many glaring errors and offered countless recommendations for improving the text. For all these kindnesses and to all these friends I am extremely grateful. While they have all contributed to this enterprise, the weaknesses and infelicities of the final product I accept as my own. Finally, I must thank my family for putting up with Ezekiel for so long. My children, Jason and Jonelle, have grown up competing with this prophet for my time. I pray that God will bless them for their patience with me and continue to uphold them in their walk of faith. But my greatest debt of praise goes to my wife Ellen, "the delight of my eyes" (maJ:tmad- < >