Source: Marvin A. Sweeney, Reading Ezekiel: A Literary and Theological Commentary, Reading the Old Testament Series (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated, 2013), 24–34.
The Initial Oracular Account.wav
This passage delves into the initial vision of the prophet Ezekiel, found in chapters 1:1–3:15 of the biblical book bearing his name. It describes Ezekiel's encounter with YHWH's throne chariot, supported by four heavenly creatures (Hayot or cherubim), an experience rooted in the ancient tradition of Judean throne visions. The text highlights that this vision served to commission Ezekiel as a prophet in exile, particularly noting how aspects of his experience, like a seven-day silence, mirrored the ordination rituals of a priest. Ultimately, this account establishes the foundation for Ezekiel's prophetic ministry and the book's larger purpose: to explain the reasons for the Babylonian exile and the destruction of the temple by emphasizing the people's rebellion and YHWH's righteousness and power despite these events.
Ezekiel's Inaugural Vision and its Structure: The text describes Ezekiel 1:1–3:15 as the initial account of Ezekiel’s foundational vision. This vision features YHWH's throne chariot and the four Hayot, or heavenly creatures, that bear it through the heavens. It is identified as an example of an ancient throne vision, a type of experience in which a religious figure like a priest or prophet perceives YHWH situated on a divine throne surrounded by a heavenly court. The structure of this initial account is presented as a subunit framed by an introduction and conclusion. Within this, three distinct visionary events are introduced by the phrase "and I saw." These include the initial approach of YHWH's throne chariot carried by the four creatures, a detailed description of the throne chariot itself, and finally, the vision of YHWH speaking from the throne, which leads into Ezekiel's commission as a prophet. The introduction includes chronological details and the prophetic word formula, while the conclusion describes Ezekiel's departure from the divine presence.
Setting and Context of the Vision: The sources provide detailed information about the circumstances surrounding Ezekiel's vision. Geographically, the vision took place while Ezekiel was among the exiles located by the Chebar River in Babylonia, specifically in the land of the Chaldeans. The Chebar River is identified as a man-made canal in Babylonia used for water management and transportation. Temporally, the vision is precisely dated to the fifth day of the fourth month (Tammuz), in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile. Since Jehoiachin was exiled in 597 BCE, this places the vision in 592 BCE. The text also mentions a reference to the "thirtieth year," the significance of which is less clear but is proposed by some to refer to Ezekiel's age. This interpretation suggests Ezekiel was born in 622 BCE, connecting his life to King Josiah's program of religious reform and national restoration. His priestly background is highlighted, noting that thirty was the traditional age for priestly ordination for service at the temple altar. The vision is presented as inaugurating his prophetic career in exile, occurring at the age he would have normally been ordained as a priest. The spatial setting for such a throne vision is generally conceived as the holy of holies of the temple, understood as YHWH's throne room, corresponding to the heavenly temple. Possible temporal and liturgical settings for this type of vision, though not explicitly stated for Ezekiel's specific vision, are discussed as potentially being Yom Kippur or Sukkot, major festivals with connections to priestly functions or ordination.
The Throne Chariot and its Imagery: A significant portion of the text is dedicated to describing YHWH's throne chariot. The imagery is heavily based on the Ark of the Covenant, which was considered YHWH's royal throne, especially in the phrase "YHWH who is enthroned over the cherubim." The four Hayot or creatures are described as composite figures resembling typical ancient Near Eastern cherubim. They have four wings, calf-like feet that gleam like polished bronze, human hands, and four faces: a human face, a lion's face, a bull's face, and an eagle's face. Each face is said to represent a different divine quality (intelligence, sovereignty, strength, mobility), and the number four is linked to the four horns of the temple altar symbolizing the world's four directions. The creatures are described as moving in the direction of all their faces at once, representing the infinite possibilities of divine movement. The throne chariot also includes wheels, potentially based on the cart used to transport the Ark or the rings for carrying poles. These wheels are described as gleaming like beryl and having a unique "wheel within a wheel" construction that enables movement in all directions simultaneously. The rims of the wheels were described as full of "eyes," which is interpreted as the reflection of temple menorahs on the polished bronze or gold surface. Above the creatures is a broad expanse, described as awe-inspiring crystal or ice, identified with the Hebrew term raqi‘a (expanse of the heavens) and connected to the sapphire pavement beneath YHWH's feet and the ark's cover. The sound of the creatures' wings is described with powerful similes like mighty waters, the sound of Shaddai, or a mighty army, possibly echoing sounds from temple worship.
Portrayal of the Divine Presence: The source material emphasizes that Ezekiel is careful to use simile and metaphor when describing YHWH's presence in the vision. This is explained as a way to avoid portraying the divine in tangible terms, acknowledging the limits of human language to describe divine reality. The description of YHWH's presence begins with imagery like "the appearance of amber" (hashmal) and "the appearance of fire" encasing it, using radiance, color, light, and heat to convey an intangible yet powerful presence. A "semblance of a throne" appears above the creatures' heads, referring to the Ark's role as the divine throne. Finally, Ezekiel describes "a semblance like the appearance of a human being" on the throne. This is explicitly stated as a human metaphor for YHWH's presence and linked to the concept in Genesis that humanity was created in the image and likeness of YHWH. The vision also incorporates the imagery of a rainbow in the clouds, which serves multiple metaphorical purposes: evoking YHWH as the provider of rain, recalling the covenant promise after the flood, and possibly interacting with Mesopotamian imagery of gods flying with bows.
Ezekiel's Prophetic Commissioning: The third major segment of the vision involves YHWH speaking to Ezekiel and commissioning him as a prophet. Ezekiel's reaction is to fall on his face, an action typical of worship and reflective of ecstatic prophecy. YHWH's speech is identified as a prophetic commissioning speech, structured into multiple segments marked by the formula "and he said to me." YHWH addresses Ezekiel as "son of Adam" (son of a human), signifying his mortality and possibly his role as representing humanity as a priest. A "spirit" enters him, interpreted as trance possession enabling YHWH to speak through him. The core of the commission is sending Ezekiel to the "rebellious house of Israel" to speak YHWH's words. He is told to deliver the message using the classical prophetic messenger formula "thus says my lord, YHWH." YHWH expresses pessimism about whether the people will listen but states that the purpose is for them to know that a prophet was in their midst. Ezekiel is reassured not to fear the people's opposition or potential afflictions, with parallels drawn to Mesopotamian prophecy and incantations for the "do not fear" command and the reference to thistles, thorns, and scorpions. A key symbolic act in the commissioning is YHWH commanding Ezekiel to eat a scroll inscribed with lamentations, dirges, and woes. This act represents Ezekiel's internalization of YHWH's message of judgment, and the fact that it tasted like honey symbolizes the inherent sweetness and goodness of YHWH's word despite its harsh content. The prophet is conceptualized as a mere mouthpiece for YHWH.
Theological Context: Theodicy and Israel's Rebellion: The source material highlights a central theological problem addressed by the book of Ezekiel: explaining the Babylonian exile and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, which seemingly called into question YHWH's power, presence, and righteousness. The book functions as a work of theodicy, designed to explain why disaster occurred and how YHWH intends to overcome it. Rather than YHWH failing the people despite the covenant, the book argues that the people of Israel and Judah failed YHWH through rebellion, corruption of the land, and corruption of the temple, acts that contradicted divine instructions. Therefore, the exile and destruction are portrayed as necessary actions taken by YHWH to purge the people, the city, and the temple to prepare for a new creation. This explanation serves to assert YHWH's continued power, presence, and righteousness while placing the blame and responsibility for the disaster on the people. The prophet's commission to speak to the "rebellious house of Israel" underscores this perspective, even suggesting that foreigners who speak unintelligible languages would be more receptive to YHWH's message than Israel was. This framing aims to vindicate YHWH and encourage readers to examine their own faithfulness.
Ezekiel's inaugural vision, detailed in Ezekiel 1:1–3:15, takes place among the exiles by the Chebar River in Babylonia. The vision occurs in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile, specifically on the fifth day of the fourth month (Tammuz), corresponding to 592 BCE. The location, the Chebar River (Akkadian: Nar Kaberi), was a Babylonian canal system. The account also indicates the presence of "the hand of YHWH," a common biblical phrase signifying an ecstatic prophetic experience that enables divine communication. The editorial notes in verses 2–3 provide context for Ezekiel's identity as a priest and explain the date.