Ezekiel 1

I. EZEKIEL’S CALLING AND COMMISSION CHS. 1-3

Four elements that mark the commission narratives in the prophets are all present in this account of Ezekiel’s calling. These include a divine confrontation, an explanation of the prophet’s task and its importance, objections that the prophet might offer, and divine reassurance answering these objections and assuring the prophet of the Lord’s enabling presence. [Note: See N. Habel, "The Form and Significance of the Call Narrative," Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 77 (1965):297-323.] The record of God’s commissioning of Ezekiel constitutes the longest prophetic call in the Bible (cf. Isaiah 6; Jeremiah 1).

The passage has a chiastic structure that focuses attention on the importance of Ezekiel receiving revelations from the Lord (Eze_2:8 to Eze_3:3). [Note: Henry van Dyke Parunak, "The Literary Architecture of Ezekiel’s mar’ot ’elohim," Journal of Biblical Literature 99 (1980):61-74.]

A Circumstances of the vision (Ezekiel 1:1-3)

B Divine confrontation: the chariot’s approach (Ezekiel 1:4-28)

C Introductory word (Ezekiel 2:1-2)

D First commission and reassurance (Ezekiel 2:3-8 a)

E Confirmatory sign (Eze_2:8 to Eze_3:3)

D’ Second commission (Ezekiel 3:4-11)

C’ Introductory word (Ezekiel 3:12)

B’ Divine confrontation: the chariot’s departure (Ezekiel 3:13)

A’ Circumstances of the vision (Ezekiel 3:14-15)

A. The vision of God’s glory ch. 1

"In chapter 1 God has brought together in one vision the essence of all that was to occupy Ezekiel, just as is found in the initial vision of the Apostle John in Revelation." [Note: Feinberg, p. 20.]

It is important to bear four principles of normal historical-grammatical hermeneutics in mind when interpreting visionary literature such as what we have in this chapter.

"1. Seek to understand the major idea presented through the vision and do not dwell on minutiae. This guideline is underscored in the second principle.

"2. Follow the divine interpretations normally accompanying the visions. These divine interpretations concentrate on the overall concept rather than on details. [Note: The commentators often speculate on the meaning of various details of a vision, but sometimes these are no more than guesses. I have given my own interpretations of some of these details, sometimes following other expositors. But where I am doubtful I have either expressed my uncertainty or not speculated.]

"3. Be keenly aware of parallel passages and the harmony of Scripture, since the prophets normally sought to apply past revelations of God to their contemporary situations. The general prophetic message among the prophets is essentially the same.

"4. Use the same approach with the symbols and imagery of visionary literature as used with figurative language. Thus symbols and imagery are properly understood as figures and are not to be taken literally." [Note: Alexander, "Ezekiel," p. 756.]