Prophecies of Doom and Judgment (1:1–24:27): The significance of the thirtieth year (1:1) still eludes us. All other dates in Ezekiel are based on the year of Jehoiachin’s captivity. Is it the thirtieth birthday of the prophet? An ancient Jewish tradition maintains that the thirty years refer to the number of years from the time King Josiah began his religious reforms in his twelfth year (628 BC) to Jehoiachin’s captivity (598 BC).

Ezekiel is among the exiles in Babylon, having been taken there as a captive in 597. He is situated by the Kebar River/canal, which is near the ancient city of Nippur. It is here that he sees visions of God. Daniel also experienced God-given visions when standing by a body of water (Dan. 8:2; 10:4). What these visions consist of is spelled out in verses 4–28. To …