As a priest, Ezekiel was literate and well educated. His learned background is apparent in his imaginative use of a variety of literary forms and styles. The effect of this creativity on his original audience was evidently mixed; some contemporaries dismissed him as a teller of riddles (20:49; the NIV renders the Heb. meshalim “parables”) or “one who sings love songs” (33:32). Certainly, though, this variety makes Ezekiel one of the most interesting, as well as the most baffling, of the prophetic books.

In Ezekiel 15–17, a formally distinctive collection of parables, riddles, and extended metaphors, the prophet’s literary art and creativity are on full display.

In 17:2, the Lord commands, “Son of man, set forth an allegory [Heb. khidah] and tell the house of Israel a parable” [Heb. mashal]. …