Ezekiel records the ministry of a priest and prophet among the Jewish captives in Babylon during the years surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem. From the land of exile beside the river Chebar, Ezekiel receives extraordinary visions of the glory of God, performs prophetic signs, warns Jerusalem of approaching judgment, confronts idolatry and corrupt leadership, and explains why the captivity has come.
As you listen, watch the movement from judgment toward restoration. Ezekiel sees the glory of the LORD, the defilement of Jerusalem, and the departure of that glory from the temple; later he receives promises of a new heart and a new spirit, the resurrection-like vision of the valley of dry bones, one shepherd from the line of David, the reunion of Israel, a restored sanctuary, a river of life, and a city whose final name is “The LORD is there.”
Listen to Ezekiel
King James Version • Complete Book
About the Book of Ezekiel
Ezekiel begins far from Jerusalem. The prophet is among the captives by the river Chebar when the heavens are opened and he sees visions of God. This setting immediately matters: Judah has been carried into exile, yet the presence and authority of the LORD are not confined to Jerusalem.
Ezekiel sees a stormy vision containing living creatures, wheels, fire, brightness, and above them the likeness of a throne. Above the throne appears the likeness of a man surrounded by radiant glory.
“This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.” Ezekiel 1:28 KJV
Ezekiel falls upon his face, and the LORD commissions him to speak to a rebellious house. Whether the people hear or refuse, they will know that a prophet has been among them.
The prophet is repeatedly called “son of man.” The title emphasizes Ezekiel’s humanity before the glory and authority of God. The LORD gives him a scroll containing lamentations, mourning, and woe and commands him to eat it before speaking God’s words to Israel.
Ezekiel’s ministry includes unusual symbolic actions. He lies upon his side for extended periods, portrays a siege against Jerusalem, cuts his hair according to prophetic instructions, packs belongings as one going into captivity, and refrains from ordinary mourning when his wife dies. These signs turn his own life into part of the prophetic message.
One of Ezekiel’s major responsibilities is that of a watchman. A watchman sees danger and sounds the warning. Ezekiel is accountable to speak what God gives him rather than changing the message according to the reaction of the hearers.
The first major portion of the book explains why Jerusalem cannot assume that the city or temple will protect it. Ezekiel is shown abominations taking place in connection with the sanctuary itself. Idolatry has entered the place associated with the worship of the LORD.
Then one of the book’s most solemn movements occurs. The glory of God that Ezekiel saw at the beginning moves from the temple, pauses at the threshold, proceeds toward the east gate, and ultimately departs from the city.
Jerusalem’s judgment is therefore not simply Babylon proving militarily stronger than Judah. The city has rejected the LORD while continuing to depend upon the symbols associated with His presence.
Ezekiel repeatedly says that the purpose of God’s acts is that people “shall know that I am the LORD.” The phrase appears throughout judgments against Judah and the nations and also within promises of restoration.
The fall of Jerusalem marks an important turning point. After the city’s destruction is confirmed, Ezekiel’s message increasingly moves toward restoration.
The LORD condemns Israel’s shepherds for feeding themselves rather than the flock. He promises that He Himself will search for His sheep and later appoint “one shepherd” over them, identified as His servant David.
God also promises something deeper than physical return to the land:
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” Ezekiel 36:26 KJV
Then comes the valley of dry bones. Ezekiel sees a vast field filled with bones that are “very dry.” At the word of the LORD they come together, receive flesh, and finally breath enters them.
God explicitly identifies the bones as “the whole house of Israel.” The vision promises national restoration to a people who believe their hope has been cut off.
Ezekiel then joins two sticks representing Judah and Joseph, showing that the divided people will again become one. One king will rule them, and God promises an everlasting covenant of peace.
The final nine chapters contain an extended vision of a restored temple, ordered worship, tribal inheritance, and a river flowing from the sanctuary. The water deepens as it moves outward and brings life wherever it goes.
The book closes with restored land and a restored city. Its final words give the city a new defining reality:
“And the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.” Ezekiel 48:35 KJV
Book Outline
The Glory of the LORD and Ezekiel’s Call
Ezekiel sees the throne vision beside the river Chebar, receives the prophetic scroll, is sent to rebellious Israel, and is appointed as a watchman.
Signs of Jerusalem’s Coming Judgment
Ezekiel performs symbolic acts portraying siege, famine, scattering, and destruction while announcing that the end is coming upon the land.
Abominations in the Temple and the Departure of Glory
Ezekiel is shown idolatry within Jerusalem and the temple. Judgment begins, and the glory of the LORD gradually departs from the city.
False Confidence, False Prophets, and Personal Responsibility
Ezekiel exposes deceptive prophecy, false expectations concerning Jerusalem, persistent rebellion, and the responsibility of each person before God.
Israel’s Rebellion and the Siege of Jerusalem
Israel’s long history of rebellion is reviewed, Jerusalem’s corruption is exposed, and Ezekiel announces that Babylon’s siege has begun.
Judgment Upon the Nations
Prophecies address Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt, demonstrating that the LORD judges nations beyond Judah as well.
The Watchman and the Fall of Jerusalem
Ezekiel’s watchman responsibility is renewed, personal responsibility is emphasized again, and news finally arrives that Jerusalem has fallen.
The True Shepherd, Restoration, and a New Heart
Israel’s false shepherds are condemned. God promises to seek His sheep, appoint one shepherd, restore the land, cleanse His people, and give them a new heart and spirit.
The Valley of Dry Bones and the Two Sticks
The dry bones live as a sign of Israel’s restoration, and two sticks representing divided Israel are joined into one under one king.
Gog and the LORD’s Victory
Gog comes against restored Israel, but God intervenes and sanctifies His great name before the nations.
The Restored Temple, River, Land, and City
Ezekiel receives an extended vision of restored worship and inheritance. The glory of the LORD returns, living waters flow from the sanctuary, and the city is called “The LORD is there.”
Key People and Images
Ezekiel
Priest, prophet, watchman, and exile through whom the LORD announces judgment and restoration to the house of Israel.
The Glory of the LORD
The glory of God frames the book, appearing in Ezekiel’s opening vision, departing from the polluted sanctuary, and later returning to the restored temple.
The Watchman
Ezekiel is responsible to sound the warning he receives from God. The hearer remains responsible for the response.
The Shepherd
Israel’s corrupt shepherds feed themselves, but God promises to seek His flock and set one shepherd, His servant David, over them.
The Dry Bones
A hopeless field of dead bones becomes a living multitude by the word and breath of God, portraying the restoration of the whole house of Israel.
The River
Water flows from the restored sanctuary and becomes progressively deeper, bringing healing and abundant life wherever it goes.
Key Themes
The Glory of God
Ezekiel’s message begins with the glory of the LORD rather than with the power of Babylon. God remains enthroned even while His people are exiled.
Judgment
Jerusalem’s destruction follows persistent rebellion, idolatry, violence, corruption, and rejected warning. Covenant privilege does not make rebellion harmless.
Responsibility
Ezekiel repeatedly emphasizes that individuals are accountable before God rather than merely hiding behind the conduct of previous generations.
New Heart and Spirit
Restoration must reach the inner man. God promises cleansing, a new heart, a new spirit, and His Spirit within His people.
Resurrection and Restoration
The dry bones vision presents Israel’s condition as deathlike and its restoration as a work only God’s word and breath can accomplish.
The Presence of God
The book begins with glory appearing among exiles and ends with a restored city defined by the words, “The LORD is there.”
The Glory of the LORD Appears in Exile
Ezekiel’s first vision overturns any assumption that captivity has removed the people beyond God’s reach. He is not in Jerusalem when the heavens open. He is beside the river Chebar in Babylon.
Above the living creatures and wheels he sees a throne:
“And upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.” Ezekiel 1:26 KJV
The vision is difficult because Ezekiel repeatedly uses words such as “likeness” and “appearance.” He is describing a revelation whose glory exceeds ordinary human language.
The central point is clear: the LORD is enthroned. Babylon has conquered Judah, but Babylon has not conquered God.
Eat This Roll
Before Ezekiel is sent to speak, he must receive the word himself.
“Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee.” Ezekiel 3:3 KJV
The scroll contains lamentations, mourning, and woe, yet it is sweet as honey in Ezekiel’s mouth.
The prophet does not invent his message from personal opinion. He receives and internalizes what God gives him before carrying it to others.
Ezekiel the Watchman
God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman:
“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel.” Ezekiel 3:17 KJV
The watchman’s responsibility is to hear the word from God and give warning.
This theme returns in chapter 33 after many of Ezekiel’s judgments have been announced. The prophet cannot determine his faithfulness by whether people like the warning. His responsibility is to speak what has been entrusted to him.
The Glory Departs From Jerusalem
Ezekiel 8 through 11 reveal why Jerusalem’s confidence in the temple is misplaced. Ezekiel sees increasing forms of idolatry connected with the sanctuary.
Then the glory begins to move.
“Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house.” Ezekiel 10:18 KJV
The movement culminates as the glory goes up from the midst of the city and stands upon the mountain on the east side.
The temple remains physically present for a time, but the glory departs.
The warning is severe: possession of a sacred structure cannot compensate for rejection of the God whose glory made the structure sacred.
The Soul That Sinneth, It Shall Die
Some in Israel speak as though they are merely suffering for the sins of their fathers. Ezekiel corrects this attempt to remove personal responsibility.
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine.” Ezekiel 18:4 KJV
The chapter repeatedly states:
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20 KJV
A righteous father cannot transfer righteousness to a wicked son merely through ancestry, and a wicked father cannot make repentance impossible for his son.
The LORD therefore calls the people to turn rather than use inherited history as an excuse for continued rebellion.
Have I Any Pleasure at All That the Wicked Should Die?
Ezekiel’s strong language about judgment must be read alongside God’s stated desire:
“Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” Ezekiel 18:23 KJV
Later God says:
“I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” Ezekiel 33:11 KJV
Judgment is not presented as arbitrary destruction. The repeated prophetic warning itself reveals the call to turn and live.
The Shepherds Fed Themselves
Ezekiel 34 condemns Israel’s leaders through the image of shepherds who use the flock for themselves.
“Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?” Ezekiel 34:2 KJV
The weak have not been strengthened. The sick have not been healed. The broken have not been bound up. The lost have not been sought.
God therefore says that He Himself will search for His sheep.
Then He promises:
“And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David.” Ezekiel 34:23 KJV
Ezekiel speaks generations after David’s death, so the promise looks forward to the Davidic shepherd who is still to come.
A New Heart and a New Spirit
Ezekiel 36 moves restoration into the inner man.
“Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean.” Ezekiel 36:25 KJV
Then:
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” Ezekiel 36:26 KJV
God promises to remove the stony heart and give a heart of flesh.
The promise continues:
“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.” Ezekiel 36:27 KJV
Like Jeremiah’s promise of a new covenant written upon the heart, Ezekiel recognizes that lasting restoration must reach deeper than external geography.
The people need more than relocation from Babylon to Judah. They need cleansing and inward renewal from God.
Can These Bones Live?
Ezekiel 37 presents one of Scripture’s most memorable visions. Ezekiel is carried into a valley filled with bones.
The bones are not merely dead. They are “very dry,” emphasizing the apparent finality of the condition.
God asks:
“Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel 37:3 KJV
Ezekiel answers:
“O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” Ezekiel 37:3 KJV
Ezekiel prophesies as commanded. Bones come together, sinews and flesh appear, skin covers them, and then breath enters them.
The interpretation is explicitly given:
“Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.” Ezekiel 37:11 KJV
Israel says, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost.” God answers their deathlike hopelessness with His power to restore.
The vision directly concerns the restoration of Israel, while its resurrection imagery also belongs naturally within the larger biblical revelation that culminates in Christ’s victory over death.
Two Sticks Become One
After the dry bones, Ezekiel receives another sign. He takes one stick for Judah and another for Joseph and joins them together.
“And they shall be one in mine hand.” Ezekiel 37:19 KJV
The divided kingdom is promised reunion.
God says:
“And one king shall be king to them all.” Ezekiel 37:22 KJV
Later:
“And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd.” Ezekiel 37:24 KJV
The restoration therefore involves not only land but unity, cleansing, one shepherd, one king, and covenant peace.
Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd
Ezekiel’s promise of one shepherd from David’s line gains greater clarity in the New Testament.
Jesus says:
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11 KJV
He later says:
“And there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” John 10:16 KJV
Ezekiel condemns shepherds who consume the flock. Jesus reveals the opposite shepherd: the Shepherd who gives Himself for the sheep.
The contrast is central. False shepherds use the flock to preserve themselves; Christ lays down His life for the flock.
The Glory Returns
The glory that departed earlier in Ezekiel eventually returns.
“And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east.” Ezekiel 43:2 KJV
Then:
“And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.” Ezekiel 43:4 KJV
This is one of the great structural reversals of the book. Earlier the glory moved eastward away from the polluted temple. In the restoration vision, the glory returns from the east.
The book therefore does not end with divine absence.
The River From the Temple
Ezekiel 47 describes water flowing from beneath the threshold of the restored house.
At first the water reaches the ankles. Then the knees. Then the loins. Finally it becomes:
“A river that I could not pass over.” Ezekiel 47:5 KJV
Trees grow along both sides. The waters bring healing, and wherever the river goes there is life.
“Every thing shall live whither the river cometh.” Ezekiel 47:9 KJV
The Bible later returns to river-of-life imagery in Revelation, where a pure river of water of life proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
The correspondence should not erase Ezekiel’s own temple vision, but it does show a recurring biblical movement in which the presence of God becomes the source from which life flows outward.
The LORD Is There
Ezekiel ends very differently from the way its judgment sections unfold.
The prophet began among captives. Jerusalem was condemned. The temple was defiled. The glory departed. The city fell.
But the final words are:
“The name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.” Ezekiel 48:35 KJV
The final answer to exile is presence.
The city’s defining reality is not merely walls, land, political independence, or architecture. Its name declares that the LORD is there.
Ezekiel and Jesus Christ
Ezekiel contributes several major streams to the revelation fulfilled in Christ without requiring every vision to become a hidden allegory.
The corrupt shepherds give way to the promise of one Davidic shepherd. Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. Ezekiel promises cleansing, a new heart, a new spirit, and God’s Spirit within His people, themes that belong naturally to the new covenant work revealed in the New Testament.
The valley of dry bones directly represents the restoration of Israel, yet its movement from death to life participates in the wider biblical pattern that reaches its decisive fulfillment in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The restored temple vision also centers upon renewed divine presence and life flowing outward. The New Testament ultimately reveals Christ Himself as the true meeting place of God and man and reveals His people as the temple of the Holy Ghost.
Ezekiel begins with a prophet falling before overwhelming glory and ends with a city whose identity is the presence of God. The Gospel ultimately reveals that God has come near in Jesus Christ and, through the Spirit, dwells within His people.
Key Passages
“This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.” Ezekiel 1:28 KJV
Ezekiel’s entire ministry begins with the glory and throne of God rather than with Babylon’s apparent power.
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20 KJV
Ezekiel confronts the attempt to escape personal responsibility by blaming inherited history alone.
“I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David.” Ezekiel 34:23 KJV
The failure of Israel’s shepherds gives way to the promise of one Davidic shepherd.
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” Ezekiel 36:26 KJV
God’s promised restoration reaches the inward source of life rather than stopping at outward circumstances.
“Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel 37:3 KJV
The valley of dry bones reveals God’s ability to bring life into a condition Israel itself describes as hopeless.
“Every thing shall live whither the river cometh.” Ezekiel 47:9 KJV
Life flows outward from the restored sanctuary in Ezekiel’s final vision.
“The LORD is there.” Ezekiel 48:35 KJV
The book closes with the restored city defined by the presence of God.
Study Guide Questions
- Why is it significant that Ezekiel’s first vision of God’s glory occurs in Babylon rather than Jerusalem?
- What does Ezekiel’s role as watchman reveal about the responsibility of the prophet and the responsibility of the hearer?
- Why does the glory of the LORD depart from Jerusalem in Ezekiel 8–11?
- What does Ezekiel 18 teach about personal responsibility before God?
- How does Ezekiel 34 contrast corrupt shepherds with the shepherd God promises to raise up?
- Why must restoration include a new heart and a new spirit rather than merely return to the land?
- What does Scripture itself say the dry bones represent in Ezekiel 37?
- How do the two sticks, one king, and one shepherd develop Ezekiel’s promise of restoration?
- What does the returning glory in Ezekiel 43 reverse from the earlier chapters?
- How does the river of Ezekiel 47 develop the theme of God’s presence producing life?
Reflect as You Listen
Go deeper.
Ezekiel begins with the glory of God appearing in exile and ends with the presence of God defining the restored city. Between those points, false securities are dismantled, corrupt shepherds are exposed, Jerusalem falls, and human hopelessness is compared with a valley full of dry bones. The restoration God promises reaches deeper than geography: cleansing, a new heart, a new spirit, one shepherd, renewed life, and the return of His presence.
- Where does Ezekiel show that God’s presence and authority are not limited by human geography or circumstances?
- What does the departure of the glory reveal about outward religion without faithfulness to God?
- What part of Ezekiel’s restoration promises reaches most clearly into the inner man?
- How does Jesus fulfill the contrast between Israel’s false shepherds and the promised good shepherd?
- What changes when the final goal of restoration is understood as “The LORD is there”?