The Four Creatures
As Far Out as the Bible Gets This is probably the weirdest part in Ezekiel, and everyone has their own interpretation. But before we get into those, we ought to marinate in the bizarre glow of thes...
The Likeness of God's Glory
We're not done with this chariot thing yet. Ezekiel doesn't just see a bunch of fluffy critters pulling God's chariot… he sees—well, God. Or, technically, not really, since "no man can see God...
The Wheels
We're still not finished with the chariot… we haven't got to the crazy wheels that seem to rotate in some remarkably odd way. As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth...
Eating a Scroll
When God gives Ezekiel his message and mission—explaining God's wrath and his purposes in sending the House of Israel into exile—he does so through a vision: He said to me, O mortal, eat what i...
Ezekiel Bread (And Other Austerities)
You can find "Ezekiel Bread" at your local supermarket. As part of Shmoop's exhaustive research for this Learning Guide, our editors sampled the product and pronounced it, well, not too disgusting....
Temple Rooms and Other Idolatries
In Chapter 8, God beams Zeke over to the Temple in Jerusalem and exposes him to Judah's idolatries in a vision:Then he said to me, Mortal, dig through the wall; and when I dug through the wall, the...
Marking of the Faithful
In Chapter 9, God sends a mysterious angelic messenger to separate those who are going to be killed in the Babylonian invasion from those who aren't. The saved get a mark on their foreheads: Now th...
Pot of Meat
God explains to the citizens of Jerusalem that they're not the pot of meat they thought they were, hiding comfortably in the slow-cooker with their veggie friends. You shall fall by the sword; I wi...
Whitewashed Wall
For Ezekiel and for editorials in newspapers, "whitewashing" something means trying to make a situation look better than it is—covering up the true nature of things. God throws this accusation at...
Trees and Vines
Trees and vines are often used as metaphors to describe kingdoms and countries (like in the eagle and vine allegory in Chapter 17): the rise and decline of these nations is just like the life cycle...
Eagle Allegories
In chapter 17, Ezekiel uses a somewhat confusing allegory to describe some political happenings. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is represented by a great eagle who takes a branch from the highest c...
Lions
Ezekiel uses lions to symbolize powerful nations. Take his description of the princes of Israel: He prowled among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured people...
Twisted Sisters
God compares Jerusalem and Samaria to two young sisters who both grew up to become prostitutes selling themselves to foreign gods: The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, there were two women, the...
Death of Mrs. Ezekiel
In one of the most shocking actions in the book, God kills Ezekiel's wife:The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes; yet you s...
The Guardian Cherub
When God starts tearing into the Prince of Tyre, he says that he'll be thrown out of his state of Eden-like happiness and security by the guardian cherub that God's sent to look over him: In the ab...
Pharaoh as Leviathan
God attacks the Pharaoh like he were some sort of demonic monster, foretelling his defeat at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar: I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon sprawling in the...
God as Shepherd, Israelites as Sheep
Frustrated with the way the bad shepherds—corrupt prophets and rulers and priests—have been misleading The House of Israel, God promises to help by taking the shepherd role and showing how it's...
Valley of Dry Bones
God shows Ezekiel a vision of a valley full of dried-out human bones. He tells Ezekiel to prophesy and bring the bodies back to life. Huh? So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophes...
Gog and Magog
In the Book of Ezekiel, God predicts that in the future, a wicked king from the North named Gog, from the land of Magog, will come against Israel and try to defeat it (think ice wall plot in Game o...
Temple Construction and the Bronze Man
A huge chunk of Ezekiel is devoted to describing how the Temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonians, needs to be rebuilt. Ezekiel describes how he's beamed up to the Temple site by God and enco...
God's Gate
After God enters the newly rebuilt Temple in Ezekiel's vision, he tells Ezekiel that no one else is allowed to enter by that gate: The Lord said to me: This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be...
The Sacred River
Ezekiel predicts that the Dead Sea, which is still salt-water today, will eventually become fresh-water and have fish in it, thanks to a healing stream of water that will pour out from under the Te...