Chronology Lessons from the Book of Ezekiel
Ezekiel was a prophet of God to the Hebrews in Babylonian exile, and he was a priest. (Ezekiel 1:1, 3)
(A) The Lord began Ezekiel’s prophetic office in a very marked way (Ezekiel 1:3-onward). Ezekiel recorded the day (5th), the month (4th), and year (5th), of king Jehoiachin’s captivity (612 BC), which was Ezekiel’s fifth year of captivity as well. Yet Ezekiel synchronizes king Jehoiachin’s captivity chronology, with that of some marked event 30 years previous, that is, King Josiah’s great Passover observance (642 BC), a very marked event in all Hebrew minds, yet especially to the priest Ezekiel.
One of Ezekiel’s first assignments is recorded in Ezekiel 4th chapter. Ezekiel is told to paint a picture of the city of Jerusalem upon a tile (hard, smooth surface). And to depict the city being besieged in a most vehement way. And further, Ezekiel was to lie down on his left side, looking toward the tile, but with an iron skillet between himself and the tile. This suggests that there would be a terrible siege against Jerusalem, yet God would not intervene on Israel’s behalf, their heaven would be like iron -hardened. This is in contrast to two previous sieges against Jerusalem in which the city was eventually spared both times, once in 626 BC with King jehoiakim’s 3rd year, and again in 617 BC with King Jehoiachin’s (and Ezekiel’s) captivity.
No, this time was going to be different. God was going to exact retributive judgment, to expiate both Israel’s (the 10 tribes) and Judah’s (the 2 tribes), sins against favors, and warnings (the previous partial captivities). Ezekiel was to lie on his left side for 390 days, representing 390 years for the iniquities of Israel, and then to lie on his right side an additional 40 days, representing 40 years for the iniquities of Judah.
Bro. Russell in Thy Kingdom Come, page 295, observes that this judgment is depicted as coming against the one city, Jerusalem. The thought would be, that the 390 years and 40 years both end with the same event, the start of the final siege of Jerusalem. Following this suggestion, we would begin the 390 years for the 10 tribe kingdom from the point at which they rebelled, King Rehoboam’s lst year (998 BC). Adding the 390 years brings us to 608 BC, the year the final siege of Jerusalem would begin (608, 607, 606 BC). This, fitting so well, gives us confidence to add the 40 years for Judah to 608 BC, and that brings us to 648 BC. Interestingly, this is the 12th year of King Josiah’s reign, and we read in 2 Chronicles 34:3 and forward that he began religious reforms in this year, a marked event. Yet why would God date 40 years from this event, for it was a good event? We suggest that God foresaw that Judah would not stay reformed, but instead sin grievously thereafter.
We also ask ourselves why God might have chosen 40 years for Judah, why not 100, 400, etc.? As we know, 40 in the Scriptures represents a period of trial, judgment, and so it was the case here. Judah would fail of being reformed for long, and so the prophetic judgment would abide.
We note that this is the second event or date marked from King Josiah’s reign.
Sir Isaac Newton made a wonderful observation in his work on chronology. He used this lesson of Ezekiel 4 to corroborate the scriptural chronological time period of the Kings. From King Saul to King Rehoboam was 120 years (Saul 40, David 40, Solomon 40), from King Rehoboam’s lst year we add the 390 years of Israel’s iniquity, followed by the 3 years of the final siege of Jerusalem, ending in it’s destruction and the dethronement of Judah’s last king, Zedekiah (2 Kings 25:1, 2): total, 513 years for the period of the Judean kings.1
Continuing in Ezekiel, in the eighth chapter, verse 1, he mentions it is the 6th year. He does not state of what, but let us follow the logic that in chapter one it was the 5th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity (612 BC); this 6th year would be 611 BC. And because the events in the 4th chapter fall between these two chapters (1 and 8), we suggest that Ezekiel was given the task of lying on his sides, etc., during this interim (about one year).
Continuing to Ezekiel 20: 1, it states it to be the 7th year, or 610 BC.
(B) In Ezekiel 24:11 2 we read that in the 9th year (608 BC), the 10th month, and the 10th day, God told Ezekiel (in Babylon) that the final siege had begun. This is said to be to the same day, stated twice for emphasis, and indeed Jeremiah 52:4, 5 and 2 Kings 25:1, 2 so record it. This would be the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophetic acts of the fourth chapter.
(C) Ezekiel 26:1-4 again provides a means to track this chronology. “In the 11th year” (606 BC), Ezekiel receives word from Jehovah that the inhabitants of the city of Tyrus were rejoicing at the destruction of Jerusalem, because they thought they could now take advantage of her. Yet God was telling the Hebrew exiles through Ezekiel that he would destroy Tyrus, that her rejoicing over his city’s destruction would be to Tyrus’ sins. In this prophetic way, Ezekiel learned of Jerusalem’s being laid waste, and in the exact year.
(D) Ezekiel 33:21 follows up with an actual eye witness account , by a survivor from Jerusalem’s destruction, informing Ezekiel firsthand of that which God had revealed by the prophecy in Ezekiel 26:1, 2.
Here there are some differences of opinion on whether this should read the 12th or the 11th year. Without going into all the various lines of reasoning, let it suffice to say that it is of little consequence to the narrative of events, but that Rotherham’s footnote suggestion of I Ith is appealing, making the length of time from the fall of Jerusalem, to the survivor’s arrival at Ezekiel’s residence in Babylon, about 6 months’ time.
(E) In Ezekiel 40:1 we have a similar circumstance as in Ezekiel 1:1, 2. That is a synchronization of Ezekiel’s captivity with an event known to all Hebrews. He states it to be the 25th year of captivity (592 BC) or, in other words, 20 years since Ezekiel 1:1, 2, and the start of his prophetic office. And it is the 14th year after the city (Jerusalem) was smitten, again a confirmation for Jerusalem’s destruction in 606 BC (592 + 14 = 606 BC).
He states that it is the selfsame day, this 10th day of the beginning of the year, which would be the spring, meaning Nisan, the first month, especially to a priest, who would follow the religious year more particularly.
So it is the 25th year, the 10th day, of the first month, the beginning of the year. This cannot be the date of the destruction of Jerusalem, since that was about the 9th day of the 4th month (2 Kings 25:3, 4: Jeremiah 52:4, 7). The month and day of the start of King Jehoiachin’s (and therefore Ezekiel’s) captivity can be found in 2 Chronicles 36:9, 10. There we read that Jehoiachin reigned only 3 months and 10 days, before he was dethroned and Zedekiah enthroned. (Hence jehoiachin’s captivity and Zedekiah’s reign run concurrently.) But note the marginal rendering in vs. 10, “at the return of the year,” or in the spring, a new year as it were. So then, Jehoiachin was taken captive the 10th day of Nisan, fitting with Ezekiel’s testimony of chapter 40:1.2
Now we can see the point of the phrase “the selfsame day” in 40: 1. He had been in captivity exactly 25 years, but even more interesting is the fact that it means it was exactly 50 years to the day since the day the Israelites would have selected the passover lamb for king Josiah’s great Passover of 642 BC! A wonderful confirmation for the 30 year reasoning of Ezekiel 1:1, and furthermore it suggests itself as the symbolic 50 year jubilee cycle representing restitution, a restoring. And indeed, the vision of the holy city Jerusalem with the Temple, and God’s glory returning (40:2-43:5), seems intended to encourage the Hebrews (who were then all in exile) to look forward to the future age, when God would once again dwell in peace with his restored people, in the restored city and the land of the faithful Patriarchs.
YEAR OF KINGS’ REIGNS & EVENTS
1 The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended, Sir Isaac Newton, London, 1728 AD, pg. 298.
2 Newton, ibid., pg. 296. “So the Jews, as their authors tell us, counted the riegns of their kings by the years of Moses, beginning every year with the month Nisan: for if any king began his reign a few days before this month began, it was reckoned to him for a whole year, and the beginning of this month was accounted the beginning of the second year of his reign.” See also page 301.
2 Chronicles 36:10, “when the year was expired” (AV). See margin, “return of the year,” same as in 2 Samuel 11:1, margin, and 1 Kings 20:22,26. The first of these passages includes the phrase, the second the thought, “when kings go forth to battle.” This is in the spring of the year.
The phrase “when the year was expired” in 2 Chronicles 36:10 is rendered “in the spring” by the Revised Standard, and James Moffatt, An American Translation. Clearly, the phrase must mean either the fall or the spring, and no translators or other scripture texts render this phrase “fall.”
A corroboration: 2 Chronicles 36:9 tells us that Jehoiachin reigned 3 months and 10 days. Counting backwards, from Nisan 10, we reach approximately the end of December or beginning of January. Knowing that Jehoiachin succeeded Jahoiakim, we read with interest Jeremiah 22:19 concerning Jehoiakim, “he shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem,” and Jeremiah 36:30, “Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Juday; he shall have none to sit upon the throne of David; and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.” This could certainly be fulfilled in December/January, but not 3 months before a fall date – that would be in the summer.