Two Events You Need to Know to Understand Ezekiel
The two exiles of Judah in 597 and 586 BC explain Ezekiel
The book of Ezekiel can feel strange, even overwhelming. Its visions are vivid, its actions symbolic, and its theology dense. But much of Ezekiel becomes clearer once we grasp two historical events. These two moments frame Ezekiel’s life, explain the shape of his ministry, and give coherence to his message. If you miss them, you will likely misread the book. If you grasp them, Ezekiel begins to make sense.
To understand Ezekiel, readers must know two events.
First, in 597 BC, Babylon conquered Jerusalem, exiling King Jehoiachin and a few key leaders, including Ezekiel (2 Kings 24:10–16; Ezek 1:1–3).
Second, in 586 BC, Babylon once again conquered Jerusalem due to Judah’s rebellion, exiling a much larger group of Judahites and bringing an end to Judah as an independent power (2 Kgs 25:1–21; Ezek 33:21).
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon thus conquered Jerusalem twice due to resistance and rebellion; the second conquest was far more severe than the first. Importantly, Babylon had recently defeated Assyria, the empire that had conquered Israel in the north and exiled them in 722 BC. Assyria’s final stronghold at Harran fell in 609 BC, marking the end of Assyrian imperial power.
King Josiah, Jehoiachin’s grandfather, and the king whose heart was uniquely set upon God (2 Kings 23:25), died in battle against Pharaoh Necho II in 609 BC. Necho was advancing north in support of the remnants of the Assyrian empire, just as Babylon was emerging as the dominant power in the Near East. Babylon would defeat Egypt at Carchemish in 605 BC, becoming the dominant superpower—the empire of the ancient Near East.
Ezekiel’s ministry follows upon Babylon’s status as a superpower in the ANE: First, the years between 597 BC and 586 BC, when Ezekiel was already in exile, but the temple still stood; and second, the period after the temple fell in 586 BC. Ezekiel, both prophet and priest, therefore has a strongly temple-centred focus, which makes sense given his historical context and his experience of both exiles.
For historical interest, it is worth noting that Jeremiah and Ezekiel are contemporaries, but Jeremiah remains in Judah while Ezekiel goes into exile. Both prophesy against Judah and the temple, but in two different locations and with differing emphases. Notably, both also proclaim strong messages of hope that make sense in light of the exile (Jer 30–33; Ezek 36–37). Isaiah lived before both, ministering to Judah during the period of the Assyrian Empire and thus prior to the rise of Babylon.
In summary, Ezekiel is not abstract theology set loose from history. His visions, symbols, and words are anchored in two concrete disasters: the exile of 597 BC and the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Between those events, and in their aftermath, Ezekiel helps Israel understand why judgment came, where God’s glory had gone, and how hope could still exist without land, king, or temple. Read Ezekiel with these two moments in mind, and the book reveals itself as a disciplined, priestly, and profoundly hopeful response to the collapse of Judah’s world.
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