Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Commentaries: Ezekiel

"A fresh interpretation of the final major sections of the Hebrew book of Ezekiel, chapters 38-48Stephen L. Cook offers an accessible translation and interpretation of the final sections of Ezekiel. These chapters, the most challenging texts of scripture, describe the end-time assault of Gog of Magog on Israel and provide an incredible visionary tour of God's utopian temple. Following the approach of Moshe Greenberg, the author of the preceding Anchor Yale Bible commentaries on Ezekiel, this volume grounds interpretation of the book in an intimate acquaintance with Ezekiel's source materials, its particular patterns of composition and rhetoric, and the general learned, priestly workings of the Ezekiel school. The commentary honors Greenberg's legacy by including insights from traditional Jewish commentators, such as Rashi, Kimhi, and Eliezer of Beaugency. In contrast to preceding commentaries, the book devotes special attention to the Zadokite idea of an indwelling, anthropomorphic "body" of God, and the enlivening effect on people and land of that indwelling." - Yale University Press

"Pastors and leaders of the classical church—such as Augustine, Calvin, Luther, and Wesley—interpreted the Bible theologically, believing Scripture as a whole witnessed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Modern interpreters of the Bible questioned this premise. But in recent decades, a critical mass of theologians and biblical scholars has begun to reassert the priority of a theological reading of Scripture." - Brazos

"G.A. Cooke's 1936 text offers an in-depth and useful discourse on the Book of Ezekiel, with a commentary that easily rivals modern-day studies. Abundant notes on the Hebrew assist readers not familiar with its complexities, and light is shed on some of the textual problems and challenges to be found in Ezekiel." - T&T Clark

“This book is an English translation of the first half of Zimmerli's magisterial commentary, Ezechiel. Few books of the Hebrew Bible have called forth a wider spectrum of opinion than Ezekiel, which has been viewed as everything from a legacy of North Israel (J. Smith) to a Ptolemaic pseudograph (Torrey). The attribution of its author to the Judean community in Babylonia has also been called into serious question by those who assign his oracles to Jerusalem (Herntrich). Zimmerli's own position is a somewhat conservative one which is supported by an overwhelming amount of detailed exegesis. He believes that Ezekiel was a prophet from the early exile active only in Babylonia. The book itself includes material from very similar hands, the School of Ezekiel, who were responsible for such elements as the throne-chariot in Ezekiel's inaugural vision (1:15-21) and the notion that the prophet was dumb except as YHWH addressed him (3:25-27). One of the great values of this commentary is that its painstaking examination of the massive and bewildering bibliography on the subject will enable scholars in the future to dismiss many of the items in it in a way in which Zimmerli could not. His work renders obsolete the somewhat idiosyncratic style of study in Ezekiel and provides the groundwork for consensus.” – Jon Levenson

"A major achievement . . . An essential tool for any serious study of Ezekiel." - Fortress Prss

"An introduction to the study of Ezekiel that lays out for the reader the central issues for the interpretation of the book of Ezekiel. After explaining how the message of the prophet was relevant to the exilic situation in which he lived, this thorough guide shows how later generations shaped, transmitted, and used Ezekiel in their own communities. The book summarizes the literary shape and contents of Ezekiel, then examines the theories and methodologies used in current scholarship that explain the formation of Ezekiel. Lyons next explains for the reader the theology and major themes of Ezekiel, and closes by evaluating how the arguments of Ezekiel relate to each other as a coherent rhetorical strategy." T&T Clark

"The books of Ezekiel and Daniel provide some of the most memorable stories and images of the Old Testament. Ezekiel, the wild prophet of the Babylonian exile, gave us images of the blazing wheeled throne of God leaving Jerusalem and the valley of dry bones that only God could restore to life. Struggling to prove his authenticity as a prophet, Ezekiel gives hard messages to the people of Israel that predict the fall of Jerusalem and punishment of all the nations. At the heart of the fiery speech and actions, however, is someone trying to explain how Jerusalem could fall and Israel could lose the Promised Land. In the end, there can be no mistake about his message of God's power and the cost of Israel's unfaithfulness. The prophet Daniel's message balances that of Ezekiel's, offering stories of God's faithfulness to those who keep the law. The dramatic stories of the three men in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the lion's den, as well as the account of Susanna and the elders, show God's saving power to those who are faithful. Daniel's message is one of hope for a people living under severe oppression during and after exile. Combining storytelling, prophecy, and apocalyptic, this book puts history in the context of God's larger plan for humanity." - Liturgical Press

"Block's aim is to make the book of Ezekiel 'understandable and meaningful for contemporary readers' by considering questions 'students of Scripture' would ask (text critical, cultural and literary, hermeneutical and theological, and application). Block's style of exposition is clear and accessible; all major propositions are enumerated. His judicious use of comparative ancient Near Eastern material is commendable. Readers lacking a knowledge of Hebrew will also use this book with profit. Recommended for all libraries." - Religious Studies Review

"This work completes Daniel Block's two-volume commentary on the book of Ezekiel. The result of twelve years of studying this difficult section of Scripture, this volume, like the one on chapters 1-24, provides an excellent discussion of the background of Ezekiel and offers a verse-by-verse exposition that makes clear the message of this obscure and often misunderstood prophet. Block also shows that Ezekiel's ancient wisdom and vision are still very much needed as we enter the twenty-first century." - Eerdmans

'This volume brings to life the ministry and message of one of the most neglected of the major Old Testament prophets, and illuminates one of the most fascinating chapters on the history of Israel. Besides giving a verse-by-verse commentary of the Book of Ezekiel, Walher Eichrodt fully discusses its origin and composition and all the knotty problems of the prophet's own activity." - WJK Press

"The Reformation era revolution in preaching and interpreting the Bible did not occur without keen attention to the Old Testament Scriptures. This is especially true with regard to the Hebrew prophets. Ezekiel and Daniel, replete with startling, unnerving imagery and visions, apocalyptic oracles of judgment and destruction, captivated the reformers as they sought to understand their time and themselves through the lens of Scripture. Equally, these prophetic books underscored the covenantal promises to God's people and the hope of restoration, which the Reformers understood to be the righteousness of Christ made available in faith. Reformation commentary on the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel are windows into the biblical, theological and pastoral minds of the reformers as they engage the details of the texts, make theological judgments and apply fresh reading of Scripture to their contemporary hearers. Familiar passages, such as Ezekiel's dazzling vision of the wheels, the building of the temple, or Daniel's four beasts, are given new layers and textures. This volume collects the comments of the monumental figures like Luther, Calvin and Melancthon, alongside many lesser known and read thinkers, such as Heinrich Bullinger, Hans Denck, Giovanni Diodati, Johann Gerhard, John Mayer, Matthew Mead, Johann Oecolampadius, Jakob Raupius, Johann Wigand and Andrew Willet. Several beloved English Puritans are included as well: Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, Thomas Manton and John Owen. The wealth of Reformation interpretation on these books of Scripture is brought together for the first time." - InterVarsity Press

"This work is the first major commentary to focus on the text of LXX Ezekiel in any modern language. Rather than seeing LXX mainly as a text-critical resource with variants to be explained, this commentary, as part of the Septuagint Commentary Series, examines a specific manuscript in its own right as a document used by Greek readers unfamiliar with Hebrew. Included are transcription and English translation of Codex Vaticanus, the oldest extant manuscript of the whole book, and a detailed commentary that also compares the earlier P967 and the Masoretic Text where they differ. Another major new contribution is the utilisation of the sense-delimitation (paragraphs) of Codex Vaticanus itself, exploring how this influences reading of the text." - Brill

"For most Bible readers Ezekiel is almost a closed book," writes John Taylor. "Their knowledge of him extends little further than his mysterious vision of God's chariot-throne, with its wheels within wheels, and the vision of the valley of the dry bones." "Otherwise his book is as forbidding in its size as the prophet himself is in the complexity of his make-up," Taylor goes on. "In its structure, however, if not in its thought and language, the book of Ezekiel has a basic simplicity, and its orderly framework makes it easy to analyze." Taylor, in the introduction to this analysis of Ezekiel, sketches a portrait of the prophet and his times, carefully placing the book and its prophecies within their historical settings. He also provides an overview of the books themes and a clear outline of its contents." - InterVarsity Press

"The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship." - Zondervan

"The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship."