Its an allusion to the old testament, though not to the book of ezekiel, but rather to the book of daniel. In the first chapter of his book, ezekiel relates a vision he had of. The son of man isnt always used in the same way from one book to another. More than 90 times in the book of ezekiel, he is called son of man, which was the title jesus preferred when referring to himself. In both cases, the purpose was to identify with humanity. The book of ezekiel takes its title from the priest of the same name, son to a man named buzi. Ezekiels priestly lineage shines through in his prophetic ministry. In daniel 7, the expression son of man takes on messianic implications. Significance of the son of man appellation in ezekiel.
It is worth noting that the hebrew word used for man in ezekiel as in son of man is adam. The phrase son of fatness is a hebrew idiom for very fat or very fertile. The prophet ezekiel is one of four major prophets along with isaiah, jeremiah, and daniel in hebrew scripture, our old testament of the bible. Jan 14, 2010 the phrase son of fatness is a hebrew idiom for very fat or very fertile. May 06, 2017 ezekiel is called son of man over 90 times, with the first reference being in 2. Literary features the three major prophets isaiah, jeremiah, ezekiel and zephaniah all have the same basic sequence of messages. While this idea is not entirely absent in the book of ezekiel, the prophet nevertheless believes that yahwehs presence is located in the temple more than in any other place.
Muslim exegesisfurther lists ezekiel s father as buzi budhi and ezekiel is given the title ibn aladjus, denoting son of the old man, as his parents are supposed to have been very old when he was born. Several other places, especially in the book of psalms, the fact. Ezekiel the priest a son of aaron, jehoiachin the king a son of david and the other exiles sons of. Ezekiel is called son of man 93 times in the book of ezekiel. Ezekiel was receiving powerful revelations directly from god, and perhaps god called ezekiel son of man to keep him humble much like he later humbled paul with his thorn in the flesh in 2 cor 12. The term son of man is also found in the old testament. We believe it is gods purpose that we take our knowledge and use it to prepare servants to better understand the importance to. It is composed of 48 chapters divided almost half before and after the fall of jerusalem.
This book is basically about the destruction and exile of judah and the promise of its eventual restoration by god. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that i heard him that spake unto me. In no other book is this pattern clearer than in ezekiel see outline. Thus, both jesus and ezekiel can rightly be called son of man. Ezekiel rivals jeremiah for the title the weeping prophet. Why is ezekiel called son of man if it is a title for. The nlt renders this verse, what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them. Son of man, i have made you a watchman to the house of israel. Ezekiel s in babylon, having been exiled there after the first siege of judah by the babylonians. Basically, the phrase son of man means something different in the book of ezekiel than it does in the gospels. Ezekiel ministered to his generation who were both exceedingly sinful and thoroughly hopeless. Michael straczynskis run of spider man continues into absolutely greatness when spider man is left to literally, figuratively, and spiritually confront his past and future in understanding his place in the world, and what spider man means to himself, his loved ones, and the world. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.
Significantly, in the gospel accounts, jesus is referred to as son of man some 80 times. The book of the prophet ezekiel king james bible version. Jesus, the son of man and the greater ezekiel, was like ezekiel and the other prophets sent to the lost sheep of the house of israel. In the book of ezekiel alone, god calls the prophet son of man 93 times. Ezekiel study guide for growing christians ministries. This is the most common hebrew construction for the singular, appearing 93 times in the book of ezekiel alone and 14 times elsewhere. Son of man here appears to be a title referring to the humanity of the author, much how the word human may suffice in english. The prophet ezekiel is the author of the book ezekiel 1. He spoke to them only what he heard from the father. This is particularly interested to christians since jesus took the title son of man upon himself. In the gospels, son of man means something different.
Expressions such as son of man, will have to know that i am jehovah, and sovereign lord jehovah are used repeatedly throughout the bible book of ezekiel. More than 90 times, ezekiel is referred to as son of man. Jul 26, 2017 in the book of ezekiel, sovereign yhwh never asked son of man to denounce babylon directly. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. And he who sat upon the throne, the son of god, whose messenger ezekiel is here appointed to be to the jewish captives now in chaldea. Jehovah thus reminds him that even though he has received great privileges, he is only an earthling man. Book of ezekiel overview insight for living ministries. Ezekiel 3 and he said to me, son of man, eat bible gateway.
Teaching box 6a shave your head and your beard teaching box 7a the nations surrounding jerusalem teaching box 7b key statements in the book of ezekiel. Frank shallieu in 19871989 with notes inserted from a 19731976 study the first chapter of the book of ezekiel is a highly figurative vision of the glory of almighty god. Ezekiel is the only prophet regularly referred to by god as son of man ben adam. Moreover he said unto me, son of man, all my words that i shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. But of course, jesus also was speaking to his identity as the messiah. Furthermore, as gods spokesman, ezekiel s son of man status see note on 2. So you, son of man, i have made a watchman for the house of israel. But the spirit who sanctioned the words of the prophet implied by it the lowliness and frailty of the prophet as man. The son of man, or rather one like unto a son of man mentioned in daniel, is primarily the hebrew people, as is expressly noted in the prophecy itself. As long as he issued the warning, those who did not repent would be punished. This seems quite remarkable, as this title also was christs favorite title using it 80 times, always applying it.
Ezekiel, the son of man, was appointed as a prophet to israel, at thirty years old, by a river, like jesus. As i explain in my study guide to the gospel of mark. The book of ezekiel is the third of the latter prophets in the tanakh and one of the major prophetic books in the old testament, following isaiah and jeremiah. Every time ezekiel heard these words he would be reminded that he was a mere human being. Ezekiel 37 is a famous passage that records ezekiel s vision of the valley of dry bones.
Jesus is referred to as the son of man 88 times in the new testament. This phrase is used around 93 times in the book, which expresses the idea of man being formed from the dust, as it was said to adam, for dust you are and to dust you will return genesis 3. On the fifth day of the fourth month, the sky opened up and i saw visions of god. What remains of the apocryphon of ezekiel is rather scarce. Ezekiel was given prophethood at an age thirty after he saw a majestic vision.
The book of ezekiel niv audio holy bible high quality and. The preceding comparisons indicate that jesus frequently referred to the book of ezekiel. Whenever you hear me say something, warn them for me. The first part of the book, up to chapter 32 inclusive, announces gods judgments against both the people of israel and the idolatrous nations. Approximately 93 of those occurrences are in the book of ezekiel where god calls ezekiel son of man. I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man. In this context, he was referring to ezekiel as a human being. God frequently addresses his prophet not by his name but asson of man this emphasizes that. The reason is, doubtless, that since he was the prophet of the captivity. The second book, of which only a few fragments remain, has also been preserved in the christian tradition. Since this is a reference often used for jesus, why is it that ezekiel seems to singled out for same designation. Its not until we get to the book of daniel that we see son of man take on greater significance. Ezekiel chapter 22 explained discover the 66 books of. Eightythree of the occurrences of the phrase son of man occur in the four gospels where jesus refers.
After god drives into town on a chariot pulled by four man beasts at the beginning of the book, things dont necessarily become less. In contrast to gods awesome glory, ezekiel is addressed as son of man. The book of ezekiel, one of the major prophetical books of the old testament. This is the first of more than 90 times in which the prophet ezekiel is addressed by god as son of man. The second book of ezekiel the prophet rejected scriptures. But the spirit who sanctioned the words of the prophet implied by it the lowliness and frailty of the prophet as man lower. Jesus often called himself the son of man as part of his interactions with people.
And he said unto me, son of man, stand upon thy feet, and i will speak unto thee. In the gospels, jesus often refers to himself as the son of man e. Ezekiel cliffsnotes study guides book summaries, test. The book of ezekiel was likely written between 593 and 565. This phrase emphasized the fact that ezekiel, although called to the high office of a prophet, was a mere man, still a human being like the rest of us. Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of tyre and say to him, thus says the lord god, you had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
Yahweh brought ezekiel out in his spirit to a valley of dry bones 37. The three major prophets isaiah, jeremiah, ezekiel and zephaniah all have the same basic sequence of messages. He used the title son of man in the same sense that it is used repeatedly by the prophet. This is not to be equated with the son of man in daniel 7. Sigh therefore, you son of man, with the breaking of your loins. The priest ezekiel was the first prophet to be called by the lord outside of israel during the babylonian captivity. Ezekiel s priestly lineage shines through in his prophetic ministry. Besides clarity of structure, the book of ezekiel reveals symmetry. So the term son of man in ezekiel stresses ezekiel s humility in contrast to gods glory. This vision took place while israel was in babylonian captivity so sometime between 586 b. The first fragment is a story of a blind man and a lame man and their attempt at thievery. Book of ezekiel known to be written by prophet ezekiel and is placed immediately after lamentation in ot.
The phrase was no doubt taken from chaldean usage during the sojourn of daniel and ezekiel in chaldea. A tradition, which resembles that of hannah and samuel in the hebrew bible, states that ezekiel s mother prayed to god in old age. Book of ezekiel, chapter 3, kjv sealing time ministries. Why is ezekiel called son of man if it is a title for jesus. Much of christ will be found in this book, especially in the conclusion. A first meaning of the phrase son of man is as a reference to the prophecy of daniel 7.
In the book of ezekiel, sovereign yhwh never asked son of man to denounce babylon directly. For example in the book of ezekiel, the son of man does seem to stress a human being. The phrase son of man is an important expression and is used more than 90 times in the book of ezekiel. According to dates given in the text, ezekiel received his prophetic call in the fifth year of the first deportation to babylonia 592 bc and was active until about 570 bc. In fact, ezekiel is called son of man more frequently than jesus is in all four. Ezekiel chapter 10 explained discover the 66 books of. Key statements in the book of ezekiel son of man more than 90 occurrences.
Jan 02, 2020 jesus is indeed referred to as the son of man in the new testament88 times, to be exact. After a short prologue in which ezekiel describes how god called him, he uses a series of symbols to predict the now inevitable destruction of jerusalem and identify its. More than 90 times, god calls ezekiel son of man, a term used to highlight the prophets humanity. And he said unto me, son of man, stand upon thy feet, and i will speak unto thee ezekiel 2. When god addresses him, the spirit enters him and he hears god speaking 2. It is not a respectful appellation, but a humbling one in some cases, an arguably abject one, and this use is a consistent pattern throughout ezekiel. Key statements in the book of ezekiel watchtower online library. There is no particular gospel in which the title dominates. Jesus christ often used that title for himself, probably a reference to daniel, designating his humanity and his mission of salvation. The book of ezekiel, written by the prophetpriest ezekiel, who lived both in jerusalem prior to the babylonian exile 586 bce and in babylon after the exile, and also by an editor or editors, who belongs to a school of the prophet similar to that of the prophet isaiah, has captured the attention of readers for centuries because of. Oct 03, 2015 the book of ezekiel from the holy bible new international version niv book 26 please note we have increased the volume and the pitch of the audio for a clearer sound, so this speed and.
Son of man, i send you to the people of israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. Jan 20, 2018 in any case, ezekiel was constantly called the son of man indicating his human mortality while daniel 7. Key statements in the book of ezekiel watchtower online. Jesus was very conscious of his mortality as a son of man. Ezekiel exerted important influence upon the development of judaism. Of the fragments that remain, only one tells a story. Moreover he said to me, son of man, eat that you find. Like its use in ezekiel, son of man can simply mean, human being. The book of ezekiel was likely written between 593 and 565 b. He was given many magnificent visions and revelations, and was able to perform miracles as well, so by god calling him son of man he would. According to the book itself, it records six visions of the prophet ezekiel, exiled in babylon, during the 22 years from 593 to 571 bc, although it is the product of a long and complex history and does not necessarily preserve the very. Son of man, the definition and meaning bible dictionary. However, in the book of daniel the son of man is a very different kind of figure.
Ezekiel the priest a son of aaron, jehoiachin the king a son of david and the other exiles sons of israel sit by the waters of babylon. Throughout the book son of man is applied to ezekiel as the representative of the human race before a holy god. According to the book itself, it records six visions of the prophet ezekiel, exiled in babylon, during the 22 years from 593 to 571 bc, although it is the product of a long and complex. All the progress towards restoring the earth under yhwhs rule has been lost. So when god calls ezekiel son of man, it is a way of saying he is completely a man, a mere human creature in contrast to the creator.
Behold, i am against thee, o gog, the chief prince of meshech and tubal. This chapter is a continuation of the vision that ezekiel had in the last chapter. On the one hand, saying he was the son of man would have been a very ordinary thing to say. The prophet ezekiel is called son of man over 90 times. Yahwehs dwelling place is in human hearts rather than in a specific place in the temple.
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