1. What were the circumstances of the exiles in Babylon, and what new tests did they face?

IN THE year 617 B.C.E., Jehoiachin, king of Judah, surrendered Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar, who took the foremost people of the land and the treasures of the house of Jehovah and of the king’s house to Babylon. Among the captives were the king’s family and the princes; the valiant, mighty men; the craftsmen and builders; and Ezekiel the son of Buzi the priest. (2 Ki. 24:11-17; Ezek. 1:1-3) With heavy hearts, these exiled Israelites had completed their weary journey from a land of hills, springs, and valleys to one of vast level plains. Now they lived by the river Chebar in the midst of a mighty empire, surrounded by a people of strange customs and of pagan worship. Nebuchadnezzar permitted the Israelites to have their own houses, keep servants, and engage in business. (Ezek. 8:1; Jer. 29:5-7; Ezra 2:65) If industrious, they could become prosperous. Would they fall into the traps of Babylonian religion and materialism? Would they continue to rebel against Jehovah? Would they accept their exile as discipline from him? They would meet new tests in the land of their exile.

2. (a) Which three prophets were outstanding during the critical years before Jerusalem’s destruction? (b) Significantly, how is Ezekiel addressed, and what does his name mean? (c) During what years did Ezekiel prophesy, and what is known of his life and his death?

² During these critical years leading down to the destruction of Jerusalem, Jehovah did not deprive himself or the Israelites of the services of a prophet. Jeremiah was stationed in Jerusalem itself, Daniel was in the court of Babylon, and Ezekiel was the prophet to the Jewish exiles in Babylonia. Ezekiel was both priest and prophet, a distinction likewise enjoyed by Jeremiah and later by Zechariah. (Ezek. 1:3) Throughout his book he is addressed over 90 times as “son of man,” a point of significance when studying his prophecy because, in the Christian Greek Scriptures, Jesus is similarly referred to as “Son of man” nearly 80 times. (Ezek. 2:1; Matt. 8:20) His name Ezekiel (Hebrew, Yechez·qeʼlʹ) means “God Strengthens.” It was in the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s exile, 613 B.C.E., that Ezekiel was commissioned by Jehovah as prophet. We read of him still at his work in the 27th year of the exile, 22 years later. (Ezek. 1:1, 2; 29:17) He was married, but his wife died on the day that Nebuchadnezzar began his final siege of Jerusalem. (24:2, 18) The date and manner of his own death are unknown.

5. How did the Jews react to Ezekiel’s early prophecies?

⁵ In the early years of his prophetic career, Ezekiel proclaimed God’s certain judgments against unfaithful Jerusalem and warned the exiles against idolatry. (14:1-8; 17:12-21) The captive Jews were showing no real signs of repentance. Their responsible men made a practice of consulting Ezekiel, but they paid no attention to the messages from Jehovah that Ezekiel conveyed to them. They went right ahead with their idolatry and materialistic practices. The loss of their temple, their holy city, and their dynasty of kings came as a terrific shock, but it awakened only a few to humility and repentance.​—Ps. 137:1-9.

6. What do Ezekiel’s later prophecies emphasize, and how is the sanctification of Jehovah’s name highlighted?

⁶ Ezekiel’s prophecies in the later years emphasized the hope of restoration. They also took Judah’s neighbor nations to task for exulting over her downfall. Their own humiliation, together with Israel’s restoration, would sanctify Jehovah before their eyes. In summary, the purpose of the captivity and of the restoration was: ‘You people, both of the Jews and of the nations, will have to know that I am Jehovah.’ (Ezek. 39:7, 22) This sanctification of Jehovah’s name is highlighted throughout the book, there being more than 60 occurrences of the expression: “You [or, they] will have to know that I am Jehovah.”​—6:7, footnote.