Ezekiel is the priest and prophet to whom is attributed the Old Testament book by that name, from which a history and background for this biblical character emerge. The name Ezekiel means “God strengthens.” Along with other Judeans, he was deported to Babylon after Jehoiachin’s surrender to King Nebuchadnezzar in 598 B.C.
He received his prophetic calling in exile in 593 B.C.
Ezekiel was overwhelmed by the message he was called to deliver
(Ezekiel 3.15), and received extraordinary instructions from the Lord. (Ezekiel 5.1-3). From the time of his call until the final fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., he was a recluse suffering from fits of dumbness and immobility (Ezekiel 3.24-27; 24.25-27; 33.21, 22). When his wife died suddenly, he was unable to mourn her according to custom. During his life he was regarded as a curiosity (Ezekiel 33.30-33). Later his importance was recognized and his writings were preserved. There is no information in the Bible about how or when he died, although presumably it was during the time he was in exile.
