Ezekiel Chapter 1

“Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, &c.] Either from the last jubilee, as R. Joseph Kimchif17, Jarchi, and Abendana; or from the time that the book of the law was found by Hilkiah the priestf18; so the Targum, which paraphrases the words thus, “and it was in the thirtieth year after Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the law, in the house of the sanctuary, in the court under the porch, in the middle of the night, after the moon was down, in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah;” or, according to Jeromf19, from the time of the prophet’s birth, who was now thirty years of age, and was just…”

“EZEKIEL'S VISION BY THE CHEBAR. FOUR CHERUBIM AND WHEELS. (Eze. 1:1-28) Now it came to pass--rather, "And it came," &c. As this formula in Jos 1:1 has reference to the written history of previous times, so here (and in Rut 1:1, and Est 1:1), it refers to the unwritten history which was before the mind of the writer. The prophet by it, as it were, continues the history of the preceding times. In the fourth year of Zedekiah's reign (Jer 51:59), Jeremiah sent by Seraiah a message to the captives (Jer. 29:1-32) to submit themselves to God and lay aside their flattering hopes of a speedy restoration. This…”

“The thirtieth year - being closely connected with as I, is rather in favor of considering this a personal date. It is not improbable that Ezekiel was called to his office at the age prescribed in the Law for Levites Numbers 4:23, Numbers 4:30, at which age both John the Baptist and our Lord began their ministry. His call is probably to be connected with the letter sent by Jeremiah to the captives Jeremiah 29:0 written a few months previously. Some reckon this date from the accession of Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzar, 625 b.c., and suppose that Ezekiel here gives a Babylonian, as in Ezekiel 1:2 a Jewish,…”

“Thirtieth year - From the finding the book of the law in the eighteenth year of Josiah, from which date to the fifth year of the captivity are thirty years. Fifth day - Probably it was the sabbath - day, when the Jews were at leisure to hear the prophet. River - Perhaps retiring thither to lament their own sins, and Jerusalem's desolation. Chebar - A river now called Giulap, arising out of the mountain Masius, and falling into Euphrates, somewhat below a city called by the same name. Ezekiel 1:2”

“1:1–3:27 Old Testament prophetic books often begin with a “call narrative” that gives details of the prophet’s commissioning to his office (e.g., Jer 1:4-19). The prophetic call narrative demonstrated that the prophet’s words were legitimate, showing that he spoke as the Lord’s ambassador. It often introduced themes that his prophecy would address in greater detail, just as the overture to a symphony introduces the musical motifs that form the basis for the composition that follows. The focus of Ezekiel’s call narrative is the Lord’s impending judgment of his people. 1:1-3 The opening verses locate the prophet’s…”

“in the thirtieth: Num 4:3; Luk 3:23 as I: Ecc 9:1, Ecc 9:2; Jer 24:5-7 captives: Heb. captivity by the river: Eze 1:3, Eze 3:15, Eze 3:23, Eze 10:15, Eze 10:20, Eze 10:22, Eze 43:3 Chebar: Chebar, called now Khabour, is a river of Mesopotamia, which taking its rise in the Mysian mountains, falls into the Euphrates near Carchemish, or Circesioum, now Karkisia, about 35 degrees 20 minutes n lat. and 40 degrees 25 minutes e long. the heavens: Mat 3:16; Luk 3:21; Joh 1:51; Act 7:56, Act 10:11; Rev 4:1, Rev 19:11 I saw: Eze 8:3, Eze 11:24; Gen 15:1, Gen 46:2; Num 12:6; Isa 1:1; Dan 8:1, Dan 8:2; Hos 12:10; Joe 2:28;…”

“The Appearance of the Glory of the Lord. - Eze 1:1-3. Time and place of the same. - Eze 1:1. Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth (month), on the fifth (day) of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. Eze 1:2. On the fifth day of the month, it was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, Eze 1:3. The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Busi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him. Regarding ויהי at the beginning of a book, as e.g., in…”