Ezekiel 24:1
Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Original Language Analysis
וַיְהִי֩
H1961
וַיְהִי֩
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
1 of 11
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
דְבַר
the word
H1697
דְבַר
the word
Strong's:
H1697
Word #:
2 of 11
a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
יְהוָ֨ה
of the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֨ה
of the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
3 of 11
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
הָעֲשִׂירִ֔י
in the tenth
H6224
הָעֲשִׂירִ֔י
in the tenth
Strong's:
H6224
Word #:
8 of 11
tenth; by abbreviation, tenth month or (feminine) part
בֶּעָשׂ֥וֹר
in the tenth
H6218
בֶּעָשׂ֥וֹר
in the tenth
Strong's:
H6218
Word #:
9 of 11
ten; by abbreviated form ten strings, and so a decachord
Cross References
Ezekiel 20:1And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.Ezekiel 8:1And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
Historical Context
Ezekiel dated oracles from King Jehoiachin's exile (597 BC), treating him as legitimate king though Zedekiah ruled in Jerusalem. The 'ninth year' means 588 BC, when Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon despite Jeremiah's warnings. The synchronized revelation proved supernatural knowledge—no courier could travel Babylon to Jerusalem in one day—vindicating Ezekiel's prophetic authority.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's perfect timing in announcing judgment demonstrate both sovereignty and patience?
- What does this precisely dated oracle teach about biblical prophecy's historical verifiability?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
In the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month—January 15, 588 BC (per modern calculations), the exact day Nebuchadnezzar's army laid siege to Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:1). The precision is prophetically significant: Ezekiel, 700 miles away in Babylon, receives the word of the LORD (דְּבַר־יְהוָה, debar-YHWH) announcing Jerusalem's doom the very day it begins.
This divine synchronicity authenticated Ezekiel's ministry to skeptical exiles who doubted Jerusalem would fall. The triple dating formula (shanah/year, chodesh/month, yom/day) marks prophetic urgency—this is the moment God's patience ends, when warning yields to judgment. Ezekiel 24:2 commands: 'Write thee the name of the day, even of this same day.'