Ezekiel 1:2 kjv

In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

Ezekiel 1:2 nkjv

On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity,

Ezekiel 1:2 niv

On the fifth of the month?it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin?

Ezekiel 1:2 esv

On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin),

Ezekiel 1:2 nlt

This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity.

Ezekiel 1 verses

Ezekiel 1 2 Meaning

Ezekiel 1:2 provides the precise chronological context for the prophet Ezekiel's first vision. It establishes that the prophetic ministry began "On the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity." This precise dating links God's revelation directly to a specific, painful historical event—the deportation of King Jehoiachin and many Judeans to Babylon. It anchors the divine word in the grim reality of the exile, signifying that even in deepest crisis, God's active presence and communication with His people persist.

Ezekiel 1 2 Context

The verse provides the precise dating for Ezekiel's initial prophetic vision (Ezek 1:4ff) and the commencement of his ministry. The book of Ezekiel is situated entirely within the Babylonian exile. It opens with the setting of Ezekiel, a priest, among the Judean exiles by the Chebar Canal in Babylonia. This specific date grounds the spiritual experience in tangible history, informing the original audience of the exact moment God chose to communicate through His prophet in a foreign land.

Historically, "the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity" corresponds to approximately 593 BC. King Jehoiachin had been deported to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC, following Jerusalem's surrender. This marked the second major wave of deportations, a devastating national catastrophe for Judah, signaling the effective end of their independent monarchy even before the final destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC. Ezekiel himself was among these deportees. This dating system, based on an exile event rather than the reign of the reigning Judean king (Zedekiah), emphasized the new, grim reality of the exiled community and underscored God's sovereign control over even this calamitous situation.

Ezekiel 1 2 Word analysis

• On the fifth day (בַּחֲמִישִׁי - bachamiyshiy): The preposition "on" (בְּ - be) indicates "on" or "in." "Fifth" (chamiyshiy) refers to an ordinal number. This exactitude underscores the historical reliability and specificity of the divine encounter. It is a precise calendar marker, not a vague mystical event, indicating that God's intervention occurs within linear human history. This meticulous detail aligns with the structured and often calendar-related prophecies throughout Ezekiel's book, reflecting a priestly precision.

• of the month (בַּחֹדֶשׁ - bachodesh): "Month" (chodesh) refers to a new moon, typically marking the beginning of a month in the Hebrew calendar. This is a standard temporal indicator, emphasizing a structured, measured time. While the specific month isn't named here, the combination with the "fifth day" reinforces precision, creating a tangible point in time for the exiles.

• which was the fifth year (הִיא הַשָּׁנָה הַחֲמִישִׁית - hiy hashana hachamiyshiyth):

  • "which was" (hiy) serves as a linking pronoun, connecting "day" and "month" to the overarching "year."
  • "the year" (hashana - literally "the year") signifies a standard annual cycle.
  • "the fifth" (hachamiyshiyth): The repetition of "fifth" emphasizes this specific time marker. This is crucial because it aligns the starting point of Ezekiel’s prophecies not with a traditional Judean regnal year, but with the commencement of the exile itself. This reorients the exiles' temporal perspective from Jerusalem to their Babylonian reality under God's ongoing plan.

• of King Jehoiachin’s captivity (לְגָלוּת הַמֶּלֶךְ יְהוֹיָכִין - legalut hammalek yehoyakhin):

  • "captivity" (גָלוּת - galut): This significant Hebrew term directly means "exile," "deportation," or "captivity." It defines the defining political and spiritual reality for the original audience. The term signifies a divinely ordained, punitive displacement, emphasizing that their current predicament was part of God’s plan, not merely a defeat by Babylon. This term would resonate deeply with their communal suffering and longing for restoration.
  • "King Jehoiachin" (יְהוֹיָכִין - yehoyakhin): He reigned for only three months and ten days before his surrender to Nebuchadnezzar. Even in exile, he was referred to as "King" by some, preserving a semblance of the Davidic line for the exiles. Dating by his captivity (597 BC) rather than the then-reigning King Zedekiah was politically safer in Babylon and held theological significance. It focused on the shared experience of the exiles and avoided legitimizing Zedekiah's perceived rebellion against Babylon (which led to Jerusalem's final fall). For the exiles, Jehoiachin's deportation was the watershed event that brought them to Babylonia, hence it served as their reference point.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "On the fifth day of the month": This phrase signals the specific and immediate occasion for the revelation. It sets a precise timeframe, suggesting the message is directly tied to the temporal progression of their lives in exile. It also hints at the structured nature of God's unfolding revelation to Ezekiel.

• "which was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity": This longer phrase is the crucial chronological anchor for the entire book. It marks Ezekiel's prophetic commencement nine years before Jerusalem's ultimate destruction (586 BC) and eleven years after the initial wave of exiles with Jehoiakim in 605 BC. It re-frames time not from national prosperity or Judah's official kingship, but from the pivotal event of their national humiliation and God's judgment. This period indicates God did not abandon His people but continued to speak to them through their shared suffering in exile. The selection of Jehoiachin's captivity highlights God's ongoing covenant relationship with the exiled people, reminding them that their current reality was within the divine plan, however harsh it seemed. It subtly conveys that God's authority transcends national boundaries and earthly rulers.

Ezekiel 1 2 Bonus section

• The precise dating (specifically "the fifth day") hints that the accompanying vision (Ezek 1:4ff) may have occurred on the fifth day of the fourth month, given Ezekiel 1:1 dates the beginning of the thirtieth year to the fourth month, and subsequent visions also have precise day-of-month dates. This level of detail suggests a deliberate recording of historical and prophetic events.
• This particular date, the "fifth year of Jehoiachin's captivity," corresponds to around July 31, 593 BC. This has allowed modern scholars to precisely align Ezekiel's prophetic career with ancient Near Eastern history.
• The emphasis on "the fifth year" subtly foreshadows a recurring pattern of "fives" and "fifties" throughout Ezekiel, particularly in relation to temple measurements and jubilee themes (though later in the book), hinting at a divine blueprint or intentional numeric symbolism embedded in the prophetic message and even its timing.
• By setting the narrative in Babylon among the exiles, Ezekiel 1:2 reinforces a crucial theological truth: God is not confined to the land of Israel or the Temple. His presence and word transcend geographical and political boundaries, reaching His people even in foreign lands and in their deepest despair. This challenged any local, nationalistic understanding of Yahweh.

Ezekiel 1 2 Commentary

Ezekiel 1:2 functions as the precise temporal cornerstone for Ezekiel’s monumental prophetic book. Far from being a mere dry date, it encapsulates the core context of divine revelation amidst national catastrophe. By dating the onset of his visions to "the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity," Ezekiel immediately establishes a deep solidarity with his audience: the Judean exiles in Babylonia. This dating mechanism, uniquely focused on the commencement of the major exile event rather than the ongoing regnal years of King Zedekiah in Jerusalem, reorients the entire historical framework for the exiles. It silently asserts that God's truth is rooted not in Jerusalem's diminishing sovereignty, but in the new, hard reality of their forced displacement – a reality God himself had ordained and was still sovereign over. This verse provides assurance that even when human institutions collapse and the people are scattered, the Lord still speaks, offering guidance, hope, and challenging their complacent spiritual assumptions within their current, bleak circumstances.