translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: EZK

label: NET study note

text: The phrase you will know that I am the Lord concludes over sixty oracles in the book of Ezekiel and indicates the ultimate goal of God’s action. The phrase is often used in the book of Exodus as well ( Exod 7:5; 14:4, 18 ). By Ezekiel’s day the people had forgotten that the Lord (Yahweh) was their covenant God and had turned to other gods. They had to be reminded that Yahweh alone deserved to be worshiped because only he possessed the power to meet their needs. Through judgment and eventually deliverance, Israel would be reminded that Yahweh alone held their destiny in his hands.


text: By the sword and by famine and by pestilence . A similar trilogy of punishments is mentioned in Lev 26:25-26 . See also Jer 14:12; 21:9; 27:8, 13; 29:18 ).


text: By referring to every high hill…all the mountaintops…under every green tree and every leafy oak Ezekiel may be expanding on the phraseology of Deut 12:2 (see 1 Kgs 14:23 ; 2 Kgs 16:4; 17:10 ; Jer 2:20; 3:6, 13 ; 2 Chr 28:4 ).


text: I will stretch out my hand against them is a common expression in the book of Ezekiel ( 14:9, 13; 16:27; 25:7; 35:3 ).