The word of the LORD came to Ezekiel: This is a common way of introducing a prophecy. In this instance, unlike some other passages, the word of the LORD does not refer to the message of the whole book, but specifically to the vision in chapters 1–3. Here it has a more restricted meaning, which may be expressed by rendering this clause as “the LORD spoke this message to Ezekiel.” New Living Translation has “The LORD gave this message to Ezekiel.”
The LORD (when it is printed in uppercase letters) is used by almost all English versions to render “Yahweh” (YHWH in Hebrew), the name of God. Translators who choose to follow this practice will generally use a respectful term for someone who has authority over others, for example, “our Owner,” “the Owner of the people,” “the Master,” “the Chief,” or “the Boss.” We recommend that translators use the name “Yahweh” whenever the English versions have “the LORD,” even though it may sound strange at first.
The name Ezekiel means “God strengthens.” The Hebrew text refers to Ezekiel in the third person. Many versions have found it more natural to use first person, since he is speaking in verse 1 (so Good News Translation, Bible en français courant). Models that use first person for this clause are “I heard Yahweh speak,” “I received a message from Yahweh,” “Yahweh gave me this message,” and “Yahweh spoke to me.”
The priest: Ezekiel had become a priest before the people were taken into exile five years earlier, since only at the Temple in Jerusalem could someone become a priest. In the Old Testament the office of the priesthood was limited to the tribe of Levi, and more specifically to one family of that tribe, the family of Aaron. The priests served as intermediaries between God and the people of Israel. Regulations with regard to the qualifications of priests are given in Lev 21.16-23. They offered sacrifices and conducted other sacred ceremonies. The word priest is often rendered “sacrifice-making person” or “ceremony person.”
Ezekiel was the son of Buzi, but apart from this we know nothing of Buzi. He was probably a priest also. In the Hebrew text the title priest can be applied to either Ezekiel or Buzi, that is, the text can mean either “Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi” (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation) or “Ezekiel, the son of Buzi the priest” (so Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and the footnotes in Contemporary English Version and New International Version). But since the Hebrew priesthood followed the family line from father to son, it is likely that both Buzi and Ezekiel were priests. Almost all the versions just say that Ezekiel was a priest.
In the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar: The land of the Chaldeans is more commonly known as “the land of the Babylonians” (New International Version) or “Babylonia” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). It covered the territory between and around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers at the head of the Persian Gulf and is now part of southern Iraq. Babylonia was ruled by Nebuchadnezzar, and he took many of the people of Judah there as prisoners, after he defeated Jerusalem in 597 B.C. That is why Ezekiel was in Babylonia when he received this vision. For by the river Chebar, see Ezek 1.1.
The hand of the LORD was upon him there: In the Old Testament the hand of the LORD is the means by which Yahweh shows his power and his presence. This phrase or a similar one is used seven times in the book (1.3; 3.14, 22; 8.1; 33.22; 37.1; 40.1), and each time it is connected with Ezekiel receiving a divine message. In 3.14 it is also described as being a heavy burden for him (compare Psa 32.4; Isa 8.11). Translations must not give the impression of a physical hand of God grasping Ezekiel by the arm or throat. Rather, this clause should be rendered as idiomatically as possible with the sense of the presence and power of Yahweh being on Ezekiel; for example, Good News Translation has “and I felt his power.” Another possible model is “and Yahweh’s power was in me.” Once again Good News Translation shifts from third person to first person for Ezekiel. In fact, some Hebrew texts and early versions have the first person here, saying “and the hand of the LORD was upon me there.” If the first person is read, this clause would be connected to verse 1. Then the intervening material must have been inserted by an editor. But if the third person is read, verses 2 and 3 were inserted by an editor. In either case, the meaning is the same, so translators can render all three verses in a way that is natural in their language.
A possible model that combines verses 1-3 is:
• I am Ezekiel, the son of Buzi. I am a priest. After Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin and many of our people into exile in Babylonia, we were living by the Chebar Canal. We were living there for nearly five years. On the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year, the sky opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of that month, Yahweh spoke directly to me and I felt his power on me.
Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .