When was Ezekiel written?

The book of Ezekiel is full of edifying teaching and rich theology. However, its message is rooted in the historical and spiritual crisis Israel faced during the Babylonian exile. Ezekiel was among the thousands of Israelites deported to Babylon in 597 BC. Even though they were far from the Promised Land, Ezekiel said that God had not left His people. He emphasized this message throughout his ministry. Ezekiel wrote the book during the early years of the exile, between 590 and 570 BC.

Ezekiel’s work as a prophet began in 593 BC and lasted about 22 years. His final vision came in 571 BC (Ezekiel 29:17). The first verse of the book mentions “the thirtieth year” (Ezekiel 1:1), which many believe was Ezekiel’s age. This matters because priests in Israel began serving when they turned 30 (Numbers 4:3), and Ezekiel was not only a prophet but also a priest (Ezekiel 1:3). God called him to serve at a time when the temple—the center of Israel’s worship—was gone and no longer available.

To understand why God’s presence in exile was so significant, it is important to grasp the covenant promises He made to Israel. It also helps to see how the nation broke those covenants. God made a covenant with Abraham around 2000 BC and later expanded it during the reign of David around 1000 BC (Genesis 12:1–3; 2 Samuel 7:12–16). However, beginning with Solomon’s reign (970—930 BC), Israel grew increasingly unfaithful to God and His law (1 Kings 11:1–13). The nation’s disobedience eventually led to civil war and the division into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah around 930 BC.

Rather than ruling with righteousness and leading the people in holiness, the kings of both the north and south sank deeper into faithlessness. So, God allowed foreign nations to conquer the land and send the people into exile as a form of discipline. In 722 BC, Assyria defeated the northern kingdom of Israel, and in 586 BC Babylon took the southern kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 17:20).

While the Israelites were in exile, they asked questions about God’s covenant with them. Many wondered if the covenant was still intact and whether God would remain faithful to them despite their sin (Jeremiah 29:10–14).

Ezekiel played a key role in addressing these questions during the exile. As a prophet and priest, he helped the people understand that God had not abandoned them. He often wrote about the temple (e.g., Ezekiel 8—11; 40—48), reflecting his focus on God’s presence and holiness. He also dated his visions from the year of King Jehoiachin’s exile in 597 BC, which helps place the book between 590 and 570 BC. These details show that Ezekiel was a real eyewitness and prophet during the exile.

After seventy years, God let the Jewish people go back to their land. God moved Cyrus, the king of Persia, to give an order allowing them to return. When they got home, many had never seen the land. The ruined and broken condition of everything upset them (Nehemiah 1:3–4). As they looked at the destroyed city and temple, they wondered if God’s covenant with them had also been broken.

The book of Ezekiel shows that, even during Israel’s tragic exile, God’s promises remained fixed. God said, “My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Ezekiel 37:27). Through Ezekiel, God reminded His people that exile was not the end, but a step toward restoration and fellowship.