Meaning of the Name Ezekiel
Ezekiel comes from the Hebrew form Yehezqel and is usually explained as "God strengthens" or "God will strengthen." The core idea of the name is strength and endurance. This etymology is widely accepted.
Origin
The name Ezekiel is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Ezekiel in the Bible?
Ezekiel is the priest-prophet who ministers among the Judean exiles in Babylon. He is known for visions, symbolic actions, and striking depictions of God's glory; the vision of dry bones is among the best known. Others may share the name, but the prophet of the book of Ezekiel is the primary bearer in biblical memory.
The story of Ezekiel in the Bible
Ezekiel, son of Buzi, was a priest who ministered as a prophet among the Jewish exiles in Babylon. His book records that the word of the LORD came to him by the Kebar River, among the exiles; there the heavens were opened and Ezekiel saw majestic visions of the glory of God. The LORD appointed him a watchman for the people of Israel, making it his responsibility to warn them. He delivered his message not only in words but through striking symbolic acts, such as portraying besieged Jerusalem on a clay brick. In his visions he watched the glory of God depart from the temple, a sign of the city's coming fall. Yet his book does not end in despair: in a valley full of dry bones he saw the bones rise to life by the Spirit of the LORD and become a vast army, a promise that Israel would live again. Its closing chapters look toward the future with the vision of a new temple.
Is Ezekiel mentioned in the Quran?
The name Ezekiel is not mentioned by that name in the Quran; some commentators have linked him with Dhul-Kifl, who is named in the Quran, but the identification is uncertain. In the Bible he is the prophet of the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament.
Verses where Ezekiel appears
- Ezekiel 1:3 —
Yahweh’s word came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Yahweh was there on him.
- Ezekiel 3:17 —
Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word from my mouth, and give them warning from me.
- Ezekiel 37:1 —
The hand of Yahweh was on me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of Yahweh, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.