Ezekiel 40:1 as a Corrective for Seven Wrong Ideas in Biblical Interpretation

Abstract

"Ezekiel 40:l is often viewed by commentators as a mere chronological note that can be passed over quickly before tahng up the formidable task of interpreting the last nine chapters of Ezekiel's book. Yet a careful analysis of this verse, when combined with some knowledge of the various events and institutions to whch the verse makes explicit or implicit reference, shows that it is rich in information that sheds light on the events and institutions to whch it refers. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the five pieces of chronological data given in the verse provide useful correctives to several ideas that have gained widespread currency in biblical and hstorical interpretation, while at the same time allowing us to replace those ideas with counterparts that are more in keeping not only with the information in this verse, but also with the teachng of other Scriptures that deal with these matters. It dlbe shown that this one verse, used in conjunction with a small amount of external hstorical data, contradicts the following seven wrong ideas"