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By the River Chebar: Historical, Literary, and Theological Studies in the Book of Ezekiel
To many readers the book of Ezekiel is a hopeless riddle. We still find many features of the man and his message difficult and sometimes even shocking, if not offensive. The bizarre opening vision catches us off guard and tempts us to stop reading. However, if we persist, and if we meditate long and hard on individual utterances and sign actions, we will discover that despite the strangeness of the man and his utterances, this is the most clearly organized of the major prophetic books. Individual prophecies are clearly marked by headings and often by conclusions. If we persist, we will also discover that from a rhetorical perspective, this priestly prophet knew his audience; he recognized in Judah's rebellion against YHWH the underlying cause of the divine fury that resulted in the exile of his people and the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BCE. But he also recognized that YHWH's judgment could not be the last word. Because his covenant was eternal and irrevocable he looked forward to a day of spiritual renewal and national restoration. This is the first of two volumes of essays on Ezekiel and his book. The seven general essays and two studies of particular texts in this collection explore the times, the message, and the methods of the prophetic priest.
336 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2013
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About the author
Daniel I. Block
69 books28 followersDaniel I. Block (DPhil, University of Liverpool) is Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of several books and numerous essays and has written commentaries on Deuteronomy, Judges-Ruth, and Ezekiel. He has also been involved in the production of the New Living Translation of the Bible and lectures and preaches around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 21, 2020
Very good! A lot of good, close detailed analysis and exegesis on the book of Ezekiel, a prophet hardly understood throughout most of church history. But this book offers not only very detailed exegesis of the original hebrew, but also great thematic and practical chapters regarding various themes and emphases of Ezekiel, as well an entire chapter on preaching Ezekiel, in which he offers various methods and wisdom for its application to the Church through preaching. Additionally, I found most helpful and insightful his comparative work with other ancient near east myth/epic accounts in which Ezekiel’s theme of divine abandonment (YHWH’s glory-presence leaving the temple and coming to rest with his people in exile, and its return in the new temple) very fascinating and enlightening in understanding Ezekiel’s use of it to the people of his day. This book, while scholarly in its approach and exhaustive by no means (check out pt 2 of his study “Beyond the River...” & 2 vol NICOT comm.), it is a great place to start in aiding one in beginning to understand the very abstract prophet of Ezekiel who has scared off many interpreters throughout the ages.
January 17, 2020
Disappointing and mediocre work of an evangelical scholar
February 3, 2015
You can read my full review here: spoiledmilks wordpress com
In By the River Chebar where he looks at the history, literature, and theology of Ezekiel. If nothing could sound more boring than that, that is the furthest thing from the truth. Block knows that to interpret the Hebrew Bible one must ask at least three questions: (1) What does the text say?, (2) What did the text mean to the original audience, (3) What does the text mean to me, and (4) What does the text say it like that? This is extremely important, for without understand Ezekiel's world and culture, we will never understand Ezekiel's prophetic book.
One can't say that Block doesn't understand the average reader's disposition when reading Ezekiel. In the preface Block states, "After living with this prophetic priest for fifteen years I sometimes felt like I knew the man personally; at other times he left me totally bewildered by his utterances, if not angry over his portrayal of God" (ix).
This book is, in some respects, pastoral. The very first chapter is titled "Preaching Ezekiel." Block stresses the importance of knowing the prophet, his audience, the nature/structure of the book, and his message. The reader is provided with information on the prophet, audience, structure, and message.
On the one hand, if you're interested in Ezekiel, I would say simply to look up Block's two-volume commentary from the NICOT series. For as good and dense (scriptural references!) as this book is, it doesn't cover it all. Though what it does it, it covers well.
However, there are still some sections that I felt didn't provide me with much more knowledge on Ezekiel.
The two excursus and chapter 5 "Chasing a Phantom: The Search for the Historical Marduk" were difficult reads. Excursus A is simply a recovered speech of Marduk. Excursus B is in Hebrew. Chapter 5 is a look at who the god Marduk was believed to be and how he rose to power (aka popularity) in Babylon and in the pantheon of gods. Chapter 5 may give assistance when studying Ezekiel, but, unlike the rest of the chapters, I feel like I know little more about the book of Ezekiel than I did before.
This isn't light reading (by any means), but this is recommended. It helped me to want to dig into Ezekiel more, and eventually buy Blocks' 2 Volume set! One day.
In By the River Chebar where he looks at the history, literature, and theology of Ezekiel. If nothing could sound more boring than that, that is the furthest thing from the truth. Block knows that to interpret the Hebrew Bible one must ask at least three questions: (1) What does the text say?, (2) What did the text mean to the original audience, (3) What does the text mean to me, and (4) What does the text say it like that? This is extremely important, for without understand Ezekiel's world and culture, we will never understand Ezekiel's prophetic book.
One can't say that Block doesn't understand the average reader's disposition when reading Ezekiel. In the preface Block states, "After living with this prophetic priest for fifteen years I sometimes felt like I knew the man personally; at other times he left me totally bewildered by his utterances, if not angry over his portrayal of God" (ix).
This book is, in some respects, pastoral. The very first chapter is titled "Preaching Ezekiel." Block stresses the importance of knowing the prophet, his audience, the nature/structure of the book, and his message. The reader is provided with information on the prophet, audience, structure, and message.
On the one hand, if you're interested in Ezekiel, I would say simply to look up Block's two-volume commentary from the NICOT series. For as good and dense (scriptural references!) as this book is, it doesn't cover it all. Though what it does it, it covers well.
However, there are still some sections that I felt didn't provide me with much more knowledge on Ezekiel.
The two excursus and chapter 5 "Chasing a Phantom: The Search for the Historical Marduk" were difficult reads. Excursus A is simply a recovered speech of Marduk. Excursus B is in Hebrew. Chapter 5 is a look at who the god Marduk was believed to be and how he rose to power (aka popularity) in Babylon and in the pantheon of gods. Chapter 5 may give assistance when studying Ezekiel, but, unlike the rest of the chapters, I feel like I know little more about the book of Ezekiel than I did before.
This isn't light reading (by any means), but this is recommended. It helped me to want to dig into Ezekiel more, and eventually buy Blocks' 2 Volume set! One day.
June 15, 2015
My full review is here: http://mydigitalseminary.com/by-the-r...
For someone studying or teaching through Ezekiel, most or all of these studies will no doubt prove beneficial. Taken individually, these chapters are also excellent foundations for grasping an unwieldy book. For those with a casual interest in Ezekiel, the first three chapters are highly recommended. For those completely uninterested, I am confident that if you start reading Ezekiel, you be inspired but also have a ton of questions. Then go pick up By the River Chebar and enter the weird and wild world of this prophet!
This book was generously provided from Wipf & Stock for review, but that did not affect my opinions.
For someone studying or teaching through Ezekiel, most or all of these studies will no doubt prove beneficial. Taken individually, these chapters are also excellent foundations for grasping an unwieldy book. For those with a casual interest in Ezekiel, the first three chapters are highly recommended. For those completely uninterested, I am confident that if you start reading Ezekiel, you be inspired but also have a ton of questions. Then go pick up By the River Chebar and enter the weird and wild world of this prophet!
This book was generously provided from Wipf & Stock for review, but that did not affect my opinions.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews