And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
EZEKIEL 30:20KJVWhat does Ezekiel 30:20 mean?
Ezekiel 30:20 records the exact date when God’s message came to the prophet Ezekiel: the eleventh year, first month, and seventh day. This verse sets the stage for a new prophecy by marking the moment when Ezekiel received a word from the LORD.
Ezekiel, who was living among the Jewish exiles in Babylon, is the speaker here. The verse is a time-stamp, showing that what follows is a specific message from God (the LORD) delivered to Ezekiel on a particular day. This careful dating highlights the seriousness and historical grounding of the prophecy that comes next.
The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 30:20
- "word" (דָּבָר, davar): This Hebrew word means a message, matter, or thing spoken. Here, it emphasizes that what Ezekiel is about to say comes directly from God, not his own thoughts.
- "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name for God in the Hebrew Bible, used to stress the authority and covenant relationship behind the message.
- The specific dating words—"eleventh" (אֶחָד עָשָׂר, echad asar), "year" (שָׁנָה, shanah), "first" (רִאשׁוֹן, rishon), "seventh" (שְּׁבִיעִי, shevi’i), and "month" (חֹדֶשׁ, chodesh)—show the precision with which Ezekiel’s prophecies are recorded, underlining their historical reality.
Why Ezekiel 30:20 matters
- This verse clears up when the following prophecy was given, helping readers connect it to real historical events during the exile.
- The careful dating and mention of God’s direct word stress that Ezekiel’s message is not vague or general, but a specific communication from God at a definite time.
- Understanding the context and timing helps make sense of the warnings and promises that follow in the rest of the chapter.