DANIEL CHAPTER SEVEN

[JLG]

3)

Views on wealth of St. Clement of Alexandria

In Egypt during the late 2nd century the rising inflation, high cost of living, and increased taxes placed extreme burdens not only on the poor but also on the relatively wealthy middle class, which was eventually ruined. From the tenor of the Paidagōgos, one can conclude that the majority of Clement’s audience came from the ranks of Alexandrian middle and upper classes, with a few intelligent poorer members coming from the Alexandrian masses. The problem of wealth was disturbing to the pistic Christians, who interpreted literally the command of Christ to the rich young man who wanted to be saved, “sell what you have and give to the poor.” In response to the literal interpretation, Clement wrote The Discourse Concerning the Salvation of Rich Men, in which he stated that wealth is a neutral factor in the problem. Possessions are to be regarded as instruments to be used either for good or for evil. “The Word does not command us to renounce property but to manage property without inordinate affection” (Eclogae Propheticae). In the matter of welfare (almsgiving), Clement’s views are not consistent. On the one hand, he advised that the Christian should not judge who is worthy or unworthy of receiving alms by being niggardly and pretending to test whether a person is deserving. On the other hand, he stated that alms should be dispensed with discernment to the deserving, for freeloaders, who are lazy and have some possessions, take what can be given to the needy.

Because of the persecution of Christians in Alexandria under the Roman emperor Severus in 201–202, Clement was obliged to leave his position as head of the catechetical school and to seek sanctuary elsewhere. His position at the school was assumed by his young and gifted student Origen, who became one of the greatest theologians of the early Greek church. Clement found safety and employment in Palestine under another of his former students, Alexander, bishop of Jerusalem. He remained with Alexander until he died.

Legacy of St. Clement of Alexandria

In his various roles, as missionary theologian, Apologist, and polemicist, Clement developed or touched upon ideas that were to influence the Christian world in the areas of monasticism, political and economic thought, and theology. In this last area, the Greek church regarded his views as too close to Origen’s, some of which were considered heretical. In the Latin church, however, he was regarded as a saint, and his feast day was celebrated on December 4. In 1586, however, because some of his views were questioned in regard to their orthodoxy, Pope Sixtus V deleted his name from the Roman martyrology.

 

[JLG]

1)


https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Egypt/Macedonian-and-Ptolemaic-Egypt-332-30-bce

Macedonian and Ptolemaic Egypt (332–30 bce)
The Macedonian conquest

In the autumn of 332 bce Alexander the Great invaded Egypt with his mixed army of Macedonians and Greeks and found the Egyptians ready to throw off the oppressive control of the Persians. Alexander was welcomed by the Egyptians as a liberator and took the country without a battle. He journeyed to Siwa Oasis in the Western Desert to visit the Oracle of Amon, renowned in the Greek world; it disclosed the information that Alexander was the son of Amon. There may also have been a coronation at the Egyptian capital, Memphis, which, if it occurred, would have placed him firmly in the tradition of the kings (pharaohs). The same purpose may be seen in the later dissemination of the romantic myth that gave him an Egyptian parentage by linking his mother, Olympias, with the last king, Nectanebo II.

Alexander left Egypt in the spring of 331 bce, having divided the military command between Balacrus, son of Amyntas, and Peucestas, son of Makartatos. The earliest known Greek documentary papyrus, found at Ṣaqqārah in 1973, reveals the sensitivity of the latter to Egyptian religious institutions in a notice that reads: “Order of Peucestas. No one is to pass. The chamber is that of a priest.” The civil administration was headed by an official with the Persian title of satrap, one Cleomenes of Naukratis. When Alexander died in 323 bce and his generals divided his empire, the position of satrap was claimed by Ptolemy, son of a Macedonian nobleman named Lagus. The senior general Perdiccas, the holder of Alexander’s royal seal and prospective regent for Alexander’s posthumous son, might well have regretted his failure to take Egypt. He gathered an army and marched from Asia Minor to wrest Egypt from Ptolemy in 321 bce; but Ptolemy had Alexander’s corpse, Perdiccas’s army was not wholehearted in support, and the Nile crocodiles made a good meal from the flesh of the invaders.

The Ptolemaic dynasty

Until the day when he openly assumed an independent kingship as Ptolemy I Soter, on November 7, 305 bce, Ptolemy used only the title satrap of Egypt, but the great hieroglyphic Satrap stela, which he had inscribed in 311 bce, indicates a degree of self-confidence that transcends his viceregal role. It reads, “I, Ptolemy the satrap, I restore to Horus, the avenger of his father, the lord of Pe, and to Buto, the lady of Pe and Dep, the territory of Patanut, from this day forth for ever, with all its villages, all its towns, all its inhabitants, all its fields.” The inscription emphasizes Ptolemy’s own role in wresting the land from the Persians (though the epithet of Soter, meaning “Saviour,” resulted not from his actions in Egypt but from the gratitude of the people of Rhodes for his having relieved them from a siege in 315 bce) and links him with Khabbash, who about 338 bce had laid claim to the kingship during the last Persian occupation.

Egypt was ruled by Ptolemy’s descendants until the death of Cleopatra VII on August 12, 30 bce. The kingdom was one of several that emerged in the aftermath of Alexander’s death and the struggles of his successors. It was the wealthiest, however, and for much of the next 300 years the most powerful politically and culturally, and it was the last to fall directly under Roman dominion. In many respects, the character of the Ptolemaic monarchy in Egypt set a style for other Hellenistic kingdoms; this style emerged from the Greeks’ and Macedonians’ awareness of the need to dominate Egypt, its resources, and its people and at the same time to turn the power of Egypt firmly toward the context of a Mediterranean world that was becoming steadily more Hellenized.

 

[JLG]

2)

The Ptolemies (305–145 bce)

The first 160 years of the Ptolemaic dynasty are conventionally seen as its most prosperous era. Little is known of the foundations laid in the reign of Ptolemy I Soter (304–282 bce), but the increasing amount of documentary, inscriptional, and archaeological evidence from the reign of his son and successor, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 bce), shows that the kingdom’s administration and economy underwent a thorough reorganization. A remarkable demotic text of the year 258 bce refers to orders for a complete census of the kingdom that was to record the sources of water; the position, quality, and irrigation potential of the land; the state of cultivation; the crops grown; and the extent of priestly and royal landholdings. There were important agricultural innovations in this period. New crops were introduced, and massive irrigation works brought under
cultivation a great deal of new land, especially in Al-Fayyūm, where many of the immigrant Greeks were settled.


The Macedonian-Greek character of the monarchy was vigorously preserved. There is no more emphatic sign of this than the growth and importance of the city of Alexandria. It had been founded, on a date traditionally given as April 7, 331 bce (but often cited as 332 bce), by Alexander the Great on the site of the insignificant Egyptian village of Rakotis in the northwestern Nile River delta, and it ranked as the most important city in the eastern Mediterranean until the foundation of Constantinople in the 4th century ce. The importance of the new Greek city was soon emphasized by contrast to its Egyptian surroundings when the royal capital was transferred, within a few years of Alexander’s death, from Memphis to Alexandria. The Ptolemaic court cultivated extravagant luxury in the Greek style in its magnificent and steadily expanding palace complex, which occupied as much as a third of the city by the early Roman period. Its grandeur was emphasized in the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus by the foundation of a quadrennial festival, the Ptolemaieia, which was intended to enjoy a status equal to that of the Olympic Games. The festival was marked by a procession of amazingly elaborate and ingeniously constructed floats, with scenarios illustrating Greek religious cults.

Ptolemy II gave the dynasty another distinctive feature when he married his full sister, Arsinoe II, one of the most powerful and remarkable women of the Hellenistic age. They became, in effect, co-rulers, and both took the epithet Philadelphus (“Brother-Loving” and “Sister-Loving”). The practice of consanguineous marriage was followed by most of their successors and imitated by ordinary Egyptians too, even though it had not been a standard practice in the pharaonic royal houses and had been unknown in the rest of the native Egyptian population. Arsinoe played a prominent role in the formation of royal policy. She was displayed on the coinage and was eventually worshiped, perhaps even before her death, in the distinctively Greek style of ruler cult that developed in this reign.

From the first phase of the wars of Alexander’s successors, the Ptolemies had harboured imperial ambitions. Ptolemy I won control of Cyprus and Cyrene and quarreled with his neighbour over control of Palestine. In the course of the 3rd century a powerful Ptolemaic empire developed, which for much of the period laid claim to sovereignty in the Levant, in many of the cities of the western and southern coast of Asia Minor, in some of the Aegean islands, and in a handful of towns in Thrace, as well as in Cyprus and Cyrene. Family connections and dynastic alliances, especially between the Ptolemies and the neighbouring Seleucids, played an important role in these imperialistic ambitions. Such links were far from able to preserve harmony between the royal houses (between 274 and 200 bce five wars were fought with the Seleucids over possession of territory in Syria and the Levant), but they did keep the ruling houses relatively compact, interconnected, and more true to their Macedonian-Greek origins.

 

[JLG]

3)

When Ptolemy II Philadelphus died in 246 bce, he left a prosperous kingdom to his successor, Ptolemy III Euergetes (246–221 bce). Euergetes’ reign saw a very successful campaign against the Seleucids in Syria, occasioned by the murder of his sister, Berenice, who had been married to the Seleucid Antiochus II. To avenge Berenice, Euergetes marched into Syria, where he won a great victory. He gained popularity at home by recapturing statues of Egyptian gods originally taken by the Persians. The decree promulgated at Canopus in the delta on March 7, 238 bce, attests both this event and the many great benefactions conferred on Egyptian temples throughout the land. It was during Euergetes’ reign, for instance, that the rebuilding of the great Temple of Horus at Idfū (Apollinopolis Magna) was begun.
Euergetes was succeeded by his son Ptolemy IV Philopator (221–205 bce), whom the Greek historians portray as a weak and corrupt ruler, dominated by a powerful circle of Alexandrian Greek courtiers. The reign was notable for another serious conflict with the Seleucids, which ended in 217 bce in a great Ptolemaic victory at Raphia in southern Palestine. The battle is notable for the fact that large numbers of native Egyptian soldiers fought alongside the Macedonian and Greek contingents. Events surrounding the death of Philopator and the succession of the youthful Ptolemy V Epiphanes (205–180 bce) are obscured by court intrigue. Before Epiphanes had completed his first decade of rule, serious difficulties arose. Native revolts in the south, which had been sporadic in the second half of the 3rd century bce, became serious and weakened the hold of the monarch on a vital part of the kingdom. These revolts, which produced native claimants to the kingship, are generally attributed to the native Egyptians’ realization, after their contribution to the victory at Raphia, of their potential power. Trouble continued to break out for several more decades. By about 196 bce a great portion of the Ptolemaic overseas empire had been permanently lost (though there may have been a brief revival in the Aegean islands in about 165–145 bce).
To shore up and advertise the strength of the ruling house at home and abroad, the administration adopted a series of grandiloquent honorific titles for its officers. To conciliate Egyptian feelings, a religious synod that met in 196 bce to crown Epiphanes at Memphis (the first occasion on which a Ptolemy is certainly known to have been crowned at the traditional capital) decreed extensive privileges for the Egyptian temples, as recorded on the Rosetta Stone.

The reign of Ptolemy VI Philometor (180–145 bce), a man of pious and magnanimous character, was marked by renewed conflict with the Seleucids after the death of his mother, Cleopatra I, in 176 bce. In 170/169 bce Antiochus IV of Syria invaded Egypt and established a protectorate; in 168 bce he returned, accepted coronation at Memphis, and installed a Seleucid governor. But he had failed to reckon with the more powerful interests of Rome. In the summer of 168 bce a Roman ambassador, Popillius Laenas, arrived at Antiochus’s headquarters near Pelusium in the delta and staged an awesome display of Roman power. He ordered Antiochus to withdraw from Egypt.
Antiochus asked for time to consult his advisers. Laenas drew a circle around the king with his stick and told him to answer before he stepped out of the circle. Only one answer was possible, and by the end of July Antiochus had left Egypt. Philometor’s reign was further troubled by rivalry with his brother, later Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II Physcon. The solution, devised under Roman advice, was to remove Physcon to Cyrene, where he remained until Philometor died in 145 bce. It is noteworthy that in 155 bce Physcon took the step of bequeathing the kingdom of Cyrene to the Romans in the event of his untimely death.

Dynastic strife and decline (145–30 bce)

Physcon was able to rule in Egypt until 116 bce with his sister Cleopatra II (except for a period in 131–130 bce when she was in revolt) and her daughter Cleopatra III. His reign was marked by generous benefactions to the Egyptian temples, but he was detested as a tyrant by the Greeks, and the historical accounts of the reign emphasize his stormy relations with the Alexandrian populace.

During the last century of Ptolemaic rule, Egypt’s independence was exercised under Rome’s protection and at Rome’s discretion. For much of the period, Rome was content to support a dynasty that had no overseas possession except Cyprus after 96 bce (the year in which Cyrene was bequeathed to Rome by Ptolemy Apion) and no ambitions threatening Roman interests or security. After a series of brief and unstable reigns, Ptolemy XII Auletes acceded to the throne in 80 bce. He maintained his hold for 30 years, despite the attractions that Egypt’s legendary wealth held for avaricious Roman politicians. In fact, Auletes had to flee Egypt in 58 bce and was restored by Pompey’s friend Gabinius in 55 bce, no doubt after spending so much in bribes that he had to bring Rabirius Postumus, one of his Roman creditors, to Egypt with him to manage his financial affairs.

In 52 bce, the year before his death, Auletes associated with himself on the throne his daughter Cleopatra VII and his elder son Ptolemy XIII (who died in 47 bce). The reign of Cleopatra was that of a vigorous and exceptionally able queen who was ambitious, among other things, to revive the prestige of the dynasty by cultivating influence with powerful Roman commanders and using their capacity to aggrandize Roman clients and allies. Julius Caesar pursued Pompey to Egypt in 48 bce. After learning of Pompey’s murder at the hands of Egyptian courtiers, Caesar stayed long enough to enjoy a sightseeing tour up the Nile in the queen’s company in the summer of 47 bce. When he left for Rome, Cleopatra was pregnant with a child she claimed was Caesar’s. The child, a son, was named Caesarion (“Little Caesar”). Cleopatra and Caesarion later followed Caesar back to Rome, but, after his assassination in 44 bce, they returned hurriedly to Egypt, and she tried for a while to play a neutral role in the struggles between the Roman generals and their factions.

 

[JLG]

4)


Her long liaison with Mark Antony began when she visited him at Tarsus in 41 bce and he returned to Egypt with her. Between 36 and 30 bce the famous romance between the Roman general and the eastern queen was exploited to great effect by Antony’s political rival Octavian (the future emperor Augustus). By 34 bce Caesarion was officially co-ruler with Cleopatra, but his rule clearly was an attempt to exploit the popularity of Caesar’s memory. In the autumn Cleopatra and Antony staged an extravagant display in which they made grandiose dispositions of territory in the east to their children, Alexander Helios, Ptolemy, and Cleopatra Selene. Cleopatra and Antony were portrayed to the Roman public as posing for artists in the guise of Dionysus and Isis or whiling away their evenings in rowdy and decadent banquets that kept the citizens of Alexandria awake all night. But this propaganda war was merely the prelude to armed conflict, and the issue was decided in September 31 bce in a naval battle at Actium in western Greece.


When the battle was at its height, Cleopatra and her squadron withdrew, and Antony eventually followed suit. They fled to Alexandria but could do little more than await the arrival of the victorious Octavian 10 months later. Alexandria was captured, and Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide—he by falling on his sword, she probably by the bite of an asp—in August of 30 bce. It is reported that when Octavian reached the city, he visited and touched the preserved corpse of Alexander the Great, causing a piece of the nose to fall off. He refused to gaze upon the remains of the Ptolemies, saying “I wished to see a king, not corpses.”

 

[JLG]

33) God and Job / Job and God

Job 42
After Job had prayed for his companions, God removed Job’s tribulation and restored his prosperity. God gave him double what he had before.

- Is there anything else to add?

- Maybe we need to think a bit more!

- Maybe we need to think about other biblical examples!

- Maybe we need to think about how we would react in such a situation!

- Maybe all this may help us to prepare for a world situation which gets worse and worse faster and faster!

- And maybe we will understand Job’s attitude!

- We should better do it because the storm is in front of us and it’s a big one!

​

 

[JLG]

7) There is no one like him on the earth and a wealthy farmer

Job 1

- Look at big human empires!

- look at the big human conquerors!

- They are the biggest murderers!

- And all human empires have been destroyed!

- Humanity is unable to last!

- It can only destroy itself!

- And all living creatures!

- And all plants!

- Look at the deserts!

- they are not even able to stop them!

- And they let them grow!

 

[JLG]

8) There is no one like him on the earth and a wealthy farmer

Job 2
And God said to Satan: “Have you taken note of my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth. He is an upright man of integrity, fearing God and shunning what is bad. He is still holding firmly to his integrity, even though you try to incite me against him to destroy him for no reason.”

- As usual, God repeats the same words about Job showing he keeps behaving as usual even if his situation has worsen!

But Satan answered God: “Skin for skin. A man will give everything that he has for his life. But, for a change, stretch out your hand and strike his bone and flesh, and he will surely curse you to your very face.”

- The devil is unable to take Job away from God !

- Thus each time he is more aggressive that shows his powerlessness toward Job !

- And Job shows himself successful toward the devil !

- The devil’s words show his cautiousness toward God !

- But he also wants to show that he knows better than God !

- Does he think he is superior ?

- Can a creature become stronger than his creator ?

- With God, no way !

- With men, yes, we can imagine !

- Because empires are destroyed by others !

- And nature is stronger than men !

- Global warming can destroy humanity !

 

[JLG]

15) There is no one like him on the earth and a wealthy farmer

Job 7
Thus I have been assigned months of futility And nights of misery have been counted out for me. When I lie down I ask, ‘When will I get up?’ But as the night drags on, I toss restlessly until the dawning of the day. My flesh is covered with maggots and clods of dirt; My skin is full of scabs and pus. My days go by more quickly than a weaver’s shuttle, And they come to an end without hope.

- Job is able to speak about his physical condition!

- His conclusion is simple: there is no hope!

- He is still alive but half alive half dead!

- And he is only the shadow of himself!

- So yes, the devil is striking him very hard!

- So he is just waiting for death!

- How would we react to such a situation?

- He was alone in front of illness!

- And he wasn’t able to struggle!

- Except with words!

 

[JLG]

22) There is no one like him on the earth and a wealthy farmer

Job 9
Job said in reply: “For a fact I know that this is so. But how can mortal man be in the right in a case with God? If someone wishes to argue with Him, That one could not answer one of His questions in a thousand. He is wise in heart and mighty in power. Who can resist him and come off uninjured? He moves mountains without anyone knowing it; He overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth out of its place, So that its pillars tremble. He commands the sun not to shine And seals off the light of the stars; He spreads out the heavens by himself, And he treads upon the high waves of the sea. He made the Ash, the Kesil, and the Kimah constellations, And the constellations of the southern sky; He does great and unsearchable things, Wonderful things that cannot be counted. He passes by me, and I cannot see him; He moves past me, but I do not discern him. When he snatches something, who can resist him? Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ God will not restrain his anger; Even the helpers of Rahab will bow down to him.

- Just stop thinking for a while!

- Stay calm for a while!

- And don’t move!

- Close your eyes!

- Open your mind!

- Think about the earth: it has water and life everywhere!

- Think about our solar system!

- Think about the moon: it is barren!

- Think about Venus: it is burning hot and nothing can survive there!

- Think about Mercury: it can be very hot and very cold at the same time!

- Think about the sun: its size is equal to 1 million planets like the earth!

- Think about Mars: it is a dead planet!

- Think about Jupiter: a thousand time bigger than the Earth and it is made of gas and it has the biggest storm of the solar system!

- Think about Saturn: it is also made of gas and it is just slightly smaller than Jupiter and it has the most extensive ring system of any planet in the solar system!

- Think about Uranus: it is the coldest planet in the solar system with -224°C!

- Think about Neptune: it has the strongest winds in the solar system and it is the second coldest planet in the solar system with -214°C!

- And many more solar systems!

- And many more black holes!

- And many more galaxies!

- Journey through the universe beyond the speed of light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vOU6-1yNZs

- And then read again Job’s words!

- And then we may understand them!

 

[JLG]

- or you can also try:

Infinite: small and big

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_sU9eav_E4

- And in any direction you will see one thing: DESIGN!

 

[JLG]

23) There is no one like him on the earth and a wealthy farmer

Job 9
How much more when I answer him Must I choose my words carefully to argue with him!

- Job knows how to respect God!

- The majority of men don’t respect God, on the contrary!

- We may remember such attitude among the Israelites through the Bible!

- They were condemned so many times!

- I would say all the time!

- And some call them a special people!

- They should read the bible a bit more carefully!

- They did the same or worse than the other peoples around them!

- So yes, Job is a special one!

- And he cares about God and God cares about him and remembers him!

 

[JLG]

30) There is no one like him on the earth and a wealthy farmer

Job 9

If I wash myself in water from melting snow, And I cleanse my hands in lye, Then you would dip me in a pit, So that even my own garments would detest me. For he is not a man like me that I may answer him, That we should go to court together. There is no person to decide between us, Who could serve as our judge. If he would stop beating me And not let his terror frighten me, Then I would speak to him unafraid, For it is not in me to speak out of fear.

- He thinks God is against him!

- Job doesn’t know what to do!

- Everything is against him!

- Listening to him, we understand he is ready to keep fighting and complaining!

- But we all have limits!

- When we think about old people, they keep being active till a certain age but their mental and physical health goes down!

- And when they lose their will for survival, then it is difficult to keep going!

- Of course, it is important to maintain mental health and physical health, but in Job’s case, he has found his limits!

- Thus we can question ourselves, it depends on each individual!

- At the difference of Job, we can prepare the field before things get worse!

 

[JLG]

37) There is no one like him on the earth and a wealthy farmer

Job 12

- I have become a laughingstock to my companions, One calling to God for an answer. A righteous and blameless man is a laughingstock.

- Righteous and blameless!

- It sounds like there is no one like him on the earth!

- Definitely an excellent example to follow!

- And don’t forget he didn’t have the Bible to help him in his relationship with God!

- And Job was an authority!

- He was respected!

- But then people started to laugh at him!

- Don’t forget that anything can happen at any time!

- But is that a reason or an excuse to forget God?

- Job would never do that!

 

[JLG]

1. LOOKING FOR EZEKIEL

ISAIAH

When and where was it written? The book of Isaiah was written sometime during the ministry of Isaiah (approximately 740–701 B.C.). Since Isaiah's ministry was centered in Jerusalem, this is the most likely location of the book's origin.


JEREMIAH

Author: Jeremiah chapter 1, verse 1 identifies the Prophet Jeremiah as the author of the Book of Jeremiah. Date of Writing: The Book of Jeremiah was written between 630 and 580 B.C. Purpose of Writing: The Book of Jeremiah records the final prophecies to Judah, warning of oncoming destruction if the nation does not repent.



EZEKIEL

The book of Ezekiel was written during Ezekiel's captivity in Babylon. He prophesied from about 592 to 570 B.C. After being taken captive, Ezekiel settled with other Jews in a place called Tel Abib on the Chebar River (see Ezekiel 1:1–3.


587 BCE

FIRST DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM

On Tisha B'Av, 25 August 587 BCE or 18 July 586 BCE, the Babylonians took Jerusalem, destroyed the First Temple and burned down the city.


165 BCE

Daniel is actually a figure from the Babylonian exile. In fact, he spends his entire life in Babylon. But the Book of Daniel attributed to him is actually written during the Maccabean revolt. Most scholars would say it's written about the year 165 BCE.


Ezekiel 1:1


In the thirtieth

בִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים (biš·lō·šîm)

Preposition-b | Number - common plural

Strong's 7970: Thirty, thirtieth


year,

שָׁנָ֗ה (šā·nāh)

Noun - feminine singular

Strong's 8141: A year


in the fourth month,

בָּֽרְבִיעִי֙ (bā·rə·ḇî·‘î)

Preposition-b, Article | Number - ordinal masculine singular

Strong's 7243: Fourth, a fourth


on the fifth

בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֣ה (ba·ḥă·miš·šāh)

Preposition-b, Article | Number - masculine singular

Strong's 2568: Five


day,

לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ (la·ḥō·ḏeš)

Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular

Strong's 2320: The new moon, a month


while I

וַאֲנִ֥י (wa·’ă·nî)

Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular

Strong's 589: I


was among

בְתֽוֹךְ־ (ḇə·ṯō·wḵ-)

Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct

Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre


the exiles

הַגּוֹלָ֖ה (hag·gō·w·lāh)

Article | Noun - feminine singular

Strong's 1473: Exile, exiles


by

עַל־ (‘al-)

Preposition

Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


the River

נְהַר־ (nə·har-)

Noun - masculine singular construct

Strong's 5104: A stream, prosperity


Kebar,

כְּבָ֑ר (kə·ḇār)

Noun - proper - feminine singular

Strong's 3529: Chebar -- a river of Babylon


the heavens

הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם (haš·šā·ma·yim)

Article | Noun - masculine plural

Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky


opened

נִפְתְּחוּ֙ (nip̄·tə·ḥū)

Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural

Strong's 6605: To open wide, to loosen, begin, plough, carve


and I saw

וָאֶרְאֶ֖ה (wā·’er·’eh)

Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular

Strong's 7200: To see


visions

מַרְא֥וֹת (mar·’ō·wṯ)

Noun - feminine plural construct

Strong's 4759: A vision, a mirror


of God.

אֱלֹהִֽים׃ (’ĕ·lō·hîm)

Noun - masculine plural

Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

• Ezekiel is among the exiles in Babylon!
• He sees visions of God!
• Quite similar to Daniel!

 

[JLG]

2. LOOKING FOR EZEKIEL

Ezekiel 1:2



On the fifth

בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה (ba·ḥă·miš·šāh)

Preposition-b, Article | Number - masculine singular

Strong's 2568: Five


day of the month—

לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ (la·ḥō·ḏeš)

Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular

Strong's 2320: The new moon, a month


it

הִ֚יא (hî)

Pronoun - third person feminine singular

Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are


was the fifth

הַחֲמִישִׁ֔ית (ha·ḥă·mî·šîṯ)

Article | Number - ordinal feminine singular

Strong's 2549: Fifth, a fifth


year

הַשָּׁנָ֣ה (haš·šā·nāh)

Article | Noun - feminine singular

Strong's 8141: A year


of the exile

לְגָל֖וּת (lə·ḡā·lūṯ)

Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct

Strong's 1546: Captivity, exiles


of King

הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)

Article | Noun - masculine singular

Strong's 4428: A king


Jehoiachin—

יוֹיָכִֽין׃ (yō·w·yā·ḵîn)

Noun - proper - masculine singular

Strong's 3112: Jehoiachin


Jehoiachin, also spelled Joachin, Hebrew Joiachin, in the Old Testament (II Kings 24), son of King Jehoiakim and king of Judah. He came to the throne at the age of 18 in the midst of the Chaldean invasion of Judah and reigned for three months. He was forced to surrender to Nebuchadrezzar II and was taken to Babylon (597 BC), along with 10,000 of his subjects. Nearly 40 years later Nebuchadrezzar died, and his successor released Jehoiachin.



https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jehoiachin

 

[JLG]

2. LOOKING FOR EZEKIEL

Ezekiel 1:2



On the fifth

בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה (ba·ḥă·miš·šāh)

Preposition-b, Article | Number - masculine singular

Strong's 2568: Five


day of the month—

לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ (la·ḥō·ḏeš)

Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular

Strong's 2320: The new moon, a month


it

הִ֚יא (hî)

Pronoun - third person feminine singular

Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are


was the fifth

הַחֲמִישִׁ֔ית (ha·ḥă·mî·šîṯ)

Article | Number - ordinal feminine singular

Strong's 2549: Fifth, a fifth


year

הַשָּׁנָ֣ה (haš·šā·nāh)

Article | Noun - feminine singular

Strong's 8141: A year


of the exile

לְגָל֖וּת (lə·ḡā·lūṯ)

Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct

Strong's 1546: Captivity, exiles


of King

הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)

Article | Noun - masculine singular

Strong's 4428: A king


Jehoiachin—

יוֹיָכִֽין׃ (yō·w·yā·ḵîn)

Noun - proper - masculine singular

Strong's 3112: Jehoiachin


Jehoiachin, also spelled Joachin, Hebrew Joiachin, in the Old Testament (II Kings 24), son of King Jehoiakim and king of Judah. He came to the throne at the age of 18 in the midst of the Chaldean invasion of Judah and reigned for three months. He was forced to surrender to Nebuchadrezzar II and was taken to Babylon (597 BC), along with 10,000 of his subjects. Nearly 40 years later Nebuchadrezzar died, and his successor released Jehoiachin.



https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jehoiachin

 

[JLG]

3) LOOKING FOR EZEKIEL

Ezekiel 1:3


the word

דְבַר־ (ḏə·ḇar-)

Noun - masculine singular construct

Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause


of the LORD

יְ֠הוָה (Yah·weh)

Noun - proper - masculine singular

Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


came

הָיֹ֣ה (hā·yōh)

Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute

Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be


directly

הָיָ֣ה (hā·yāh)

Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular

Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be


to

אֶל־ (’el-)

Preposition

Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to


Ezekiel

יְחֶזְקֵ֨אל (yə·ḥez·qêl)

Noun - proper - masculine singular

Strong's 3168: Ezekiel -- 'God strengthens', two Israelites


the priest,

הַכֹּהֵ֛ן (hak·kō·hên)

Article | Noun - masculine singular

Strong's 3548: Priest


the son

בֶּן־ (ben-)

Noun - masculine singular construct

Strong's 1121: A son


of Buzi,

בּוּזִ֧י (bū·zî)

Noun - proper - masculine singular

Strong's 941: Buzi -- the father of Ezekiel


in the land

בְּאֶ֥רֶץ (bə·’e·reṣ)

Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct

Strong's 776: Earth, land


of the Chaldeans

כַּשְׂדִּ֖ים (kaś·dîm)

Noun - proper - masculine plural

Strong's 3778: Chaldeans -- a region of southern Babylon and its inhab


by

עַל־ (‘al-)

Preposition

Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


the Kebar

כְּבָ֑ר (kə·ḇār)

Noun - proper - feminine singular

Strong's 3529: Chebar -- a river of Babylon


River.

נְהַר־ (nə·har-)

Noun - masculine singular construct

Strong's 5104: A stream, prosperity


And there

שָׁ֖ם (šām)

Adverb

Strong's 8033: There, then, thither


the LORD’s

יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)

Noun - proper - masculine singular

Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


hand

יַד־ (yaḏ-)

Noun - feminine singular construct

Strong's 3027: A hand


was

וַתְּהִ֥י (wat·tə·hî)

Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular

Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be


upon him.

עָלָ֛יו (‘ā·lāw)

Preposition | third person masculine singular

Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

• Ezekiel is a priest!
• His father is Buzi!
• He is in Babylon!
• By the Kebar river!
• And God is with him!
• We find 7 times this expression in the Book of Ezekiel!
• Once in 1 Kings!
• Once in 2 Kings!
• Twice in 1 Chronicles!
• Once in Psalms!
• Once in Luke!
• 6 times in Ezra!
• Twice in Nehemia!
• Once in Exodus!
• Once in Daniel!
• Once in 1 Peter!

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/God~s-Hands-On-People


The Kebar or Chebar Canal (or River) is the setting of several important scenes of the Book of Ezekiel, including the opening verses. The book refers to this river eight times in total.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Abib

 

[JLG]

4) LOOKING FOR EZEKIEL

Ezekiel 1:4


I looked

וָאֵ֡רֶא (wā·’ê·re)

Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular

Strong's 7200: To see


and saw

וְהִנֵּה֩ (wə·hin·nêh)

Conjunctive waw | Interjection

Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!


a whirlwind

ר֨וּחַ (rū·aḥ)

Noun - common singular construct

Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit


coming

בָּאָ֣ה (bā·’āh)

Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular

Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go


from

מִן־ (min-)

Preposition

Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of


the north,

הַצָּפ֗וֹן (haṣ·ṣā·p̄ō·wn)

Article | Noun - feminine singular

Strong's 6828: Hidden, dark, the north as a, quarter


a great

גָּדוֹל֙ (gā·ḏō·wl)

Adjective - masculine singular

Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent


cloud

עָנָ֤ן (‘ā·nān)

Noun - masculine singular

Strong's 6051: A cloud, the nimbus, thunder-cloud


with fire

וְאֵ֣שׁ (wə·’êš)

Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular

Strong's 784: A fire


flashing back and forth

מִתְלַקַּ֔חַת (miṯ·laq·qa·ḥaṯ)

Verb - Hitpael - Participle - feminine singular

Strong's 3947: To take


and brilliant light

וְנֹ֥גַֽהּ (wə·nō·ḡah)

Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular

Strong's 5051: Brilliancy


all around it.

סָבִ֑יב (sā·ḇîḇ)

Adverb

Strong's 5439: A circle, neighbour, environs, around


In the center

וּמִ֨תּוֹכָ֔הּ (ū·mit·tō·w·ḵāh)

Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular

Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre


of the fire

הָאֵֽשׁ׃ (hā·’êš)

Article | Noun - common singular

Strong's 784: A fire


was a glow

כְּעֵ֥ין (kə·‘ên)

Preposition-k | Noun - common singular construct

Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain


like amber,

הַחַשְׁמַ֖ל (ha·ḥaš·mal)

Article | Noun - masculine singular

Strong's 2830: Bronze, polished spectrum metal

• A whirlwind!
• A great cloud with fire
• Brilliant light!
• A glow like amber!
• Thus it can only be a vision!
• Something exceptional!

 

[JLG]

5) LOOKING FOR EZEKIEL

Ezekiel 1:5


and within it

וּמִ֨תּוֹכָ֔הּ (ū·mit·tō·w·ḵāh)

Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular

Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre


[was] the form

דְּמ֖וּת (də·mūṯ)

Noun - feminine singular construct

Strong's 1823: Resemblance, model, shape, like


of four

אַרְבַּ֣ע (’ar·ba‘)

Number - feminine singular

Strong's 702: Four


living creatures.

חַיּ֑וֹת (ḥay·yō·wṯ)

Noun - feminine plural

Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life


And this [was]

וְזֶה֙ (wə·zeh)

Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - masculine singular

Strong's 2088: This, that


their appearance:

מַרְאֵֽיהֶ֔ן (mar·’ê·hen)

Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine plural

Strong's 4758: Sight, appearance, vision


They had

לָהֵֽנָּה׃ (lā·hên·nāh)

Preposition-l | Pronoun - third person feminine plural

Strong's 2007: Themselves


a human

אָדָ֖ם (’ā·ḏām)

Noun - masculine singular

Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being


form,

דְּמ֥וּת (də·mūṯ)

Noun - feminine singular construct

Strong's 1823: Resemblance, model, shape, like

• We get 4 living creatures!
• With a human form!
• Before seeing the rest we can imagine they are not human!
• Only a human form!