Ezekiel’s Concept of Covenant

Abstract

Although explicit covenantal language is largely absent from the book of Ezekiel, covenant remained an important concept for how the prophet understood Israel’s relationship with its national deity. Readings of 11:14-21; 14:1-11; 37:15-23; 16:59-63; and 20:4-5 demonstrate that Ezekiel assumed that eternal covenants established by God in the past remained valid and would be remembered in the future, when the nation would be reconstituted. Moreover, the eternal covenants established by God would not be reworked; rather, the people would be changed by their experience of shame in exile. Another covenant that was mentioned during the text’s redaction, the covenant of peace, affirmed that the conflict between Yahweh and Israel has ceased. This chapter accords with recent scholarly work tying Ezekiel to the covenantal stipulations of the Holiness Code (Leviticus 17-26). It distinguishes, however, the concept of covenant found in Ezekiel from that of Jeremiah, adding to recent studies that contrast these two prophets in general.

Department(s)

Language, Cultures and Religions

Document Type

Article

DOI

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190634513.013.22

Keywords

Bundesformel, covenant of peace, eternal covenant, exile, Hebrew Bible, Holiness Code, Jeremiah, Old Testament

Publication Date

1-1-2020

Journal Title

Oxford Handbook of Ezekiel

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS