The Meaning of Ezekiel 1:3 Explained

Ezekiel 1:3

KJV: The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

YLT: hath the word of Jehovah certainly been unto Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar, and there is on him there a hand of Jehovah.

Darby: the word of Jehovah came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Jehovah was there upon him.

ASV: the word of Jehovah came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Jehovah was there upon him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The word  of the LORD  came expressly unto Ezekiel  the priest,  the son  of Buzi,  in the land  of the Chaldeans  by the river  Chebar;  and the hand  of the LORD  was there upon him. 

What does Ezekiel 1:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Ezekiel 1:1-21 - A Vision Of God's Majesty
A dark storm-cloud approaches the prophet, from which an incessant blaze of lightning scintillated. As it drew near, the forms of four living creatures became visible, combining, under various figures, intelligence, strength, patience, and soaring aspiration. The wheels were evidently symbolical of the cycles of divine providence, which cooperate with the ministers of the divine will. The slab of blue expanse supported a human semblance, suggestive of that great after-event-God manifest in the flesh. The whole conception impresses us with the reality, order, majesty, and humanness, of the Eternal God. Those holy beings surely represent the intelligent company of innumerable angels and servants, while the wheels represent the material creation. All these are sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation. Angels and nature minister to us, if we are in union with God. All things serve the servants of the Most High. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 1

1  The time of Ezekiel's prophecy at Chebar
4  His vision of four cherubim;
15  of the four wheels;
26  and of the glory of God

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 1:3 mean?

Expressly came the word of Yahweh to Ezekiel the son of Buzi the priest in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar and was upon him there the hand of Yahweh
הָיֹ֣ה הָיָ֣ה דְבַר־ יְ֠הוָה אֶל־ יְחֶזְקֵ֨אל בֶּן־ בּוּזִ֧י הַכֹּהֵ֛ן בְּאֶ֥רֶץ כַּשְׂדִּ֖ים עַל־ נְהַר־ כְּבָ֑ר וַתְּהִ֥י עָלָ֛יו שָׁ֖ם יַד־ יְהוָֽה

הָיֹ֣ה  Expressly 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
הָיָ֣ה  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
דְבַר־  the  word 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
יְ֠הוָה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
יְחֶזְקֵ֨אל  Ezekiel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְחֶזְקֵאל  
Sense: son of Buzi and a priest and prophet; author of the book by his name; taken captive with Jehoiachin and exiled in Babylon where he prophesied for the next 22 years.
בֶּן־  the  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בּוּזִ֧י  of  Buzi 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בּוּזִי  
Sense: father of Ezekiel (or ancestor).
הַכֹּהֵ֛ן  the  priest 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
בְּאֶ֥רֶץ  in  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
כַּשְׂדִּ֖ים  of  the  Chaldeans 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: כַּשְׂדִּים  
Sense: a territory in lower Mesopotamia bordering on the Persian Gulf.
נְהַר־  the  River 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
כְּבָ֑ר  Chebar 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: כְּבָר  
Sense: a Babylonian river near which many Israelite exiles settled; maybe the ‘Habor’ or the ‘Royal Canal’ of Nebuchadnezzar.
וַתְּהִ֥י  and  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
עָלָ֛יו  upon  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
יַד־  the  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
יְהוָֽה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.