1:1 thirtieth year. July, 593 b.c. The book appears to have a double superscription, one in the first person (v. 1) and the other in the third (vv. 2–3). The dates in the Book of Ezekiel are normally calculated from the year of the captivity of Jehoiachin (cf. 40:1). But the first date in the book specifies a “thirtieth” year (v. 1) and immediately refers to the “fifth year” (v. 2) of Jehoiachin. Probably the “thirtieth” year is Ezekiel’s age at the time of his prophetic call, coinciding with the “fifth” year of Jehoiachin. A candidate for the priesthood ordinarily assumed the full responsibilities of the office at age thirty (Num. 4:3). Instead of achieving this important goal, Ezekiel was living in exile far from the temple in Jerusalem, unable to fulfill his calling as a priest.

Chebar canal. The Jews living outside their homeland commonly established places of worship along streams of water (Ps. 137:1; Acts 16:13). Two cuneiform texts from Nippur mention a naru kabari (meaning “Great River”) that is probably the Chebar; it was a large irrigation canal that brought water from the Euphrates below Babylon.