E Z I 
E Z Z 
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EZE'KTEL, the third in numbs* - of the Hebrew pro¬ 
phets, the fon of Buzi, of the family of Aaron. lie was 
one of the captives who were carried by Nebuchadnezzar 
to Babylon in the calamitous year 597 B.C. when Jeru- 
falem was twice fubdued, firft under the reign of Jehoi- 
akim, and again under that of Jehoiachih, who fucceeded 
his father on the throne of Judah. He Was called to the 
prophetic office in the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s capti¬ 
vity. The Ribjects of the revelations communicated to 
him were, the terrible calamities which not long after¬ 
wards were inflicted upon Judea and Jerufalem, on ac¬ 
count of the idolatry, impiety, and grofs vices, of the in¬ 
habitants ; the divine judgments which thould be exe¬ 
cuted on the falfe prophets and propheteffes who contri¬ 
buted to delude and harden them in theirrebellion againft 
God ; the puniffiments which fliould befall the Ammon¬ 
ites, Edomites, and Philiftines, for their hatred againft 
the Jews, and infulting over tltem in the time of their 
diftrefs ; the deftruCtion of Tyre, and the conqueft of 
Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar ; the future reftoration of 
Ifrael and Judah from their feveral difperfions, upon their 
repentance and forfaking their fins ; and their ultimately 
happy ftate under the government of the Mefliah. Jofe- 
phus and feveral other writers divide the predictions of 
Ezekiel into two books, or parts. The firft part extends 
to the end of the thirty-ninth chapter, and the fecond 
confifts of the laft nine chapters, which they confider to 
conftitute a feparate book, as treating altogether of a dif¬ 
ferent fubjeCt. Grotius, in his introduction to his com¬ 
mentary on this prophet, obferves, that “ he had great 
erudition and genius ; fo that, fetting afide his gift of 
prophecy which is incomparable, he may deferve to be 
compared with Homer, on account of his beautiful con¬ 
ceptions, his illuftrious companions, and his extenfive 
knowledge of various matters, particularly of architec¬ 
ture.” Of the events of Ezekiel’s life fubfequent to his 
being called to the prophetic office, nothing certain can 
be learned in addition to the circumftances which he has 
himfelf related, and which are intimately blended with 
the detail of his predictions. In a life of this prophet 
which has been attributed to Epiphanius, Ezekiel is faid 
to have been killed by the prince or commander of the 
ijews in the place of his exile, who was addicted to idola¬ 
try, and who could not bear the reproofs of the prophet. 
The mod learned and elaborate commentary upon this 
prophet was written by two Spanith Jefuits, Pradus and 
Villalpandus, in three volumes folio, of which Dr. Win. 
Lowth has made confiderable ufe in his valuable Conti¬ 
nuation of Biftiop Patrick’s Commentary on the Old Tef- 
tament. The lateft and beft Englifh verfion of Ezekiel 
is that publiflied by the late learned and excellent biftiop 
Newcome, in 1788, in quarto, with a preface and notes, 
from which both polite and biblical fcholars may receive 
much pleafureand improvement. 
E'ZEL, an iflsnd of Ruflia, in the Baltic Sea, of a 
triangular form, about eight miles in circumference. Lat. 
,58. 20. N. Ion. 40. E. Ferro. 
E’ZEL, [Heb. that (heweth the way.] A done of that 
nature (ituated in Paleftine ; where David and Jonathan 
conferred with each other previous to David’s iorfaking 
the houfe of Saul. 1 Sam. xx. 19. 
E'ZEM, a city of Paleftine, fituated in the tribe of 
Simeon. 1 Chron. iv. 29. 
EZETO'VA, a river of Ruffia, which runs into the 
Obikaia Gulf. Lat. 67. 50. N. Ion. 93. E. Ferro. 
E'ZION-GABER, or Ezion-geber, a city fituated 
on the (boreof the Red Sea in the land of Edom, and the 
thirty-fecond encampment of the Ifraelites in their jour¬ 
ney from Egypt to Canaan; during the fubjeCtion of 
Edom to Judah, it was one of Solomon’s principal fea- 
ports. Numb, xxxiii. 33. 1 Kings ix. 26. 
Vol. VII. No.415. 
EZ'RA, the-illuftrious reftorer of the Old Teftament, 
and author of the book in the Hebrew Scriptures which 
bears his name, was a defcendant of the houfe of Aaron, 
and of the family of Seraiah, who was the high-prieft 
whom Nebuchadnezzar caufed to be put to death atthe 
taking of Jerufalem. It feerns mod probable that he was 
. born in the land of captivity, where by his great learning, 
intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures, and ardent zeal 
for the religion of his fathers, he acquired the efteein and 
refpeCt of his countrymen. His merits alfo appear to have 
gained him a high reputation at the Perfia’n court, where 
he received an ample commillion from Artaxerxes Longi- 
manus to proceed to Jerufalem, with as many of his na¬ 
tion as were willing to accompany him, in order to reform 
the ecclefiaftical and civil affairs in that city. Ezra re¬ 
ceived his commiOion in the feventh year of the reign of 
Artaxerxes Longimanus, or 45S before Chrift ; and having 
collected a number of his countrymen of different ranks, 
after obferving a folemn faft, for the purpofe of imploring 
the Divine protection, he fet forwards with them towards 
Jerufalem. On his arrival at that city, he chiefly applied 
himfelf to reftore the difcipline and rites of the Jewifh 
church, and the worlhip of the temple, according to the 
form in which it exilted before the captivity. It is gene¬ 
rally allowed by the beft Jewifti and Chriftian writers, that 
one grand meafurew'hich engaged his attention was thecok 
leCtionand revifion of the booksor the facred writings. This 
work, in which he probably received the affiftanceof the 
prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, was rendered 
neceffary by the confufed ftate of things to which the ec- 
clefiaftical as well as civil affairs of the Jews mull have 
been reduced during the captivity. It would lead him 
to correCl fuch errors as had crept in through the igno¬ 
rance and careleffnefs of tranfcribers ; to introduce occa. 
fional explanatory claufes, and fuch additions as were ne- 
ceffary to illuftrate and confirm the text ; and to change 
the obfolete names of places for Rich as were made ufe of 
at that time. It is generally allowed alfo, that by him 
was formed that canon of the Hebrew Scriptures which is 
commonly received by Jews and Chriftians at this day, ex¬ 
cepting the two books of Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, 
Either, and Malachi, which were afterwards added in the 
time of Simon the Juft. At this revifal of the facred 
writings, according to thegeneral opinionof the ancients, 
Ezra exchanged the old Hebrew characters for the Chal¬ 
dee, becaufe the ufeof them had become univerfal among 
the Jews during the Babylonilh captivity. When Ezra 
had completed his collection and revifion of the facred 
writings, which was during Nehemiah’s adminiftration, 
preparation was made for the public reading of the law of 
Moles at the fealt of.trumpets, when the commencement 
of the new year was joyfully celebrated. After this, we 
learn nothing certain concerning Ezra : Jofephus fays that 
he died at Jerufalem ; but the reft of the Jews affirm that 
he returned into Perfia, and died there in the 120th year 
of his age. That Ezra was the author of the book winch 
bears his name, and is written partly in the Hebrew and 
partly in the Chaldee language, there appears no juft rea- 
fon to doubt. The Jews Rippofe him to be the author 
of the book of Nehemiah ; but that Rippolition is incon- 
(iftent with the declaration of Nehemiah at the beginning 
of it, that it contains his words, and with his always fpeak- 
ing of himfelf in the firft perlon. Many authors are dif- 
poled to attribute to him the compilation of the two 
books of Chronicles; and others that of the two books 
of Kings. 
E'ZY, a town of France, in the department of the 
F.ure : fifteen miles fouth-eaft of Eyreux. 
EZZE'IUN, a town of Egypt: eight miles north of 
EeniRief. 
P ? | 
