Ezekiel's Radical Challenge to Inviolability

The temple vision in Ez 8-11 has traditionally been interpreted as a vision of Yhwh’s departure from the Temple. The departure of the divine presence, it is argued, opened the city to invasion and destruction at the hands of the Babylonians. The present essay argues that Ez 8-11 does not portray a vision of divine abandonment but a visitation for judgment. The traditional view assumes that Ezekiel affirms the doctrine of the inviolability of Zion when, in fact, he rejects the very notion of inviolability. The study begins with close attention to the relevant features of Ez 8-11 and then examines Ezekiel’s motives in challenging the doctrine of inviolability, in particular the need to reassert Yhwh’s sovereignty in the wake of national defeat and exile.