‘Now it happened in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives (literally ‘the captivity') by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.'
Ezekiel regularly dates his visions, but usually in terms of the date of the captivity (Ezekiel 1:2). Thus Ezekiel 1:1 is a bit of an enigma. To what does the ‘thirtieth year' refer? The probable answer is that it refers to his coming of age as a levitical priest (compare Numbers 4). Although he would never fulfil priestly functions he recognised that God had given him a different ministry among the exiles as a priest-prophet, and that he had now come of age in God's purposes.
(Other suggestions have included thirty years since the last jubile year, thirty years since the finding of the Law, the thirtieth year of Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar, and so on, but all fail on the basis that this would surely have been mentioned.)
These captives had settled at Tel Abib by the River Chebar (Ezekiel 3:15). The Chebar may possibly be identified with the ‘nari kabari' (the Great Canal), the name used in a Babylonian text from Nippur for the Shatt-en-Nil canal running east of that city, although it is not certain. There is a poignant note in his words, ‘among the captivity'. They were very much aware of their unhappy position. Jerusalem, their holy city, was far away and they were not free to return. Nebuchadnezzar's purpose in bringing them there was so that they may settle there and make it a permanent home. They were never intended to return. Their hearts were very heavy.
‘That the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.' This is an introductory comment on the many things that followed. The phrase ‘the heavens were opened' is simply an indication that he knew that what he saw came from God. Its source was heavenly. But it was very important. It indicated that God was there and had not forgotten them or totally rejected them.
‘I saw visions of God.' These words gave hope. It meant that God still had a message for them, and had much to say to them. The first vision of God will now be described. It would be futile to try to analyse what was meant by ‘visions'. We only know that Ezekiel saw the unseeable. We cannot really go further than that. (See Ezekiel 1:26-28; Ezekiel 8:4; Ezekiel 40:2 and compare 2 Kings 6:17).