Ezekiels Vision of God: Exegesis of Ezekiel 1

The Hebrew lunar calendar contains 12 months of 29 or 30 days for an annual total of only 354.
To account for this annual 11 day discrepancy, they would adjust their calendar by adding a 13th month
of 30 days seven times each 19 year period. (-11*19 + 7*30 = -209 + 210 = 1 0)

Hebrew Lunar Calendar

[Ezekiel 1:1-2] Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month,
while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
(On the fifth of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachins exile.)
On March 15/16th, 597 BCE (Adar I 17), King Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah) was exiled by
Nebuchadnezzar II. Since Hebrew calendars count any portion of a month (or year) as a full month (or
year), the fourth month is Sivan and fifth year is 593 BCE. Therefore, Ezekiel saw God on Sivan 5, 593
BCE.1 Now we must convert Sivan 5.
Given the thirty year period, we can use the modulus operator (the remainder of Euclidean
division) to answer this question. By assumption, every 19 years the dates are properly recalibrated,
therefore:
30 mod 19 = 11 (pertinent years).
In a 19 year span, there are 7 30-day months added on the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and
19th year of the cycle. Given the remaining 11 year span and the unknown starting month, we can
model the change in number of days between any two incremental years of the Hebrew calendar using
the following piecewise function:

Months in a lunar calendar begin with the new moon phase, therefore this early date has the possibility to
witness a solar eclipse.

( )

In order to find the range of possible dates for Sivan 5, we must calculate the maximum and
minimum values ( ) takes on from 10 incremental steps (the first year is assumed to have 0 change.)
More precisely, we must solve:

( )

( )

It turns out that ( ) is partitioned rather nicely in that, for any

,
( ) can be
represented as a binomial function with values 10 or -20. Therefore, Sivan 5 could have occurred
anywhere between May 5, 593 BCE and June 4, 593 BCE.
Suppose the exact date Ezekiel is speaking of is May 9, 593 BCE. My argument is the following:
Ezekiels vision of God was not divine but merely a description of the partial solar eclipse of May 9, 593
BCE at the Mesopotamian river of Chebar- the modern-day Khabur River located in Syria.

Turning back to the Neviim, Ezekiel 1:4 introduces the vision by relaying that storm winds (bolts
of lightning) were approaching from the north and a great cloud (moon) was illuminated like a glowing
metal in the fire (sun). This event is retold in verse 13 where Ezekiel reiterates this vision as burning
coals in a fire and alludes to bolts of lightning in its midst.
This spectacle Ezekiel is referring to is the hypothesized solar eclipse and the lightning bolts are
not physical occurrences but astrological events: appearance of constellations Pegasus (the winged
horse Zeus instructed to bring lightning and thunder to Olympus) and Aquila (the eagle who carries
Zeuss thunderbolts.) Observing the night sky six hours prior to the solar eclipse, both Auriga and
Pegasus pass above the eventual point of interest following a more northern celestial route.
In Ezekiel 1:5, he peers into the solar eclipse- or looks into the heavens- and sees four cherubim
(four-faced, four-winged angels).2 In verse 7, Ezekiel describes these deities as having straight legs and
rounded feet as well as a gleaming, like burnished bronze, appearance. Additionally, in verses 9 and
12 he characterizes these cherubim as lacking free will and following an uncontrollable but straight path.
When taken together, the four cherubim possess far more astrological significance than divinity.
In verses 10-11, Ezekiel finishes the description of the four cherubim by adumbrating the
position and feature of each face (face of a bull on the left, face of an eagle, face of a human, and face of
a lion on the right) and marking the distinction in the two pairs of cherubic wings (two touching another
being and two covering their bodies). Based on previous evidence, I claim these four faces are the
constellations Taurus (bull), Aquila (eagle), Perseus (hero), and Leo (lion) and the constraint on the two
pairs of wings is embodied in the position of Aquila and Pegasus.
Using YourSky3, I can compare my astrological hypothesis with the sky that Ezekiel saw on May
9, 593 BCE (Pg. 4), and can properly conclude that Taurus, Aquila, Perseus, Leo, and Pegasus appeared in
the sky that day in the exact order mentioned by Ezekiel.4 Moreover, Auriga (Charioteer) represents the
four wheels following the four cherubim (Ezekiel 1:14-21)5, Eridanus (River) represents the abundant
waters stretched out under the four cherubim (Ezekiel 1: 22-25), and Cassiopeia (Throne- characterized
with bluish stars) represents the lapis lazuli throne above the expanse (Ezekiel 1: 26). As I expected, all
of these constellations made an appearance on May 9, 593 BCE and were in the exact position described
in the text.
Therefore, because my theory explaining Ezekiel 1 predicts the same event as a literal or divine
interpretation of the text and my assumptions do not make use of dogma, then my conclusion must be
chosen over the divine interpretation by Occams Razor.

I claim there was only one cherub (Taurus, Aquila, Perseus, and Leo with the wings of Aquila and Pegasus) and
the inclusion of four cherubim is merely for poetic effect- four 4s (see Note 4).
3
http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/ (Program that allows the user to view the sky from any position on Earth at
any time after ~ January 4000 BCE)
4
The constellations were documented by hand following a landscape design. Therefore, when the sky map was
rolled into a scroll, the leftmost portion (Leo) would be touching the rightmost portion (Aquila) thus satisfying the
constraint on Taurus and Leo. Moreover, Aquila would then have a pair of wings touching Leo and a pair of wings
covering Pegasuss body while Pegasus would have a pair of wings touching Perseus and a pair of wings covering
Aquilas body.
5
I claim there must have been only one wheel by Note 2 and the reference to the four wheels finalizes the
symmetric four 4s (four-faced, four-winged, four cherubim, four wheels).

Sky above Chebar River May 9, 593 BCE at 6:09:18