One of the difficulties in the exegesis of Ezekiel Ch. 16 concerns the “restoration of the fortunes” (v. 53), and the “return to an original state” (v. 55), of three cities, Jerusalem, Samaria and Sodom. The main difficulty here concerns Sodom which, at the time of Ezekiel’s prophecy had been completely destroyed, together with its inhabitants, many centuries ago. How then can Sodom – the city or its inhabitants be restored?

In this article, I review briefly three solutions to this question which are sometimes put forwards in commentaries and articles as well as, with great trepidation, proposing a different solution for the “historical” restoration of Sodom which is based on the intrinsic details of the passage itself – particularly verses 44-63.

I will greatly welcome all comments and corrections. I’m presenting this proposal as a suggestion for further discussion, and certainly not as an “exegetical fait accompli!“

Here is the article in pdf format.

Categories: Chiastic and Other Structures, Ezekiel, Old Testament Exegesis

Tags: Bible, christianity, Christology, Exegesis, Ezekiel, Ezekiel Chapter 16, Genesis, Jerusalem, Jesus, Old Testament, prophecy, Restoration, Samaria, Sodom, Structure, Typology