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120 Bulletin for Biblical Research 2 EZEKIEL'S VISION OF THE NETHERWORLD But what happens to people when they die? The increasing interest in Israelite views of death and the netherworld is reflected in a growing bibliography of studies on the subject. 47 Earlier discussions tended to concentrate on references to Sheol in the Psalms and in the outbursts of Job, with occasional appeal to Isaiah (Isa 14; 26:7-19). But scholars have paid little attention to Ezekiel, despite the fact that his collection of prophecies probably devotes as much space to the subject as any other biblical book. Three texts provide most of the information on Ezekiel's views concerning the state of the dead: 26:19-21 represents the conclusion to the first of three redactional units that make up Ezekiel's oracles against Tyre; 31:14b-18 serves as the conclusion to the fifth of seven oracles against Egypt; and 32:17-32, the longest of this triad, brings the entire complex of oracles against Egypt to a conclusion. These texts are closely related in both style and substance. In fact, the plethora of lexical links between 32:17-32 and 31:14-18 48 sug- gests that this text presents another example of the typically Ezek- ielian pattern of Wiederaufname, "resumption." 49 Especially intriguing is the notice in 31:16 that Yahweh would cause the nations to shake (hir‘aštî gôyim) over the fall of the tree and that they would take comfort (wayyinnāhămû) at its descent into Sheol. 32:17-32 provides a rep- resentative sampling of those nations, and describes in greater detail their relationship to the Egyptian newcomer. The shoe of comfort, however, has been placed on the other foot. Instead of the nations finding consolation in the arrival of Egypt, Egypt may take comfort in the fact that she is not alone in the netherworld. Other nations, great 47. Cf. C. McDannell and B. Lang, Heaven: A History (New Haven/London: Yale University, 1988); K. Spronk, Beatific Afterlife in Ancient Israel and in the Ancient Near East (AOAT 219; Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1986); Tromp, Primitive Conceptions; L. Wächter, Der Tod im Alten Testament (Arbeiten zur Theologie 2/8; Stutt- gart: Calwer, 1967); C. Barth, Die Errettung vom Tode in den individuellen Klage-und Dankliedern des Alten Testaments (Zollikon: Evangelischer Verlag, 1947). 48. Expressions that are repeated include nātan, "to hand over" (to death, 31:14; to the sword, 32:20); ’eres tahtiyyôt, "netherworld" (31:14, 16, 18; 32:18, 24); yôrĕdê bôr, "those who go down to the pit" (31:14, 16; 32:18, 24, 25, 29, 30); yārad šĕ’ôlâ, "to go down to Sheol" (31:15, 16, 17; 32:27); halĕlê hereb, "victims of the sword" (31:17, 18; 32:20, 21, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32); ‘ărēlîm, "uncircumcised" (31:18; 32:19, 21, etc.); šākab ’et /bĕtôk, "to lie with/among" (31:18; 32:19, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32); hămôn, "pomp, horde" (31:18; 32:18, 20, 24, 25, 26, 31, 32). 49. According to which a subject is raised in an early text, only to be dropped im- mediately without further development, but then picked up and given fuller exposi- tion in a later text. We use the term Wiederaufname somewhat differently from C. Kuhl, for whom Wiederaufname serves to distinguish interpolations from the original traditum ("Die 'Wiederaufname'-ein literarisches Prinzip," ZAW 64 [1952] 1-11). Cf. also M. Fishbane, Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel (Oxford: Clarendon, 1985) 84-86.
BLOCK: Ezekiel's Vision of Death and Afterlife 121 and small, have experienced the same fate (32:31). In view of the ex- pository nature of 32:17-32, we may focus our attention here. Structurally 32:17-32 is complex. 50 Following the opening date notice, Yahweh commands Ezekiel to wail for the hordes of Egypt and to bring them down to the netherworld (vv. 17-18). This charge serves as a thesis type statement, introducing the reader to the theme of the oracle. Vv. 19-21 constitute a general announcement of judgment upon the nation, highlighting the depths to which she shall fall. The bulk of the oracle (vv. 22-30) is taken up with a roll call of nations that greet Egypt upon her arrival in Sheol. The passage concludes with a statement of the significance of the previous scenes for Pharaoh (v. 31), and a theological interpretation of the descent of the king of Egypt (v. 32). The problematic state of the text complicates the interpretation of the prophecy. Not since the prophet's opening vision have trun- cated sentences and inconsistencies of gender, number, and tense so plagued a passage. 51 Compounding the issue is a stylistic monotony, which some would say ill befits the prophet so renowned for his lit- erary power. The pool of words and expressions is limited, but its heavy dependence upon stock phrases associated with death and burial contributes to its morbid tone. But the issue for us is, what does this text tell us about Ezekiel's view of life after death? The Topography of the Netherworld We do well to begin our discussion of Ezekiel's understanding of the netherworld with a look at its relationship to the rest of the universe. Like his fellow Israelites, Ezekiel assumed a universe divided into three tiers: 52 _______________________________ Heaven: The Realm of Deity 53 _______________________________ Earth: The Realm of the Living 54 _______________________________ Sheol: The Realm of the Dead ________________________________ 50. Perhaps a consequence of the grief poem (nĕhî) genre, on which see R. M. Hals, Ezekiel (Forms of Old Testament Literature 19; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989) 228-29. 51. Cf. the number of diversions from MT in LXX. 52. Cf. Bernhard Lang's discussion of the relationships among the tiers ("Life After Death in the Prophetic Promise," Congress Volume: Jerusalem 1986 [VTSup 40; ed. J. A. Emerton; Leiden: Brill, 19881 145-48). 53. The word šāmayim occurs eight times in the book, but only in 1:1 does it de- note the realm of deity. 54. Identified in Ezekiel as ’eres hahayyîm, "the land of the living" (26:20; 32:23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 32). This is the sphere in which humans live and in which they inflict terror upon one another (cf. 32:23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 32).
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