Ezequiel

Ezequiel is the Spanish and Portuguese equivalent to Ezekiel. Ezekiel is a Hebrew name (Yechezqel) borne by one of the Major Prophets from the Old Testament in the Biblical Book that bears his name. The name comes from the Hebrew words meaning “God strengthens”. Ezekiel is one of the prophets who lived through the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian conquest in 586 B.C. At the time, Ezekiel was an upper-class Jew who had been exiled to Babylon under the direction of Nebuchadnezzar II. God then appeared to Ezekiel on a chariot flown by some rather unusual creatures called cherubim. The Lord gave Ezekiel a scroll detailing the tragic events about to unfold for Jerusalem and then commanded him to eat the scroll. Ezekiel obeyed, thus figuratively swallowing the true word of God. He then went on to prophesize to the Jewish exiles (after God gave Ezekiel a ride back to Babylon on His cherubim flying machine). After the fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel shared his vision for the “New Jerusalem” in Ezekiel 40-48 whereby the future Temple is enormous and where God will dwell with the people of Israel forever. Ezekiel has come to be known as a “Prophet to the Exiles”, and an important prophet in overall Jewish tradition (as such Ezekiel has generally been considered a Jewish name). The name was eventually taken up by the Puritans during the 16th century Reformation and spread to America by way of the new settlements. Ezequiel developed as the Spanish and Portuguese form of the name.