Chebar Canal

Ezekiel's vision of God in Iraq

When Ezekiel first told about his visions, he lived with other Judean exiles in Babylon. He said the vision came “by the Chebar Canal” (Ezekiel 1:1). Scholars say Ezekiel, a priest taken during the Babylonian deportations of 597 BC, lived with fellow exiles near this waterway. They likely farmed and worked the land for their captors.

Chebar isn’t a known river in Iraq today. Most say it was an irrigation canal, not a natural stream. Many link it to the kābaru canals near the ancient city of Nippur or to nearby Tell Abib — the “Tel Aviv” of Ezekiel 3:15.

Babylonians dug huge canals to pull water from the Euphrates. These channels fed crops, floated boats, and kept cities alive. Along their banks, refugees built homes and tried to start over. Ezekiel’s mention of the Chebar pins his story to a real spot—a refugee community on one of Babylon’s man-made waterways.

God riding on a sapphire throne

There, far from home and deep in grief, Ezekiel said:

"I saw what looked like a human sitting on a gemstone sapphire throne. The person was glowing from head to toe like amber fire in darkness. It was a spectacular sight. The splendor of the scene was like a bright rainbow breaking through a rainy day. Colors everywhere. It all reflected from the glory of the LORD. [11] When it hit me, and I realized what I was seeing, I dropped face down on the ground. Then someone started to talk" (Ezekiel 1:26-28).